Hotel Barge Cruises in Europe
ABOVE: Go Barging's
La Dolce Vita in
Venice, Italy.
Barge cruise review
A Barge Cruise in
France
Our 8-page article on one of Europe's most comfortable hotel barges is
accompanied by an 82-page, day-by-day
barge cruise
photo gallery.
Article
Barge Charters in Europe
A private cruise on a hotel barge isn't cheap, but it can offer better value
than per-person fares on luxury cruise lines if you're traveling with family or
friends. (Some smaller barges also have special honeymoon charters.)
Independently owned barges
Actief
Rachel Cockell
and Joe Odgers own the
Actief, a Dutch Klipper that was
built in 1907, transformed into an English luxury barge 1976, and upgraded
with new decor and equipment in the last several years. The vessel accommodates 11 guests in five cabins, is furnished in country-house style, and cruises the Thames from April
to October.
Canal Voyagers
Tour Britain's inland waterways by hotel narrowboat. Two vessels, the Snipe
and Taurus, travel in tandem to offer 4-, 5-, and 7-day cruises for up to
9 guests at a time.
Esperance
This
four-person charter barge cruises between Beaucaire and Monpellier in the South
of France.
Luciole
Owners John and Penny Liley have 50 years of hotel-barge cruising between them,
and John is the author of France--the Quiet Way, a book about the French
canal and river system. Under its previous name of Palinurus, the
Luciole was featured in Emily Kimbrough's best-selling travel book,
Floating Island. The barge accommodates 14 passengers and cruises the scenic
Canal du Nivernais in Burgundy.
Wood Owl
Roar down
the canals of England and Wales at 3 mph on a traditional steel-hulled
narrowboat with one double cabin and two singles.
Barge companies
European Waterways Ltd. (Go Barging)
This British company has eight- and twelve-passenger barges that cruise in England,
France, Holland, Ireland, and Scotland. (See our review of the company's
luxury flagship, La Renaissance,)
Afloat in France
This
luxury barge-cruising company, which dates back to 1958, is now part of the
Orient-Express Collection. It has five hotel barges in France, plus offices in
the U.S., England, and Germany.
The Barge Connection
Choose from deluxe and first-class cruises in France, Holland, England,
Scotland, and Ireland.
Self-drive barges are also available.
French Country Waterways
Five luxury barges with English-speaking crews tour seven routes in France and
the Moselle Valley of Germany. A hot-air balloon ride is optional.
| 
Durant
& Cheryl Imboden's