BOATING HOLIDAYS IN EUROPE

RIVER AND CANAL CRUISES

The best way to experience a holiday on the waterways of Europe is with Le Boat. Our boat was a new, spacious and comfortably appointed Horizon 2, with all 11.5 × 4.2 metres of her and two cabins and two bathrooms all to ourselves. The route we selected was on the Lot River, in south-western France, but explore leboat.co.za to see all of the other wonderful options on offer, or call them on 021 200 1838 to chat about your itinerary alternatives.

FLIGHTS

For us, getting to France was made easy by Air France, which offers daily flights from Johannesburg to Paris on an Airbus A380 or Boeing 777, and two- to four flights per week from Cape Town to Paris on a Boeing 777. Air France serves 25 French cities from Charles de Gaulle or Orly airports, meaning you can (almost) get yourself to wherever your boat cruise commences. airfrance.co.za

TRAIN

Although a flight will get you most of the way to your destination, a train will get you all the way there. From Toulouse we boarded a Rail Europe train (booked through WorldTravel in South Africa), and enjoyed the quietest and comfiest journey to the station in Cahors (a short taxi ride from here took us to the Le Boat base in Douelle, where our boat cruise commenced and ended). worldtravel.co.za, rail@world travel.co.za, 011 628 2319

SIGHTSEEING

Aside from the beautiful countryside and villages you’ll get to see from your boat, making contact with France Tourism is an excellent way to experience the best the region you’re visiting has to offer. Facebook: @ZA.France.fr If you’re heading to the region of France near the Lot River, tourisme-lot.com/en is an especially helpful resource.