Self Drive Boats

We used http://www.leboat.co.uk/ twice (Scotland and Ireland; not France) and were very satisfied. You can look through their website and see if anything catches your fancy.

There are a number of incredible routes in France worthy of your consideration. The one I am most familiar with is the Canal du Midi in the South of France. The first thing to do is to decide just where you would like to travel. Once you find a location, then check out the websites specializing in boat vacations. I Googled "French Canal boats" and "Canal Boats" and ultimately settled on the second link below. The trip I have taken was through the second link below, but there are any number of rental companies. The thing I loved about the journey was that it was slow and relaxing, offering many opportunities to stop for awhile to enjoy restaurants and bars, and to do a little shopping.

Most of the towns along the canal are small, but some have wonderful sights. The food is amazing, as you are in the Langedoc region abutting Provence, so there are regional markets. I began my trip about a year ago in Agde, and drove the boat to Carcassonne, where I turned it in. There are other starting/ending points, and you can do an out and back.

Be aware that there are not many Americans on the Canal, as this is not a widely publicized vacation venue, but that increases the odds that you will become friends with Belgians, Germans, Spaniards, Brits, and French vacationers, all of whom are more than happy to lift a cup with you and to ask you about your own country. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact me directly. Wally

http://www.leboat.com/

http://www.southfrance.com/boatrentalsfrance/agde/index.html

Edit. The locks are controlled by lock employees. No labor needed on your part except to have one of you tending the belay rope on the lock rim.

My husband and I rented a boat from LocaBoat in southwest France some years ago. We started in Agen, on the Garonne canal, and then turned off onto the River Baise. We did have to open most of the locks, but that just involved inserting an electronic key card. We were in our 60s at the time and had no trouble.

It was a gorgeous trip. We spent each evening in a different charming, tiny village and had some memorable adventures.

Although we've never rented a boat in France, we've spent a lot of time staying and walking along a number of canals. As someone else mentioned, the Canal du Midi would be a great choice, as would one of the Burgundy Canals. He's a site that I used several years ago to get info about towns and sites along the Burgundy canals. It includes info about boat rentals: https://www.burgundy-canal.com/

Thanks for the wonderful suggestions! The Canal du Midi sounds perfect. My wife is concerned about the heat in the summer since we will be there in late June or early July. Is it any cooler on the water or can sleeping in the boats be stifling?

I don't think it is much cooler on the water of a canal or river, but (at least some of) the boats have air cooling.

Way back in 2003, we rented an English narrowboat from www.minervoiscruisers.com and boated northwest and then back southeast, on the Canal du Midi. I believe they've updated their fleet since then. Our boat was pretty slow, and the people who operated the locks on the canal were on strike, so we didn't go as far as Carcassonne as we'd planned.

I've heard that boating on the Canal du Midi can be compared to bumper cars, with long waits (over a hour) at the locks. We visited Carcassone after our trip and were surprised to see crowds of boats on the canal. On our trip we saw maybe a half-dozen other boats in an entire day.

Do your research carefully. And also , research the difference between boating on a man-made canal vs a river. We much preferred the river part of our journey.

This sounds like a wonderful idea, but I'm wondering how much experience/license is needed? We've owned a few small power boats, and love kayaking and watersports, rented a houseboat in the Bahamas,.and love the slow idea. Are the locks confusing? Thanks for any info!

No license needed, and minimal boating experience is necessary. Some basic knot-tying knowledge is helpful.

When we got our boat, one guy took my husband out in the harbor to show him how things worked, while I was given a navigation book and basic instructions on locks.

Fifteen minutes later we were on our way -- a bit nervous at first but we quickly figured everything out. You go very slowly, and really can't get lost. The locks were not complicated at all -- in fact after a few days we were looking forward to them.

It was such a relaxing week in the middle of a busy month in France. No hotels, no rushing for trains. We loved waking on the river with nothing but the sound of ducks outside our boat (they knew boat=bread). We stopped in tiny villages that see very few tourists. And we had two of our most memorable meals in France on the River Baise.

This was one of our best travel experiences ever.

This sounds wonderful! I assume the trip is a circle, not one way. Do you visit different (new) stops on the return leg, or do the return all in one day (assuming a week rental)?
Checking out the prices for a boat that sleeps four comfortably, looks like one week translates to about $3200 US Dollars. Sound about right? If we split it between two couples, that's about the same as a hotel room...

I can't give you any help on pricing except to say look very carefully at the sleeping diagrams. Our boat said it slept 6 but 2 would have been on the kitchen table/bench. Ok for kids but not adults.

The type of trip depends on the area & company. We chose an out and back, departing & returning to the same location. (And no, you can't make the return in just one day.) You might prefer a one way, picking up the boat in one location & returning in another. But returning to familiar places was fun too.

Thank you Charlene! Yes I noticed that about the sleeping - we'd only be one or two couples, but definitely want a real bed.

How was the waviness? At night, did you stop at marinas or just anchor? I'm really getting revved about this.
Also, when you went into the town, were you nervous about the security of the boat? Or was that not an issue?
Did you get into the water? We will probably do this in early fall, and would love a swim each day. Practical?
Lastly, how would you go about choosing your route? We've been to France 3 times, all land based. Have not visited Burgundy, is that a good choice?

Thanks for any and all thoughts!

I just found out that the schools in France aren't out until July 7. Maybe we would have less traffic on a busy canal like Canal du Midi if we completed our trip before then.

bherrington -- I am not sure how crowded Canal du Midi would be in June. I do know it was very crowded when we watched it from Carcassone in mid September. Google it and see if you can find some on-line reviews for that time of year.

Joan -- There were no waves on the river or the canal. At night we always tied up in a little town, so we could go to restaurants and buy fresh bread, fruit, etc. Only once was there a harbormaster who we had to check in with. For the other towns, we just tied up along the river in the town. Sometimes we would stop along the river and tie up and take a little walk, although we did no swimming. We always felt very safe. We would lock up our cabin whenever we both left the boat.

As for choosing a route, ours was inspired by an article I read about a family who took this trip, and I didn't look any further. We both had high-stress jobs at the time and this journey was so peaceful and lovely. We would go hours without seeing another boat ... it was like having the river to ourselves. I have not boated in Burgandy but I'm sure it's lovely. I would google for accounts of trips in Burgandy and find one that appeals to you.

Two good boat sources: We used LocaBoat, and were very happy with them. There's another company called LeBoat that other boaters we met had used, and they too were pleased.

Weighing in on a couple of topics.

First, for God's sake don't think that you can go swimming in the canals. The boats discharge raw sewage into the water and a ripping case of cholera would likely ensue. There isn't any odor that I was able to detect because the canals are an ecosystem and contain bacteria which break down the waste. There are no floating turds, either, because the boats have macerators that pulverize the solids. It's a non issue, but no swimming.

Or fishing, either. Same reason.

This is a leisurely vacation. The speed limit is 8 km/hr on the canals. The locks open around 8 in the morning and close in the late afternoon, around 6 pm or so. They also close over lunch, when the lock operator goes home to eat. Savor your impotence. The locks generally will accommodate 4 boats at a time. Expect to wait. Drink some wine. Take a walk. Talk to the Italian family in the boat next to you. Drink some more wine. Catch some rays. Drink some more wine--no, just kidding. Stay sober.

Mosquitos abound. Plan accordingly. Sleeping in towns is better. The best pizza I ever had was in a small pizzaria in the town of La Redorte on the canal. It was at the Pizzaria L'artifice just down the main street from the La Mie'nervoise patisserie. An unforgettable experience at both places.

Vinyards sometimes set up a crate with a bottle and a few glasses for wine tasting. On the canal. For you to taste. If you like the wine, walk down the path and ask to buy a bottle.

Food is slow and generally very good. It's a vacation. Be slow, enjoy....

I'm about ready to book a week but would love some confirmation from someone here first. We are considering booking with Le Boat for a week on the Nivernais Canal -- one way from Tannay to Migennes.

Any comments? suggestions?
Thanks,
Bob

webfey1 -- I was not aware that some boats discharge raw sewage in the water. I'm pretty certain that ours had a waste-water holding tank. At any rate, we saw several people fishing along the River Baise and we certainly never noticed any smell. This would be something to check before renting a boat, and definitely bring along some rubber gloves to wear when handling wet ropes, just in case.

Were you on the Canal du Midi? We had a totally different experience with locks on the Garonne Canal and River Baise. There was only one lockkeeper (where the canal turned into the river). Aside from that, we opened all locks ourselves (with an electronic key card) so we did not have to worry about lunch hours. Locks did close from about 6 pm to 8 am, so we had to time our last stop carefully. Our only chance to meet other boaters was in the towns, once we were all tied up for the night.

Also, our locks only held one boat at a time. I think we had to wait once, as a boat was coming through in the opposite direction. And we had no mosquitoes (mid-September).

Your comments about the leisurely nature of this trip are right on. And that's what makes it so special. Life at 8 km/hour is a unique experience. And we too found the food in these little towns to be among the best we had in France.

I am sure the canal experience is different across France. The Canal du Midi was the lifeline between the Med and the Atlantic ocean, with most of the commerce being towed up and down the canals by barge. I plan on scouting out some of the other canals in my trips to come.

Yes, great food and a memorable experience. I have been twice to the Midi, and each time I have loved the pace and the lifestyle. And the wine. Did I mention the wine?

Bob -- You might not find anyone on this forum with experience on the Nivernais. You might try Trip Advisor. Or even google. I'm sure it will be a wonderful experience. You now know to ask about mosquitos, and holding tanks, and lockkeepers. Have fun!

No swimming, I get that . Just had to ask! Recently, we were amazed at the catamaran vacation we took in the Caribbean this spring - the boat did not have a holding tank, but the macerator that you describe. We swam upstream, and not in the early AM, to avoid. But of course it was diluted by the entire Caribbean, not a small canal. Still yucky to think about, and surprising they don't require holding tanks in such a pristine environment.

I'll try to savor my impotence :)

And drinking lots of wine is the goal!

Thanks again all!

Regarding to the routes .. there are many routes that you can do by boat. I leave here an image of a possible route through the Loire Valley that perhaps fits what you are looking for. You can make several stops to see castles, beautiful gardens, Roman cities, eat local food or drink a good wine. My partner and I did it about two years ago or so and we loved it. If you are looking for companies to rent I recommend this site of boat and rib rentals company in France that we hired, everything went super well with them. I hope I've helped!!