{"id":944,"date":"2009-12-05T11:53:16","date_gmt":"2009-12-05T18:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/?page_id=944"},"modified":"2022-05-26T09:09:06","modified_gmt":"2022-05-26T13:09:06","slug":"barging-on-french-canals","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/the-rivers\/europe\/france\/barging-on-french-canals\/","title":{"rendered":"Barging On French Canals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Barging on French Canals<\/h1>\n\n\n
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French Country Waterways operates barges \u2014 a great way to travel \u2014 but different from river cruises. \u00a9 2011 Ralph Grizzle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

River cruising and barge trips are not the same<\/strong>, so don\u2019t confuse these two great products. Barges typically are smaller, carry fewer passengers and cost you more on a per-diem basis. However, a barge vacation may be just what you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With more than 5,000 miles of canals,<\/strong> France\u2019s most popular canals for barging are the Canal de la Marne au Rhin, which links the Rhine with the Marne, and between Canal Lat\u00e9ral a la Marne, a canal that follows the course of the Marne river, passing through the heart of Champagne; and Canal Lat\u00e9ral a la Loire, which follows the course of the upper Loire. (Lat\u00e9ral indicates that the waterway parallels the course of the river. Some rivers, like the upper Loire, are not navigable, hence the lat\u00e9ral.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transiting these canals takes lots of time, as you pass through many locks that can takes as long as 20 minutes to pass through. But barge cruising is meant to be relaxing, and if you get bored, just hop on a bike or walk to meet the barge at another lock upstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See my Barging Burgundy French Country Waterways Live Voyage Report<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Also check out How River Cruises & Barge Cruises Differ<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barge Companies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n