Vacations - Boat Hire + Hotel Barge Costs
Of course, what you spend depends a lot on who you are, what you like, and what you've got available to spend . . . but here we give some outline guidance:
Weekly Holiday Hire
There is a wide variety of craft available for hire, ranging from canal cruisers to small barges. There is also a wide variety of locations from which to hire the boat - the most popular include the Loire, Burgundy, the Canal du Midi, the Garonne canal, the River Lot and the canals in Brittany. Hiring a boat for a short holiday can provide an excellent 'try before you buy' experience of the waterways and their attractions.
- 8m (24 ft) Cruiser - 2 persons in comfort (4 maximum)
550€ per week low season - 1150€ per week high season. - 10m (30 ft) Cruiser - 4 persons in comfort (6 maximum)
850€ per week low season - 1650€ per week high season. - 12m (36 ft) Cruiser - 4 persons in comfort (8 maximum)
1150€ per week low season - 1900€ per week high season. - 13m (39 ft) Small Barge - 4 persons in comfort
1300€ per week low season - 2300€ per week high season. - 14m (42 ft) Small Barge - 6 persons in comfort
1950€ per week low season - 3000€ per week high season. - 15m (45 ft) Small Barge - 8 persons in comfort
2500€ per week low season - 3500€ per week high season.
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| Cruiser | Small Barge |
Hotel Barges
Hotel barges provide an atmosphere of intimate luxury. They normally accommodate six to eight guests only (no more than twelve), in comfortable and spacious suites. A resident chef prepares French and International cuisine; there is a professional skipper and crew, and the voyage (six days is usual) will include guided excursions and events. An unforgettable way to travel through beautiful countryside and historic towns and villages, in style.
- In the region of 4,000€ per person, six days cruise
Some barges operate on a charter-only basis (the whole boat for six days), on others one can book one suite for the period.
This is an information guide - it is not a substitute for a waterways pilot book, nor is it meant to be. We strongly recommend obtaining a pilot book for each river or canal you travel. The information here results from direct personal experience cruising the waterways from north to south and east to west; and/or has also been gleaned from a number of sources and accounts. Photographs by Grehan; some other photographs by permission, or in the public domain; if we have inadvertently breached any copyrights, please contact us. Grehan's own photographs may be available for re-use, please contact us for permission.
