Interested in taking a barge cruise, particularly in France, UK, or Germany next summer. Any advice or info would be most appreciated!
Posted by
Washington
1013 posts
Hi, I'm not sure if you're interested in barge + activity (biking or walking) or just the cruising aspect, but I'll recommend looking at the Tripsite website. I used Tripsite to find a bike & barge trip in the Netherlands. The actual tour was led by a small company called Yubike--they also run tours in France and Italy. I recommend both the broker (Tripsite) and the cycling company. Tripsite also has information on the various boats and barges themselves. Best of luck with your travel plans!
Posted by
Lake District, England
10199 posts
In the UK most canals are narrower than ones in the US, so use narrowboats, rather than barges.
The main exceptions are the River Thames, the Yorkshire Rivers and the Grand Union Canal.
Assuming you are talking hotel boats (as opposed to self drive) there is an umbrella organisation which represents all the owner/operator boats, then you book through the individual boat- https://www.hotelboating.co.uk/
For something totally unique and different, (not cheap), you can take an Afternoon Tea classical music cruise from Uxbridge in West London on The Piano Boat- a barge specifically designed for that purpose with a grand piano on board.- https://www.thepianoboat.com/
Posted by
France Southwest
3079 posts
If you're looking for barge cruises in France, it's best to use the French term: "Croisiere en Peniche."
Because the vast majority of the offers you'll find have websites only in French.
They exist in several regions, canals and rivers of France, notably on the Canal du Midi (in the southwest).
Some examples: