France's inland waterways weave through some of the country's finest landscapes-and the four regions explored on Afloat in France holidays especially capture its infinite variety.
Burgundy's Côte-d'Or is a sumptuous, velvety region, celebrated for its fine wines and rich art and architecture. Afloat in France passengers cruise along the Canal de Bourgogne through an attractive terrain of vineyards, limestone plateaux and undulating uplands, stopping along the way to visit such treasures as the capital Dijon.
Franche-Comté is the quirkier, eastern side of France—close to the Swiss border, beneath Alsace and north of the Alpes. Neighbouring it is Saône-et-Loire, the most southerly of the four departments in the Burgundy region. Guests cruise the Doubs river, stopping at Besançon, a gracious city famous for silk, watchmaking and its mighty,120m-high Vauban citadel.
Languedoc-Roussillon is a mountainous region by the foothills of the Pyrenées and is known for its wild, crusader castles towering above vine-covered slopes. Running through it is the Canal du Midi, an inspired piece of 17th-century engineering thatlinks appealing towns and villages, such as dynamic Montpellier and magical, medieval Carcassonne.
Rhône-Alpes and Provence Alpes-du-Sud are linked by one of Europe’s greatest waterways—the Rhône. This broad, handsome river, bordered by vineyards, sunflowers and fields of lavender, has inspired artists such as Van Gogh and Renoir. The former papal city of Avignon is a riverside highlight; further south lies the Romano-gypsy city of Arles and beyond are the wetlands of the Camargue.
