Imagine taking your whole family including the seniors to one of the most beautiful regions of France for a week… And on top of that you all get to stay and sail on your own boat – with no previous experience needed! Wishes can come true and this dream became reality – and what an amazing time we had!

Bonus info: Le Boat is the No.1 provider of inland water boating holidays, bringing together 50 years of experience, expertise and memories. Le Boat has a fleet of large self-drive cruisers, allowing entire families to stay on board and to explore their chosen region… 

Captain Clara reporting for duty

This is Clara in front of our boat Horizon 3. This boat has a sleeping a maximum of seven and offers a bright and spacious forward stateroom with sliding glass doors to outside seating area at the rear, giving easy access to the water. The full kitchen/galley includes an oven, stove, refrigerator, microwave and utensils. There is also a ‘fundeck’ with table, bimini, ambient lights, BBQ hotplate and deck shower. The boat has one master cabin and and two smaller cabins, all with the privacy of their own en-suite. Check out the details and take a virtual tour at this link.

Life jackets are provided by Le Boat if needed!

Worries about the sailing part? Fear not… You do not need a license or prior experience to be the captain of your own houseboat with Le Boat. The warm and welcoming base teams will show you everything you need to know before you set off safely on your houseboat cruise

I admit it was a bit intimidating, when we saw how big our boat was, and you need to stay focussed when the briefing and demonstration is given to you, but after a couple of hours, I could see how relaxed the captains were and how they just enjoyed navigating our boat. It is actually like driving a car, but much easier and more relaxing

Isn’t our Horizon 3 a beauty! 

The weather was beautiful and the scenery stunning in Alsace…

We sailed from Boofzheim to Hesse and had plenty of time to both enjoy a bit of sailing and visiting stunning Strasbourg as well as pretty Saverne. Le Boat offers a suggested itinerary with ‘must-do’ highlights of this region: The impressive boat lift at Arzviller, the magnificant Château des Rohan in Saverne and the bustling UNESCO city of Strasbourg – home to the European Parliament and the famous Cathedrale Notre-Dame. We did them all. More about this later…

Most of Le Boat’s cruising regions contain locks that you will have to pass through. It might look difficult but once you have navigated one lock you will find out just how simple it is. Just look at Frenchie looking like a pro… 

Bonus-info: The type of locks you encounter will depend on the cruising region you are in. Locks can be manually operated, manned by a lock keeper, electrically operated or automatic, whatever the system though, the manoeuvres are always very similar. We had no problems. (Just make sure to check what time the locks are closing if you have any plans to make it somewhere in time)

This is the Arzviller boat lift accurately known as the “Inclined Plane of St. Louis’”. There is nothing else like it in Europe

The boat lift came into service in 1969 and replaced a chain of 17 locks, which took an entire day to pass through. Nowadays, the descent of 44.5m is traversed in just four minutes. We were truly impressed! Did you know that…The system works by basically lifting or lowering a caisson containing a boat on a carriage along a slope using a balancing counterweight. Talk about wow-factor!

Family time! We had breakfast, dinner and lunch onboard Horizon 3 and didn’t eat out a lot. we really enjoyed how wonderful it is making our own food and enjoying it together on our houseboat

Welcome to Strasbourg…

We spent one and a half day in Strasbourg. It was only 20 mins walk from our boat to the old town. Easy Peasy!

Bonus-info: On summer evenings, the landmark of the city, Cathedrale Notre-Dame is a part of the light performance, son et Lumiere. Every summer has a dedicated theme, which is related to local folklore or history of Alsace

Petite France – the city’s lively tourist hub, known for cobblestone streets, canals, and well-preserved half-timbered homes like the Tanners’ House, built in 1572. A terrace atop the 17th-century Barrage Vauban, a covered bridge and dam, offers panoramic views. Alsatian eateries dot the area, while shops on and around Grand’Rue sell clothing and souvenirs such as crockery, wine, and specialty teas

Speaking of Alsatian eateries… Here a few must-tries when visiting Alsace. We all loved Flammkuchen (or tarte flambée) –  a speciality of the region of Alsace. It is composed of bread dough rolled out very thinly in the shape of a rectangle or oval, which is covered with fromage blanc or crème fraîche, thinly sliced onions and lardons. Sooo Good!

Spaetzle with mushrooms… I always order this dish when possible, as it is just that good!

Another favourite. Apfelstrudel! A popular pastry in both Alsace, Austria, Bavaria and many other contries

We also found a popular place where they had their own brewery. The seniors were happy!

I was happy too… Mostly because I treated myself with these divine profiteroles…

Oh, and Clara was also happy. She went shoe shopping in Galleries LaFayette with mummy and found the cutest sandals 50% off! Yay!

Fresh baguette and we were ready to move on. I really loved Strasbourg and hope to come back one day

Palais de l’Europe, home of the European Parliament. Pretty cool sight from our boat. Tip: If you bring your passport, you can actually go inside the parliament. We did not know that, but now you do!

Life is good on a boat! Working on that tan! Tip: You might meet a mosquito or two in this region of France, so make sure to bring some mosquito repellent. It really worked for us 

This is historic Saverne. We mooreed in front of the lovely Château des Rohan and enjoyed the view whilst having breakfast on board our boat

As well as exploring the amazing Château des Rohan, you can also pay a visit to The Saverne museum, which holds the title of the oldest municipal museum in Alsace after the museums of Strasbourg and Colmar. We decided to just walk around in this beautiful town and just enjoy being there

Happy days

We had such a wonderful time with Le Boat. Everyone agreed that this was an experience of a lifetime and a very good way of bringing friends and families together both young and old. 

We were invited on this trip but as always my opinions are my own

Get 100GBP off 7nights + 50GBP off short breaks using code: LLOVE

If you would like to know more….

For the seven nights of our trip, we slept and travelled on a Le Boat Horizon 3. Sleeping a maximum of seven, the Horizon 3 offers a bright and spacious forward stateroom with sliding glass doors to outside seating area at the rear, giving easy access to the water. The full kitchen/galley includes an oven, stove, refrigerator, microwave and utensils. There is also a ‘fundeck’ with table, bimini, ambient lights, BBQ hotplate and deck shower. The boat has one master cabin and and two smaller cabins, all with the privacy of their own en-suite. Check out the details and take a virtual tour at this link.

A seven-night self-catered stay on board a Horizon 3 which sleeps up to seven people, departing 10 August 2024, starting at Le Boat’s base in Boofzheim and ending at Le Boat’s base in Hesse, costs from £3,309 per boat. No boating license or experience necessary. Le Boat (023 9222 2177, www.leboat.co.uk)

Boaters can bring up to two dogs on board, and there is a pet cleaning supplement of just £75 per dog per boat hire. More pet information can be found here.

This year Le Boat will operate in the Alsace-Lorraine until 31 October 2024
Next year Le Boat will operate in the Alsace-Lorraine 22 March – 31 October 2025

Contact Le Boat
Le Boat (023 9280 9124, www.leboat.co.uk)

More information on boat sales:

https://www.leboat.co.uk/boat-sales