Barge Cruising

[Host Jazzbeau]

From time to time someone asks for ideas about Barge Cruising.  An article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal about interesting alternatives to the crowded hot spots includes a section on barge cruising and mentions these two companies:

•  BargeLadyCruises.com – eight hotel barges

•  LeBoat.com – pilot your own barge (no license necessary)

[Canal archive]

 

This is one of the hotel barges that works on the Canal du Nivernais France, I think this one also cruses on the Bourgogne.  I’m putting together a short review of our recent DIY 

cruise aboard the Madam Ashley. She was a pig to steer.

 

Although two on suite large double cabins. More later.

[Roz]

I'm considering booking an educational barge cruise through The Netherlands next year.  The topic is Dutch art.  

 

CroisEurope operates a number of barge cruises in France.

[hbbae]

A couple of additional links - for bike-barge cruises:

 

https://www.boatbiketours.com/

 

https://www.tripsite.com/bike-boat/

 

 

[slidergirl]

I'm doing a canal barge trip in the beginning of July on the Rhone canal.   it's with a travel company that does adventure trips for women.  I think there are 14 or 16 of us, chartered out the barge.  It's the MS Anne Marie.  Arles to Sête.  We have special activities and excursions of our own, hosted by female guides and focusing on women-owned business and history.  The cruise company does a similar, more generic cruise - https://www.croisieurope.com.

 

I'm looking forward to some relaxation and some history!

[pontac]

Barge - or more correctly narrow boat - self cruising is well-established here in UK on the large network of canals plus the lakes that make up the Norfolk Broads.  

 

There are many companies that rent out narrowboats.

 

In our younger days we had many such holidays, and our son carries on the tradition. We will be having a narrow boat holiday in October but this time we are paying for our son and his partner to come. They'll crew the boat as I don't feel up to jumping on to the bank at locks, operating the paddles and opening lock gates. We will use the plentiful canal bank pubs for lunch and dinner.

 

When we couldn't travel abroad to do river cruising we looked at an equivalent in  England. I could find only one company and because there are so few cabins it was expensive with no choice when dining. 

 

Perhaps we need a separate thread for cruising that isn't ocean or river. As well as canals, I'm booked on a Great Lakes cruise from Duluth to Toronto travelling in all 5 of the US/Canada Great Lakes. That's not ocean and neither is it river....

[Canal archive]

pontac thank you from a narrow boat owner of many years so many incorrectly call them barges. Enjoy your cruise lucky having your son on hand to crew.

[terry&mike]

We have twice booked with Tripsite, one of the companies mentioned above, and had a positive experience on both trips. 

[gnome12]

13 minutes ago, terry&mike said:

We have twice booked with Tripsite, one of the companies mentioned above, and had a positive experience on both trips. 

Tripsite doesn't actually run any trips; they are basically a broker for barge owners to market their trips. Most barges are owner operated.