French Waterways’ own unique guides introducing some of the most interesting things to be enjoyed on and around the enchanting rivers and canals of France. Written and created by the french-waterways.com team from expert first-hand experience.

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Luxe France – the Essence of Elegance

French Waterways Luxe France free download

The finest hotel barges in France offer perfect cruising – quiet, peaceful journeys through the heartlands of France aboard sumptuous vessels. Cruise aboard these 5 star and 6 star hotel barges for an exceptional experience – the trip of a lifetime.

The prettiest routes, Grand Cru wines, delicious cuisine, fascinating excursions and spacious comforts – all delivered with impeccable service.

This guide collects together those elite barges that consistently earn outstanding guest feedback – just read their comments. Discover your luxury barge, book your cruise and escape to France for your perfect vacation on the French waterways.

Read more Download free Luxe France Guide

The Canal du Midi

There is something very special about the Canal du Midi, something that simply makes people fall in love with it. Running from the city of Toulouse down to the Mediterranean port of Sète, the Canal du Midi is arguably the most beautiful and well-known stretch of inland waterway in Southern France.

These days the Canal du Midi is a haven for tourists from across the world who come to bask in its beauty and soak up the scenery. In the summer the weather is gorgeous, but the colours and its serenity make it a place for all seasons. It is easy to see why it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. First time visitors will certainly be bowled over by its magnificence and even old hands will find new and exciting things to explore on every visit. It is truly a magical holiday destination.

Read More DOWNLOAD FREE CANAL DU MIDI GUIDE

Hotel Barging in France


Taking a hotel barge holiday or vacation in France is one of the most enjoyable, most relaxing ways to appreciate this beautiful country with its thousands of years of history, heritage and culture. So, what’s it all about?

Hotel barges are spacious and sedate, cruising at not much more than a fast walking pace. There is plenty of time to appreciate the passing scene – be it countryside, village, town – or to cycle ahead to the next lock or mooring. There are a few hotel barges that offer ‘budget’ accommodation but in the main hotel barges have been fitted out to meet the highest standards of appearance, comfort and facilities. You’ll be looked after by an attentive crew and an inventive chef, in the safe hands of an experienced barge skipper.

Read More DOWNLOAD FREE BARGING GUIDE

Self-drive Boating Holidays in France


Be captain of your own ship and experience France on your terms, from a stunningly different perspective. Self-drive hire boating is not all Chablis and relaxation – you have to steer and navigate locks. But it is a probably the most relaxing self-drive holiday you’ll have. In fact, with so many hire boat bases around France, the hardest part of all is deciding where you to want to cruise from.

Hire boats come in all shapes and sizes, whether there are two of you or 10. With no prior boating experience required, this guide reaffirms what a wonderful holiday hire boating offers with just enough adventure for those looking to learn a new skill along the way too.

Read More DOWNLOAD FREE SELF-DRIVE GUIDE

River Cruising through France


River cruise ships are modest in size compared with ocean-going cruise ships, accommodating around 100 – 200 guests rather than thousands of passengers. They offer close, friendly and personal hospitality reflected in the fact that the ships themselves can moor in the heart of France’s world-famous historic towns and cities and cruise sedately through the sunny countryside.

Nine highly experienced river cruise companies offer an extensive choice of river cruises on France’s five major rivers, the Seine, Rhine, Saône/Rhône, Bordeaux/Garonne and the Loire.

Read More DOWNLOAD FREE RIVER CRUISES GUIDE

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Cruise Interests


The Richness of Burgundy


Burgundy is an unspoilt gem in the centre of France, but often a place that visitors speed through on their way to the Alps or the south – a treasure overlooked.

It is a region of kingdoms and duchies awash with history, stretching 100 miles southeast of Paris as far as Macon and covering some of the greatest wine growing areas in the world.

It is also highly regarded for its gastronomic prowess having the highest concentration of Michelin starred restaurants in the world.

Read More DOWNLOAD FREE BURGUNDY GUIDE

Afloat in Alsace


Being so close to the German border, Alsace has an interesting mix of French and German influences. The magnificence of the rolling landscape can leave some awestruck and certainly snap-happy with their cameras.

The Marne-Rhine canal is the focus for hotel barging as it steers you towards Alsace Lorraine’s beautiful towns and cities like stunning Colmar, and to the flavours of Alsace in flammekueche, Riesling and Gewurtztraminer. It’s a region that continues to surprise and delight us, we hope it sparks a fondness for you too.

Read More DOWNLOAD FREE ALSACE GUIDE


Cruising Bordeaux


Would it be the wine, or the climate, or the fruitful orchards, or the picturesque villages? Aquitaine, bordered by the Pyrenees
and the Atlantic in the southwest of France, has it all.

The stunning city of Bordeaux, the regional capital and second only to Paris, lies on the crescent-shaped banks of the river Garonne, forever associated with some of the best wines in the world. Just to whet your appetite, it has the biggest shopping area in Europe, around the Rue St Catherine, and the stunning old quarter has UNESCO World Heritage status.

Read More DOWNLOAD FREE BORDEAUX GUIDE

Wines of France


A wine guide to a country that produces over 12.2 million hectolitres of wine a year and boasts almost 3,000 different types of vin is something of a challenge. But it’s not a gauntlet that’s phased us and for you we’ve produced what we think is a definitive guide to le vin français. Their terroirs, their grapes, their fascinating facts and how to pair the wine for a foodie match made in heaven.
Like our hotel barges and river cruises along the French waterways, our guide criss-crosses the country to discover wine secrets in every grape growing corner.

Read More DOWNLOAD FREE WINE GUIDE

The Rhône, Provence and Camargue


Rising in the Swiss Alps before tumbling down to Lake Geneva and on into France, the broad river Rhône provides the decisive western border to Provence, cutting a swathe from the Massif Central all the way south to the Mediterranean. This centuries-old trade route can flow fast with melt water or slower under summer skies but as the only navigable waterway in this region its importance to Provence is huge. And you’ll appreciate the changing scenery as you pass – the interplay between light and landscape is a photographer’s dream.

Read More DOWNLOAD FREE PROVENCE GUIDE

Rick Stein’s Delicious Waterway


The Canal Entre Deux Mers (the combined Canal du Midi and the Canal de Garonne) is the waterway that famous chef Rick Stein travelled in his much acclaimed TV series ‘A French Odyssey’, shown world-wide many times. The fine dining on the hotel barges that travel these waterways is likewise founded on the wealth of fresh local produce and delicious local cuisine, prepared on-board or enjoyed at any one of the superb nearby restaurants. You too can visit many of the same places, the same markets, that Rick Stein visited.

Read More DOWNLOAD FREE RICK STEIN GUIDE

Self-drive Boating Holidays in Europe from Locaboat


Locaboat, head-quartered in northern Burgundy, offers the unique Penichette, a favourite amongst holiday-makers for its manoeuvrability. The Locaboat fleet also offers the top quality Linssen steel cruisers for hire as well as a range of other vessels throughout France to suit all tastes, making it the second largest fleet in Europe.
Boats are also available rent in Holland, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Poland.

Download the complete 70-page brochure, with full details of bases, places and boats…

DOWNLOAD FREE LOCABOAT BROCHURE

Self-drive Boating Holidays in Europe from Le Boat


Le Boat is the largest hire-boat company in Europe and has recently extended its provision to Canada. Part of the Tui Group, its primary sales office is based in Castelnaudary in southern France, with additional satellite sales offices in other countries. It’s large range of boats offer diverse styles and it regularly adds new models to its fleet.
As well as France, boats are also available rent in Germany, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Ireland and Canada

Download the complete 64-page brochure, with full details of bases, places and boats…

DOWNLOAD FREE LE BOAT BROCHURE

Self-drive Boating Holidays in Europe from France Afloat


France Afloat is a small, privately owned UK company that has been operating successfully in France for many years. Its headquarters are in Vermenton, Burgundy, from where boats can also be hired, and it also offers cruises from its base in Capestang on the Canal du Midi. The company partners with Linssen and offers the Euroclassic range of barge-style boats.

Download the complete 28-page brochure, with full details of the bases, destinations and boats…

DOWNLOAD FREE FRANCE AFLOAT BROCHURE

Self-drive Boating Holidays in Europe from Nicols


Nicols boats have a very distinctive style, featuring a spacious saloon (living area) and a walk-through aft sun deck. Nicols has the third largest fleet of self-drive cruisers on France’s waterways, having manufactured over 600 boats for hire over the past 30 years.
Boats are also available rent in Portugal, Holland, Germany and Hungary.

Download the complete 60-page brochure, with full details of bases, places and boats…

DOWNLOAD FREE NICOLS BROCHURE

Luxury Hotel Barge Cruises from European Waterways


European Waterways offers luxury cruises aboard a range of renovated historic and newly built hotel barges, each has a full crew of up to 6 including captain and chef to take care of guests’ every need. European Waterways is based in Datchet, London and Ravieres, Burgundy.
European Waterways hotel barge cruises are also available France, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, England, Ireland and Scotland.

Download the complete 104-page brochure, with full details of the barges and destinations…

DOWNLOAD FREE EUROPEAN BROCHURE

Or click here to review and purchase our unique > Practical navigation PDF downloads describing each of 80 waterways in France in ‘km by km’ fine detail <