Even if the Canal du Midi (near Toulouse) is the most famous river cruise in France, there are many more options to relax on a barge (called péniche) in one of the French rivers.

There are 113 nautical bases for river cruising, covering about 5,000 miles of waterway. Most of them are located in the Eastern part of France. The South West is also very nice with the Lot or the Canal du Midi. We have tested for you the navigation on the Mayenne river, located near Angers in the Loire Valley.

 

This type of tourism is for travelers who want to go slow and enjoy life ; maybe around a glass of rosé wine with some cold cuts ; or taking a sunbath on the deck of a boat.

Your journey is about getting cooler in the river, passing locks and strolling villages along the way. At night, you’ll find a pontoon either in the nature or in a small river port.

Everything you need is onboard including a kitchen, a bathroom and bikes.

This is a really nice way to discover the French countryside!

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

5.0
Harriette
We were referred to this company by some friends that had traveled with them in the past. I was celebrating my 70th birthday and wanted to visit the Provence area of France. Our trip ran smooth as silk. The B & B's were wonderful. The events planned by France Just for You were delightful. The rental car made our trip so easy. I highly recommend …
Barbara & Gary
Emilie, You have created for us the most outstanding well planned vacation possible. We have thoroughly enjoyed following your suggestions each day-- each choice well selected specifically for us. And even when things didn't go perfectly-- like a flat tire on the rental car or a pilot's strike which resulted in the cancellation of our light, you …
Tony & Carolyn
We had the most wonderful two week trip planned by France-Just For You and it delivered more than we expected The quality of the travel package was amazing and every detail was designed to be most helpful for us. We had never stayed in B&Bs before but this trip has opened up more exciting travel options for us than we could have imagined. I would …
Elliot
My wife & I completed a 2 week self-driving tour engaging the thorough and knowledgeable services of Emilie A France Just for You. Every detail was flawlessly accounted for, GPS app, wonderful B&B's, and she planned our itinerary according to our desires. The advantage of enlisting her is to get a reality check on time spent in each area as well as …
Judy
This was one of the best trips we have taken to Europe. We have often done our own planning. It was so nice to have Laura help. We were very delighted with accommodations and friendliness of all our hosts and tour guides. As Americans that don't speak much French, we would never have been able to arrange a trip like this ourselves - and we've done …
Peter
We wanted my spouse's birthday trip to France to be special and we could not have expected such a perfect time. From initial communication with Emilie by email right up to having a driver meet us in Paris CDG airport, it was a stress-free vacation. Emilie provided first class service throughout and tailored our desire to see Paris, the Loire Valley …