France Travel Guide

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With the vast amount of different rivers and canals in France, and having such a varied landscape, you can be sure that you will be able to find just the right type of holiday for you and your family.

So, as you cruise along one of the rivers or canals at a leisurely pace you will get to see things that most people will never experience and each region also offers you the chance to experience their fantastic and sometimes unusual cuisine along with the incredible French wine that is as varied as the different regions.

Only a boating holiday in France will enable you to fully appreciate the idyllic countryside and architecture from Roman to Renaissance periods along with the beautiful chateaux that are dotted along the banks, with the added plus of the glorious weather to match, it is not like travelling along the Norfolk Broads in the United Kingdom most of the year, when you are guaranteed to get some rain or gloomy days!

There is such a wide choice available for your boating holiday and you can pick the area with the climate for you; the further down South you go, the warmer it gets, but don’t forget that whilst cruising along, you need to be on the right hand side of the river or canal, just as the roads are in France!

One point, a licence is required to be able to travel by boat on the French waterways, unless of course you only have something like a canoe! Basically, any boat that has a motor means that you have to have a licence, although temporary permits called La Carte Plaisance are available and are issued by the boat rental company or charter firm that you book with.

A la Carte Plaisance is valid only for a set period of time for any habitable boat, which is under 15 metres in length, but there is also permit available for your children to drive the boat if they are between the ages of 14 and 16, if you feel they have a good sense of direction! but this is a great way to get all the family involved in the fun, but you must ask for a La Carte Junior in order to be allowed to do this.

With many of the river guides today available in English, you can be sure that you will not miss any of the local attractions or delights on offer. You can find these guides along with extra information from the regional tourist offices, but these are also normally issued to you by the charter boat company before you set off on your holiday.

Choosing the part of France you wish to visit is so important to get the best out of your holiday and in the North West of France there is Brittany, which is an area known for cider and crepes, to the East of France were there are rivers and canals throughout the regions of Alsace and Lorraine and you will find this area great for experiencing a diverse landscape from rolling hills to forests, whilst trying some of the local French beer and crisp white wines that this region produces.

How about Burgundy within the centre of France which is a great place to experience local cuisine and fine wines and the quaint historical towns provide lovely afternoon walks taking a step back in time with the history.

Also, lets not forget the South of France, obviously with the more beautiful weather, you can experience travelling along the Canal du Midi, which is the oldest canal in Europe and runs from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, and at the same time you will be able to take in the amazing variety of wildlife such as flamingos whilst on your canal boating holiday.

Yet as with any country, there are always rules and regulations on how you travel the waterways, whether it be the rivers or canals and before you embark on your boat trip you will be given some basic tuition, so that you can be issued with your licence.

And did you realise that there are over 2000 locks in France, which are known as écluse? but don’t worry to much as Some locks are automatic and some are still operated by a lockkeeper, however others will need to be operated by yourselves, so the general ‘training’ is very important, otherwise you could find yourselves in a bit of pickle initially, although most people on the canals are so very helpful and will come to your aid if you get stuck.

Although the rivers and canals are used extensively by pleasure boats these days, they are also still used by commercial vessels as well and it is these merchant vessels that have the priority on the waterways, plus also the traffic going up stream has priority over those travelling down stream.

As with road systems, the waterways have speed limits and although you are not likely to wish to speed along, these do have to be obeyed, but, it is the left-hand side that is used for overtaking just as it is on the French roads, and the slower boat must also slow down more to let the faster vessel pass.

The condition of the French rivers and canals is excellent and you will find that they even have designated areas for swimming and water sports, because, for obvious reasons, swimming is not permitted wherever you feel like going for a quick dip, yet if you are into fishing, then you can even do a spot of this while you are meandering down the river – just don’t forget to get a licence for that as well!

Along your chosen route you will find lots of fantastic areas where you can stop for lunch and stock up on supplies for that ever so important alfresco dining whilst you are cruising leisurely along. You will find additional facilities alone the way which are necessary, things like emptying your waste, which has to be done at specific points, but these are also fantastic and are very easily accessible, as it is illegal to dump waste into the river or canal system.

So even if you have never done this sort of thing before, you will without a doubt have an incredible fun time and when your boating holiday in France is nearing its end, you know that no one will want to leave.

If you are looking at visiting France, then going over the water by ferry crossing is a very popular way of travelling especially from the United Kingdom and for some it can be a lot more fun than sitting in an airport hoping that the plane is going to depart on time!

And with so many different ferry operators, like P&O Ferries, Sea France, Norfolk Line, etc. and with the numerous departure points in and around Europe, which range from Dover in England, Cork in Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Olbia in Sardinia and Bastia in Corsica, you will be able to find the best possible crossing for your particular needs.

Personally, we prefer travelling by ferry crossing to France, as we make it part of our holiday experience and it gives you flexibility of travel, because even though we leave in plenty of time to negotiate the atrocious UK roads, you can quite easily end up stuck in a jam and if it were by plane, you can have a lot more hassle getting another flight, whereas if we are early, sometimes we can get an earlier crossing, or if late, the cross channel operators will do their best to get you on the next ferry, which is not too long to wait, and there is no extra charge providing that you are booking in within three hours either way of your designated time you have booked.

But instead of the standard ferry crossings we think about, for example Dover to Calais that we normally use, there are also speed ferries now operating exclusively for car passengers between Britain and France and the crossing takes just 50 minutes, also SpeedFerries have exclusive port facilities in Dover and Boulogne and offer low cost tickets from £20 one-way on the all year Dover to Boulogne fast ferry service.

Brittany ferries is another cross channel operator that is able to offer the classic cruise, along with high speed services that sail from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth to the ports of Cherbourg, Caen, Roscoff and St Malo in France, and having the option of getting further down into France to places like the port of St Malo, can mean far less driving to get to your desired destination, and this means that whilst on board you can relax while enjoying the many facilities they have to offer, even opting for a cabin that all have en-suite facilities, so you can get a great rest and arrive at your port of call ready and refreshed before the next part of your journey.

Yet for a short ferry crossing, you may just like to do a bit of duty free shopping and catch a bite to eat or a have lovely café latte before walking out on deck to experience the sea breeze and the scenery as you are entering the harbour, but in comparison to a longer ferry crossing, not only do you also have the option of a cabin, but the services on offer are even vaster, with numerous different restaurants, bars, and activities, obviously the ever important onboard duty free shopping and in some cases they even have entertainment such as a band, cinema or disco, mind you, the disco can be an interesting experience in high swells when you really don’t need to move as the boat is doing it for you!!

Obviously, they all have Bureau de Change facilities for exchanging your currency into Euros, which is the French currency, but normally you are only ever provided with notes, so it is also a good idea to use a Euro note to get some change and if cannot do this on board then try and do it as soon as possible, as you will find this extremely useful for things such as a coffee in a petrol station or utilising some of the public toilets.

And even though you can convert your Euro coins back to your own currency onboard the ferries, which you cannot do back in your country, if you think you will be taking a trip to Europe in the near future, it is worth while keeping hold of a few coins for this very reason, as it will save you time and hassle next time around.

Now, you are probably aware that you can also get to France via the Channel Tunnel, which is quicker than even by travelling via high speed ferry as the EuroTunnel will only take around 35 minutes from Folkestone, whereas the high speed catamarans take just under an hour and the ferry crossing is an average of 90 minutes, but we have found that with the onboard ferry facilities that cater for children of all ages, including the provisions of baby food and changing areas for the extremely young through to play areas and then the video arcades for the older children, it can make for a more peaceful trip for the stressed out adults, rather than being stuck in a train, even if it is only for a short time!

And if like us, you have decided on a weekend break, or travelling back over the weekend so that your children get back to school on time, then don’t forget that most places are shut on a Sunday, so if you have certain activities in mind, double check that it is not a national holiday or odd hours, otherwise you will end up with rather a bored party! And as we always say now, planning is very important, especially in France, when they tend to stop for at least two hours every day for lunch! and this is especially important if you are travelling through France and want to stock up with your beer and wine before heading for the ferry port.

But providing you know to avoid the national holidays (which are always cheaper crossings), if you hunt around you can find some excellent deals, right through from day trips to France, a 5 day return, or even an open ended ticket for any length of time you wish to go on holiday in France and we have found that Norfolk Line and Sea France offer some fantastic prices, but not all operators take all credit cards on board, which is the same for paying for your ticket, such as American Express, so it is worth checking if you always use a card such as Amex.

The only other thing we have to say, is enjoy the whole experience, as it can become part of your French holiday.