familytravler

My family and I (husband, self and two young kids) would like to rent a self-guided barge in italy the end of March. I'm flying from the west coast. Iv'e never done anything like this. I would appreciate any advice I can get. Thanks so much

magexpect

I might be able to help you but you are much too vague. Where in Italy, for how long, what kind of barge, sea or canal? which airport are you coming in? for how long? Please be more specific

familytravler

Canal, I guess. Didn't know you could do sea. We have 2 weeks including flying time. We don't have plans on where to fly in or rent a barge or where to go once we have it or, for that matter, how to use a barge. It just seems like a wonderful way to get around and see and experience Italy. I like the idea of taking our home base with us. Sorry, I know thats vague but I could use advice on everything - where to fly, what airline, where to rent a barge, route ideas. I've not traveled out of the country with children before. Thanks for helping.

essxjay

I read a great article in Aurthur Frommer's Budget Travel magazine sometime in the past two years a feature on the very topic of barge travel. Now, the article focused on doing this in France, but it may give you some leads on where to find resources on the web for barge travel. www.frommers.com.

Obviously, you can get good connections to Europe via UA/LH out of either SFO or PDX. PDX-FRA-FCO would be a likely routing for example, but LH flies to just about everywhere in Europe.

Also check out fodors.com.

magexpect

I have tried to find something that might inform you. This address is probably the best, but I'll get more info on Italy tomorrow.

The barging business is very active in France and Ireland. They have literally thousands of miles of canals to discover and everything runs very smoothly. Italy is new land and the scenery around Venice is quite boring.

I would rather recommend South-West France or Burgundy. Not only the canals are wonderful, but the scenery and villages are beautiful, not to forget the easiness to shop and stop for wine tasting, castle visits etc.

Here is one of the most serious agency:

www.locaboat.com

For your trip itself, look at the new fares that Swiss is providing.

www.swiss.com

www.airfrance.com

or any web travel site.

Once you have decided, I'll get more info and will give you advice regarding the barging itself.

familytravler

Thanks everyone - France or Ireland it will be. Those are some good websites. How do I find out what airlines and airports the abbreviations stand for? is there a list somewhere? I will get narrow the list down then post again. Thank you.

magexpect

Hello,

I was not able to find anything serious about Italy, sorry.

Airports codes:

www.flughafenforum.de/portal_site.php?site=10

That should do. If you have practical questions about barging, email me. I go to Ireland almost every year in September and to France in June.

familytravler

trying to decide between France and Ireland. Ease of getting around off the barge is important as we are traveling with kids age 3.5 and 1. Wanting to visit older, small villages instead of modern cities. Enjoy culture and architecture. love castles. I am not familiar with either country or its regions. Can anyone recommend a specific area? I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland but am I correct in thinking that it was not built up along canals like France and therefore will be harder to get to the heart of things? Also, I’ve decided to postpone my trip till April or May as March does not appear to be the best weather. Also, anyone know about safety aboard re: my little ones. Is there a rail around the boat? Thanks so much

magexpect

1.- At this time of year France is the best bet although in each country the season usually starts in June.

2- You are right. Canals run in France through villages and towns so you can almost stop right in front of the bakery if you wish. In Ireland the rental of a bike is important to go shopping or to the pub...

3-/4- France again, the castles and places of interest in Ireland are on hills, far from canal. In france there is much more to see right from the boat.

5- Ireland maybe quite cold at this time of year, France the same. In Europe April weather says it all: you can go from beautiful weather to snow. Can you postpone at least a month for either destination?
If you can't, the only place I can suggest for guaranteed weather is the southwest. The Midi region with Carcassonne as the main point of sightseeing. Camargue may be nice but wind conditions can be awsome.

6- There is a railing along the boat but at such an age an additional net that you can hang to the railing would even be better, even a must! They are available at specialized shops and do not cost much. Don't ever leave your kids for a second unattended!!!

If more answers needed, just post them.

familytravler

This is starting to get exciting. Thank you.

We will make it france in late May. I prefer less crowds. Going then, would you still reccomend the Midi region or Camargue. your post seemed to suggest you might have a different reccomendation if we went after April.

I will get a net, allowing me to keep 3 feet away from them instead of hanging on to their shirts all the time.

I really appreciate all your help.

magexpect

It was a pleasure.

It all depends what you enjoy most. The South West of France is gorgeous and peaceful, nice places to visit and almost a guarantee for good weather. Because of all the locks, the castels, the wine etc. my preference goes to Burgundy region but again, even May can be a little early and if the weather is bad, it might be cold. The barges are well appointed, also with heater, but still.

If you give me some time, I'll get you some pictures per Email but I've to get back to Atlanta first. That'll be at the end of this week. I am in Switzerland right now.

look at this for the time being.

www.carcassonne.org

till soon