Hello: I am planning a self drive barge cruise through Burgundy in Late August 2013. Any tips? We will have ten days so may spend some in Paris and then cruise, or maybe London/Manchester a couple days, depending on costs (Fiance is a huge fan of Manchester United). We have no clue what we are doing but we want to really immerse ourselves in natural beauty, historic structures, and most importantly meet new people and taste delicious food. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Posted by
Denver
799 posts
I don't have any experience or knowledge about self drive barge cruises, but wanted to provide some sort of advice, as nobody else has answered yet. Late August is the midst of the French holiday time, so you will be joining many French in their annual holidays. I would expect things will be crowded at typical vacation venues. 10 days. Do you mean 10 days including your arrival and departure days? Depending on how much time you will devote to the barge cruise, that isn't a lot of time for (i) Paris, (ii) Burgundy and (iii) London...and (iv) Manchester (which is not terribaly close to London)? You'll need to think through those locations, their distance from each other, and how you'll get between them (and how long it will take you to do so). For example, plan on it taking 1/2 of a day to get from Paris to London, from checkout from your hotel in one place to checkin at the hotel in the other. If your most important criteria is meeting new people and tasting delicious food, being on a self-drive barge (you and your fiance?) is probably not the best way to go about either of those goals.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Natalie, As this is your first trip to Europe, my first suggestion would be to read Europe Through The Back Door, as that provides a LOT of good information on "how" to travel in Europe. You also may want to have a look at the France 2013 Guidebook (available now), as you may be able to find some information there on Burgundy cruises. As the previous reply mentioned, does your 10-days include your two flight days? You'll usually arrive in Europe the day after you depart, and the last day will be spent on the flight home. You'll be jet-lagged for a day or two after arrival, so may not be up to full "touring speed". Using open-jaw flights would be the most efficient travel method. I haven't checked flight options from your area, but you may be able to find flights inbound Manchester and outbound Paris at a reasonable price. Flights into London will certainly be easy to find. I'm not sure you'll have time to visit London, Manchester, Paris and Burgundy with only a VERY short 10-days? You'll probably have to prioritize and skip at least one location. The Barge cruise will probably be a minimum of three or four nights, so that will reduce your time to spend in other locations considerably. Is there any possible way you could get more time? Good luck with your planning!