August is national holiday month and people will be on vacation. One of the more 'animated' areas in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? One of the delights of travelling along the canals is that you can pull over and tie up almost anywhere. The Fresh Water Factor You will float about 2.5% lower in fresh water than in salt water, say +40mm for a draught of 1.50m. H2O - PORT DE PLAISANCE 21170 SAINT JEAN DE LOSNE - FRANCE H2O is the name of our business that we started in France in 1987 in order to use our many years of experience in the hotel barge and canal rental-boat world on the French canals. Buying a Eurail pass is a great way to travel Europe by rail. Entre Fleuves et Rivières: Les Canaux du Centre de la France is a book of photos and text (in French) that makes a great souvenir of a barge cruise or boat trip the canals and rivers of the Loire Basin. When we travel throughout France and Europe we book our cars through Autoeurope. Airbnb has a range of properties throughout France to suit all travellers and budgets. Boat holiday specialist in France since 1997. If you have a young family or teenagers there is the Presles Aquatic Centre with multiple water slides, swimming pools and relaxation therapies on offer. Their new Horizon 2S boat was comfortable for 2 couples, easy to handle with plenty of space downstairs and upstairs. With Le Boat, you have options to sail the waterways throughout Europe (France, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, England, Netherlands, Belgium and Italy) and Canada for sailing holidays that range from 3 nights upwards. ... COVID (good) NEWS FROM BOATSHED MIDI CANALS. There is a walking trail available with details on the board near the moorings. Right out of my dreams. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-73369227', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');France, I might suggest the Canal du Midi. Some hazards to watch out for when sailing: We were surprised to find that at lunchtime there were queues outside, and as we wandered past the menu looked enticing and the food local and wholesome. In England, many attractive canals are extremely narrow, thus the Narrowboat is prevalent there, while in Ireland and Scotland a … Travel smarter and safer with products from our To Travel Too Travel Shop. It seems to be so busy with boats everywhere. Whilst we were visiting Sancerre more boats pulled up beside ours for the night. Thanks for stopping by and welcome to To Travel Too – Australia’s top Baby Boomer lifestyle and travel blog, with an international worldwide audience in mind, run by the married couple, freelance writers and full-time travellers Jane and Duncan Dempster-Smith. The handover consists of Le Boat staff checking the boat and also the amount of fuel consumed and then you are on your way. One of the more 'animated' areas in Burgundy is the area around Migennes. We recommend taking out travel insurance as soon as you book your flights and pay deposits on any cruises, tours or hotels. Amazing couple that just completed the French canals all the way back to Atlantic. Bareboats from various owners are at your disposal - not only in the area "French canals". However, I've not heard of any robberies or assaults of boaters. A perfect holiday for all the family to enjoy. It may sound daunting at first handling a boat and the locks but Le Boat have made it very easy for everyone to enjoy their vacation. If you are located in Australia or New Zealand click here for the latest quotes. Check out our tour of the Horizon 2 S Le Boat: Our departure time was between 11.00 and 12.00 hours. The hot scorching summer sun is at its peak. Here is a list of companies offering boats: I have been trying to avoid the canal du midi. Both are priced well but we found that Carrefour had more choices and a larger range of local wines and champagnes. French Canals Patron Q&A Part 1 [embedded content] How to do the French Canals by sailboat?! 195 steps away from the nearest Chateau. Boat bases throughout France - cruise the famous Canal du Midi, the wine regions of Burgundy, the unique Camargue, rural Brittany and more. You wind up through ancient streets visiting the Church of Saint Hilarie that dates back to the 12th century and picturesque houses half-timbered houses dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Before we journeyed from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic side of France by sailboat, we had a LOT of questions. It is approximately 45 minutes sailing with no locks to Briare, so it can be done if you have only 4 days in France sailing on the Canal Lateral a la Loire. Can any suggest a particular trip that they think was amazing. Along the Belgian border the Ardennes region, on is famous for its wild life. The credit for satisfying the needs of millions of cruisers goes to Bavaria Cruiser-46. •Route planner Colourful butterflies gracefully flutter by and in the distance, the low ‘moo’ from one of the cows in the herd of cattle in the paddock across from us can be heard. 250 boat models, 12 countries, 28 Boating regions and 115 departure bases. There are two large supermarkets in the town of Briare 8km away from the base. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. I've also traveled what LeBoat calls the 'Seaside (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? It can become quite a sociable time, we enjoyed a few drinks with an Austrian couple who were also sailing a Horizon 2S. There were two menus a Euro14 which consisted on an Entree and Plat du Jour or Plat du Jour and Dessert and the  Euro 17 which consisted of an Entree, Plat du Jour and Dessert. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-75755833', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Majorca, although either trip will be wonderful! There is a lot to take in but Le Boat  provides: Downloading the Le Boat App – it pinpoints your exact location on the waterway and gives you tips on what you can see coming up e.g. A great resource for the local restaurants and what to see and do in the area: Key features include: And I think I am convinced about it, thanks to your recommendations and shared experiences. We have also heard that is a lot of the local shops will be shut in August. The best sailing news from around the world. It is a 10 euro ride but well worth visiting not only for the views but for the visit to La Maison de Sancerre. If we can offer one of our best tips ever: Our recommendation on where to stay overnight prior to joining your Le Boat at Chatillon Sur Loire. Cheers Jane and Duncan, Sailing on the canals of France sure sounds like an amazing experience! Hi helpful readers. We are looking to visit pretty villages, nice restaurants, wineries, aquaduct, something interesting along the way. (They can provide provisions for you on request to get you started). A delight of France is sailing down the canals through the countryside in summer and enjoying the twilight of the summer evenings. Fuel is charged on an hourly basis. We have created a partnership with the 4 largest boat rental company in France. I love the beautiful buildings you took photos of. In the end, we travelled with the canopy and umbrella down. (and we thought that they would say Eurodisney, we were so wrong!). PS Feel free to contact me off-line if you have more questions. Sancerre is 3km from Menetreol-sous-Sancerre and all uphill winding up through the vineyards. Once the hub of the industrial revolution, old factories and warehouses are now nestled in between luxury shops, modern bars and cosy cafes along the banks of the canals. Cheers Jane and Duncan. Yes, avoid the Canal du Midi the last week in August at all costs! It's a great trip to take, but you do need to be careful crossing the Etang de Thau. You will then build your confidence up for some of the other regions that LeBoat offer. Life is peaceful on the waterways. She will arrange to collect you from the boat and visit the Sancerre vineyards. You can reach us via our Facebook page or email us here. There is a number listed on the sign at the moorings. When we ask our boys now what was the best holidays ever, they both say, cruising down the canals. Members who are extremely knowledgeable about this destination and answer travellers’ questions frequently. You can explore the French countryside by car, by train, or by bike… how about being on a boat?! That being said, we always lock our bicycles (even when on board) and lock our doors. Lidl was competitive on general produce including fruit and vegetables. •Geo-localised map of your cruise Sailing on the French Canals are definitely an amazing experience. Would you like to drive your holiday boat by yourself? It is the perfect destination for nature lovers. We must compliment Ophelie and Aurelie who were excellent in looking after us and showing us the ropes. COVID (good) NEWS. No, but we're willing to take the risk to visit the places we want to go. We sat outside on the pavement on a balmy summer’s evening and enjoyed delicious cuisine. If you enjoy goat cheese there is a small farm close by “Crottin de Chavignol” which we were keen to visit but just never made it. I've cruised the canals of Europe for the past 5 years and have posted photos, commentary and detailed maps for each week of travel. Cheers Jane and Duncan. We would recommend that you call a taxi. There are many restaurants in Sancerre, check out TripAdvisor for the top recommendations. We spend our time leisurely up on the top deck of the Horizon 2S what is known as the “Fun Deck”. The adjacent countries of Belgium, Netherlands and Germany are all linked directly with France; the choice of vessel can be similar for this region. •Point of interest to see and visit A cruise on the Yonne River and Nivernais canal could be lovely -- the towns of Auxerre, Clamecy and Joigny are quite nice.. Feel free to check out my blog, UnexcusedAbsences.com. Our two mantras that we live by are 'chase time not money' and 'age is no barrier when it comes to travel'. We would love to explore France’s waterways and this is a great way to start. For lunch, we stopped alongside the canal just between Beaulieu-sur-Loire and Belleville-sur- Loire enjoying our fresh baguettes and cheese purchased that morning. If you would like to visit a vineyard whilst you are in the area there is a tour available just contact Laure at contact@vinitour-centreloire.com. It’s forbidden to tie to a tree, so ground stakes must be used (you need to carry your own), but the reward is a huge amount of flexibility in terms of where to stop for the night. Discover the new Le Boat 2021 Brokerage boats available today! Dozens of different boats ply the canals and you can cruise for a few hours or a whole week. understand how the electricity works and how to top up  along the route, know how to work the oven and hot plates and the turning on and off of the gas bottle, how to make sure you have hot water for your showers and how to flush the toilet, their range of boats have heaters and air-conditioners make sure you understand both on your boat – our first day was very hot and the air conditioner cooled down the cabins and our last day was quite cold and we could imagine that later in the season you may need the heater, how to cast off and how to use the pegs and ropes for tying up outside the marinas, your speed limit whilst cruising and in marinas and when larger boats are passing you by, what to expect in a manned and unmanned lock, low lying tree branches or branches along the side of the canal hidden in the water. To read more about editing your posts, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/help/how_to_edit_your_posts. The boat has earned its place among the four best blue water sailboats for being the most economical under 50 feet sailboat. La Maison de Sancerre is an interactive wine centre in Sancerre which runs through the history of the wine region. The Captain and 2nd in Charge (yes, you will have to nominate the 2nd in charge) will be given a demonstration on the features of the Horizon 2S and how to operate the boat. 12.5 km from Chatillon-Sur-Loire is Les Riaux a delightful 18th Century Gite owned by Jean-Marc and Hubert. If you are located in the rest of the world click below for the latest quotes. Setting off on a boat on your own for a 3-night cruise in the canals sounds like the stuff of dreams. The author may post again if desired.Posts on the Tripadvisor forums may be edited for a short period of time. Cheers Jane and Duncan, We would love to help you travel more cost effectively. Boat Ownership Options France Afloat together with its sister company, Aquarelle, can provide a number of boat ownership options to get you “Afloat” on the French and European Inland Waterways. We could have sat there all day enjoying the views of the local vineyard but we wanted to get to Sancerre. It was something we had dreamed of doing for years. Feel free to check out my blog, UnexcusedAbsences.com. Europe - boating on French canals - My friend and I would like to travel for a week on a canal in France. We arrived at the pretty town of Menetreol-sous-Sancerre and decided to stay for the night it was so pretty. •Local phone numbers Think of France and its waterways come to mind: the elegant canals of Burgundy, the sun-drenched Canal du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage site, Brittany’s endless stream of canals and rivers, the picturesque rivers of Alsace and the untamed Camargue. Our explorations of France till now has been limited only to Paris but we hope to set that right soon. B urgundy is bisected by two canals – the Canal de Bourgogne and the Canal du Nivernais. Why I love that cute-looking boat office! Thank you for providing so many tips- I will definitely refer back to this post if we wind up taking this river cruise. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; After a leisurely breakfast the next morning we ventured back to Chatillon-sur-Loire reaching there around 4 pm. Hi Blair Check what time you can collect your boat, the office does close in the middle of the day. It was a great voyage and we had a blast! If this is your first canal trip through (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? I have been searching the internet for weeks trying to decide on a canal trip in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? From 9 to 12 metres, from 2 to 4 cabins, there is a boat for every need, every size and every budget. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-73369546', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Sete, any Burgundy canal, the Lot, or even the canal in Alsace. We hope this dream life aboard Moet continues for them, we wish you all every happiness. After our ‘run through’ on the boat and the completion of paperwork we were ready to set off. Cheers Jane and Duncan. It is 1.8km in length and should take you about 45 minutes. canal du midi - camargue ... On your way back, you’ll be amazed by the huge and powerful boat lift of Arzwiller which replaces 17 locks! ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-73369187', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');France. The owners recommended a local restaurant for us in the town of Gien across the river. I have rented several times from LeBoat and definitely recommend their company. I tend to file all first-world travel in the 'safe' category. We use Hotels Combined for our accommodation booking. Let's navigate in England, Belgium, Ireland, The Netherlands, on the Canal du midi and discover the Brittany, Burgundy, river Lot, Camargue. The highlight for the boys was also visiting the Castles of the Loire, so majestic and jaw-dropping and so many to choose from. Sailing the canals are a great vacation. Do not rush this part. Hi Leah Thank you for your comments. Discover the beauty of France and its countryside from the country's canals and romantic rivers. Go round a wheel in a boat! For your very first boating experience look for a route within the region that you want to travel with the fewer locks, just so that you can enjoy the experience without stressing out too much on how to handle them. 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