FRENCH DESTINATIONS

Ferries in Paris
In summer the Batobus river shuttle stops along the Seine including Notre Dame and the Musèe d'Orsay. Tel. 01 44 11 33 99
Other boating companies include Bateaux Mouches company, metro Alma Marceau tel. 01 42 25 96 10 and Vedettes du Pont Neuf, metro Pont Neuf, tel. 01 46 33 98 38. Both operate circuits during the day. Vedettes du Pont Neuf also operates by night.

French Ports
This list details the French ports in France and the destinations where ferries travel to from these ports:
Roscoff - Cork and Rosslare (Ireland) and Plymouth (Devon, England)
Saint Malo - Jersey, Guernsey, Sark (Channel Islands) and Weymouth (England), Poole (England)
Cherbourg - Rosslare (Ireland), Portsmouth and Southampton (England)
Ouistreham - Portsmouth (England)
Le Havre - Portsmouth (England)
Dieppe - New Haven (England)
Boulogne - Folkestone (England, just south of Dover)
Calais - Dover (England), the channel crossing
Sete - Morocco
Marseille - Tunisia, Corsica, Sardinia
Toulon - Corsica and Sardinia
Nice - Corsica

Saint Malo - Dinard
The Bus de Mer ferry (Emeraude Lines) links Saint Malo and Dinard. The trip takes just 10 minutes. The dock in Saint Malo is outside Porte de Dinan, in Dinard the quay is 27 Ave George V.

Corsica
In Marseille the Sociètè Nationale Maritime Corse-Mèdterranèe (SNCM, tel. 08 36 67 95 00) runs ferries from the gare maritime on Blvd des Dames to Corsica.
SNCM also runs from Nice and Marseilles to Corsica (http://www.sncm.fr)

ACCOMODATION
Obviously this will depend on your mode of transport. If you are coming ashore at night you may consider some of the accommodation options we offer through our booking engine. If you are camping on a water route make sure you practice low impact camping (i.e what you bring in you take away – note that on some water ways even human waste is supposed to be brought out).

INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS

England
The Dover-Calais route is the most commonly used route between France and England. For route details and prices use the Ferry Booker link - http://www.ferrybooker.com/
Ferries link Saint Malo in Brittany with the Channel Islands, Weymouth and Portsmouth. The two ferry terminals are Gare Maritime de la Bourse (hydrofoils, catamarans etc) and Gare Maritime du Naye (cars).
Condor, tel. 02 99 20 03 00 goes to Jersey and Guernsey from mid-March to mid-November. The service to Weymouth operates from April-October.
Emeraude Lines, tel. 02 99 40 48 40, operates to Jersey, Guernsey and Sark. Regular services run March-November. Go to the UK Public Transportation Site for fares info, timetables and phone numbers of these ferries. http://www.pti.org.uk/index.cfm?page=25
Brittany Ferries, tel. 02 99 40 64 41, runs to Portsmouth from Maritime du Naye

Ireland
Ferries run to Ireland from Roscoff and Cherbourg in north western France.

Sardegnia (Italy)
In Marseille the Sociètè Nationale Maritime Corse-Mèdterranèe (SNCM, tel. 08 36 67 95 00) runs ferries from the gare maritime on Blvd des Dames to Sardegnia.

Morocco
In Marseille the Sociètè Nationale Maritime Corse-Mèdterranèe (SNCM, tel. 08 36 67 95 00) handles tickets for the Moroccan ferry company Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation (COMANAV).
There are also car ferries between Sète on the French coast (between Béziers and Montpellier on the Golfe du Lyon) and Tangier run by Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation

Tunisia and Algeria
SNCM (http://www.sncm.fr) ferries run from Marseille and Nice to Algeria and Tunisia. Other ferries also depart from Sete.

SAFETY
Weather conditions can change fast on water. Know the weather forecast and the expected weather at that time of year. Also keep an eye on tides and estimated sun down times. Always take a medical kit with you. Remember any trip on the water should be planned bearing in mind it could turn into an overnight trip even if it is supposed to be a 1-day activity. The best solution for the first signs of hypothermia are a warm, sweet drink. Take a compass, first aid kit and additional supplies of food and water with you.

BOATING IN FRANCE
Houseboats
These usually accommodate four to 12 passengers and can be rented for a weekend or several weeks.
These houseboats resemble true barges and are usually equipped with a kitchen, comfortable sleeping cabins and a bathroom. When you want to shop or eat or explore, tie up to a tree and head ashore. There are lots of places that rent barges, they can start from Euro 1000 a week for a 2 person barge so it's not a cheap way to travel.

Check the following links for useful information on routes, itineraries and costs.
http://www.europeafloat.com/fr.htm - Waterways of France with houseboat rentals & canal boat hire
http://www.barginginfrance.com/rentalboats.htm - h2olidays in France for your houseboat canal rental or hotel barge vacation on the waterways of Europe

Kayaking or Canoeing
For the more adventurous planning to do your own sailing, kayaking or canoeing trip then you need to prepare adequately. We would assume people doing their own kayaking or canoeing trips will have adequate experience and skill on the water and examine the route they are taking carefully. Some of the following handy hints and absolute essentials should be obvious: - a basic repair kit and safety equipment for your boat. This will include extra rope (make sure it is tied up and out of the way), life jackets, a tow rope (if you need to help someone out), flares etc.
- extra snack food and water (it can be a long way between towns in some parts, particularly if you get marooned with an injury or get lost!)
- pack light! You can buy extra food as you go and you really only need basic water gear and a change of clothes if you go into towns.
- get some maps (detailed for any small rivers that you might take)
- itinerary - give someone a copy of your itinerary and check in with them every few days so they know you are okay.
- learn some French that you will need to use in small towns or on the water for directions.

Some of these links will be useful:
http://alpine-kayak-club.org/
Kayaking and canoeing on the Dordogne river. Canoe itinerary 8 days long on Dordogne river.
http://members.tripod.com/~goedhart/index.html

USEFUL LINKS

Ferrybooker.com: Ferries & tunnel to France, Ireland and Europe
Ferry Quotes and Booking, Select your route eg. Dover - Calais.
http://www.ferrybooker.com/

AFerry.to
Book ferry crossings to/from England, Ireland, France, Scotland, Spain, Greece, and Italy online. Includes ferry timetable with real time pricing and availability.
http://www.aferry.to/

Eurostar tickets bookings timetables fares - Cheap ferries crossing to France.
http://www.into-france.co.uk/brittany-ferries.php3

Direct Ferries - discount bookings for ferries between the UK and Europe.
http://www.directferries.com/

Ferry to France - Timetables - View ferry departure times . Operators include Britanny Ferries and P&O Portsmouth.
http://www.ferry-to-france.com/timetable/AFRYtimetableAF2F.asp

Ferry and ferries to France - Timetables, Routes and Dates.
http://www.directferries.co.uk/table.htm

Ferry Tickets To France - Book your ferry ticket to France online.
http://www.bluedogferrytickets.co.uk/ferry_france.htm

Cheap Ferries, including bookings, timetables and quotes to France.
http://www.cheap-ferries.co.uk/results.asp?Keyword=ferry%2Bbooking

Ferry France. Crossing the Channel by PO Ferries, Hoverspeed, Eurotunnel. Timetables, routes, maps
http://www.drive-alive.co.uk/ferry-france.htm more results from this site

Channel crossings and Ferries including Eurotunnel, Hoverspeed, P&O, DFDS, Brittany Ferries.
http://www.origineurope.co.uk/data/fra/gen.htm

Travel By Ferry
Tour operator for deluxe cruises and customized, travel in style tours to France, Austria, Germany ... Scandlines - Ferry timetables from this Baltic operator. ...
http://www.backpackeurope.com/trans/ferry/

Ferries France Greece Italy Malta Spain
... France. ... Paleologos Shipping & Travel Agency of Crete operates this site, which has links to many different domestic and international Greek ferry timetables. ...
http://europeforvisitors.com/europe/planner/blp_ferries_south_countries.htm

Brittany Ferries - Timetables and printable schedules of outbound and inbound sailings
http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/index.cfm?articleid=810