I had been to the Loire Valley several times before, but my last trip to this region was different. My main goal was to visit a barge that cruises on the river Cher, near Tours. (The Loire River’s waters are usually too irregular or too shallow for commercial navigation.) The boat is a small barge - it accommodates only six passengers. And, with such a small number of guests, the cruises it offers are of the luxury kind, naturally. That day, the captain/owner was working on installing a new heating and air-conditioning system (it was during the off season). I spent some fun time with him. We even had a glass of the local Bourgeuil red wine together. It was a rainy and chilly day, so drinking wine felt good and warmed me up. The next day, I proceeded with my investigation of the area. You might have guessed that this meant… chateaus, more chateaus and yet more chateaus. Not quite to the point of ”a dime a dozen,” but you can find them at just about every turn in that area.

I wouldn’t have missed Chambord (above left) for the world, of course. It is hugely impressive. And, to think that it was used as a lowly “hunting lodge” by King Francis I! It is also a very popular day-trip destination for tourists from Paris. The parking lots are big and there are lots of tour buses. But that’s OK. Remember… the castle is enormous. Ditto for Chenonceau (above right) - a large building and lots of people. But it is so well done architecturally, and it contains so much history. By the way, the river that runs underneath it is the Cher, so cruising under the Chateau of Chenonceau is a high point on the barge cruise I talked about before.

The three pictures below show Cheverny, Chaumont and Ussé from left to right. Unlike Chambord and Chenonceau, Cheverny doesn’t overwhelm you with its size. It is more like a cozy and pretty country retreat - but still in the exquisite and ornate Renaissance style. They raise beagles for fox hunting on the grounds of this castle. I have never seen so many dogs of the same breed in one spot. And the barks of those hounds were something to hear!

Chaumont, another large castle, is known for its International Garden Festival, the French counterpart to the Chelsea Garden Show in England. Exhibitors come from all over the world to demonstrate their horticultural skills at the Chaumont show. Finally, the flamboyant style of Ussé… this castle is the picture postcard for all Renaissance chateaus. It is known to have inspired the author of the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty.”

I must add Villandry to this list. The castle itself doesn’t compare in architectural sophistication to any of the others, but the gardens pictured below are wonderful: formal French boxwood designs for the “love” and “music garden,” a “jardin potager” (vegetable garden), an herb garden, a labyrinth,  and a peaceful water garden.

As I mentioned, there are many more, and I went on to see Blois, Langeais, Amboise, Chinon and Azay-le-Rideau. I found them all very fascinating! If you are interested in the Renaissance, the place to visit is Florence, of course. But the Loire Valley also played a role in that period’s newly discovered humanism. Leonardo da Vinci lived in the area for three years before his death. He is buried just outside Amboise at Clos de Lucé, where some of his ingenius creations are on display.

On a recent trip to the Midi region in southern France, I took  the time to explore a special place: the famous Canal du Midi in the area known as Languedoc/Roussillon.  This manmade waterway is a wonder of hydraulic engineering, and its entire length has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Here are a few facts about the Canal du Midi. It was built during the reign of Louis XIV by a wealthy individual called Pierre Paul Riquet. It was dug by some 12,000 workers using only raw manpower. (Backhoes and front loaders didn’t exist in those days.) It was conceived to enable the transportation of goods between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, as a shortcut to a lengthy voyage around Spain and Portugal through the Strait of Gibraltar.

The southeastern part of the waterway, 130 miles between Toulouse and Marseillan (near Sète), used to be called the Canal Royal du Languedoc. The northwestern section, about the same length between Toulouse and Castets (near Bordeaux), was formerly known as the Canal Lateral à la Garonne because it runs parallel to the Garonne River. The full length, once completed, was first named the Canal des Deux Mers (the Canal of the Two Seas), but the entire system is now commonly known as the Canal du Midi.

Today there is virtually no transportation of goods on the canal. Instead, it is used almost exclusively by self-driven pleasure boats and luxury barge-hotels. As I said, it is an amazing piece of engineering, and as it lazily winds its way through vast areas of vineyards and olive groves, it is one of the loveliest and most peaceful waterways in France.

The most striking feature of the canal, in my opinion, is what I would call its “signature look” - tall rows of enormous plane trees lining both banks, arching high above the waterway and shading its entire path all the way down to the deep blue Mediterranean. Imagine floating gently down the nave of a leafy Gothic cathedral for miles on end! Also notable is the ubiquitous tow path where horses once pulled the freight barges and where one can now take leisurely walks, jogs or bicycle rides.

During this one-week trip, I only covered the southeastern section of the canal. I traveled up and down between Carcassonne and Marseillan on the Bassin de Thau. I visited a dozen places, met quite a few people and took a lot of pictures. You can get more details on my visits from the full article I posted on our website.

Canal barges vs. riverboats - Canal cruises are boat trips on barges that travel on man-made waterways. These barges usually are remodeled commercial cargo hulls that have become obsolete for modern freight transportation. The canals are narrow and not very deep. They were dug decades or centuries ago, and they normally allow for just two boats to pass each other. The barges are small. Depending on the size of the cabins, their capacity varies from 4 guests to 10 or 12… sometimes 20. By contrast, river cruisers typically have over 100 passengers and travel on much larger rivers: the Seine, Rhone, Rhine, Danube, etc. Because they are small, barges can reach deep into the countryside, away from major tourist destinations, for a more unique and personal encounter with the local culture. You can even charter the smaller ones for your own family or affinity group (wine, gardens, golf, bicycling, cooking, art, etc.) Imagine… the whole boat just to yourself!

The lap of luxury - As I said, canal barges are small. However, they are more comfortable than you might think. Again, depending on the number of guests, some of the deluxe ones have very large cabins with gorgeous private bathrooms (usually with a shower, but sometimes a bathtub). Many of these boats even have saunas and hot tubs on board. Living rooms and dining rooms are decorated with beautiful fixtures and furnished with fine furniture.

Daily life on board a barge - One of the most striking features of a canal cruise is the slow pace. The boat sails only during the day and usually covers short distances: typically 50 to 100 miles a week. So, there is ample time for strolls in the neighboring countryside, bicycle rides along the towpath or minivan excursions to a local castle, monastery, winery, museum or other historical site of interest. The other “claim to fame” of a barge cruise is the gourmet food and the wines. During the course of a cruise, guests will sample dozens of cheeses, wines, local dishes and desserts.

Your hosts - Many of these small boats are owned and operated by a husband and wife team who are totally dedicated to barging. They operate the boat as they would their own home with additional rooms for a bed and breakfast (except that, in this case, “breakfast” means all the meals… every day). Your hosts are a combination of captain, cook, butler, sommelier, social director, chauffeur… everything. They “baby” their guests in every way they possibly can.

How long and when? - Barge cruises normally last a week, starting on Saturday or Sunday and ending the following weekend. They operate from April through October. In the south of France, where the climate is milder, some of them start as early as March.

You can find more information about barging on the FAQs page of our website. You can also see itineraries for a couple dozen of these canal cruises.

Welcome! This travel blog is about river and canal cruise vacations on luxury barge-hotels and riverboats in France. With its extensive network of rivers and canals, France offers dozens of cruising possibilities from Alsace to Normandy and the Loire valley, down to Burgundy, Provence and the Languedoc. The boats navigating French waterways can be as small as upscale barges for 4 guests on the Canal du Midi or as large as 150-passenger river cruisers on the river Seine through Paris. Cruising around the French countryside is a great way to spend a vacation. Exploring out-of-the-way places, seeing the locals up close and sampling the many regional dishes and wines is a lot of fun. So, we hope you enjoy your trip (or enjoyed, if you’ve already been there) and we look forward to chatting with you.

From our “About” page you will see that we are travel professionals who specialize in tours and cruises in France, Spain and Portugal. You might want to take a look at our website.