Or more correctly...‘Which Barge is Right for You?’

With so many wonderful inland waterways in Europe to cruise on, the decision may seem daunting, but we are here to help you, and so we suggest that you start by thinking about which country you would like to cruise in. Most of our barges are in France as the inland waterway network of rivers and canals is so plentiful and the country so very attractive (not to mention the great wine and cuisine to be found here), but there are without doubt many other lovely places to barge such as Ireland, Scotland, England, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic.

Once you’ve an idea which country you’d like to cruise in, think about how many people are in your group, and what their requirements might be. If you like to meet others then booking individual cabins on a barge that takes more people than the number in your group is a good idea. Great friendships can be made whilst cruising. On the other hand - and especially if you have a group who wish to cruise together without other guests on board - chartering a barge is definitely the right thing to do. This means that you pay a charter price to hire the entire barge and crew for your personal group. As we have barges that accept charters of as few as 4 guests on board, there is usually at least one barge that will suit your requirements, and so it’s not necessary to get a big group together in order to do this. Charters can be accepted for 4, 6, 8 10, 12, 14, 18, 20 – up to 50 people – and all the numbers in between!

The weather that you’d like to experience whilst cruising is also something important to consider and to let us know about so that we can advise accordingly. The month or date you plan to cruise is also very important, as July in Scotland is very different to July in the south of France, for example! The level of luxury and service required, plus of course your budget (if you have one) are also important things to consider.

Other influencing factors you might wish to take into account when considering which barge are: where and when to travel, the size of the cabins, the excursions proposed, the style of the ship and its decor on board, its cruise route (of course!) and the crew on board. Feel free to ask us about any of this and we’ll be happy to inform you.

SIZE DOES MATTER— in barging anyway! The pretty Colibri (right, maximum 4 guests ) and the grand Anacoluthe (maximum 50 guests) represent the two extremes of the scale. There are many to choose from in between… We can accommodate any number of guests (almost!) so do get in touch.

The better an idea you have of the above criteria, the easier it will be for us to help to advise you on which barge or barges to consider for your cruise. (If you’ve already found the barge you want and are ready to discuss availability with us, then that of course makes our job even easier and it also saves time!) If you’re in any doubt about anything, just give us a call anyway and we’ll be happy to help.