South of France by Boat | The Alternative to Paris Nobody Talks About

If you have already seen Paris, Provence and Lyon, a Canal du Midi boat trip is a very different way to discover France. In this video we rent a boat for a week with no captain and no sailing experience, and cruise 107 kilometers through 18 locks and eight villages in the south of France. We show you what life on board is like, the villages and food along the way, the tricky moments, and exactly what it all cost.

Life on the boat

We picked up our Le Boat Liberty in Homps after a two-hour briefing on safety and handling. You don’t need a license: the boat goes about 6 km/h, and bikes on the towpath overtake you. Ours had air conditioning, a full kitchen, a dishwasher and a double bed. At each port you pay the harbor master for the night, plug in for electricity and fill up with water. The Canal du Midi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the 1600s, and we were amazed by how good the food was in every village.

Highlights along the way

  • Our first locks, which were stressful at first and fun by the end
  • A long day of sailing with no locks at all, past vineyards
  • An extra day in Capestang to slow down and explore
  • The narrow, dark Malpas Tunnel
  • Lunch with locals in Colombiers
  • The Fonseranes seven locks and Saint-Nazaire Cathedral in Béziers
  • Crossing the aqueduct over the Orb River

What it cost (when we filmed)

The Liberty boat was €7,700 for seven days (you can also rent for three or four). Fuel came to €255, ports €194, groceries about €210 and ten restaurant meals for three people €870. That is a total of €9,255, or about €441 per person per day for the three of us. Sharing with more people brings it down. Our verdict: it is not a lazy vacation, since you handle ropes and jump on and off the boat, but if you are comfortable with that, it gives you memories for a lifetime.

You can find all the details about the boat here, and use the code FREN for a discount as a Frenchies fan. Since the small ports are easiest to reach by car, download our free driving in France cheat sheet before you go.