Bike & barge tours in France offer canal barge cruising, country and village bicycling, château and museum visits, all in one.

France's 3,800 km (2,300 miles) of canals built since the 1600s are still very much in use. They offer one of the finest leisure experiences in Europe: daily bicycle excursions along the back roads and through the pretty villages of France, and breakfast, dinner, cruising, social time, and a quiet night's rest in a comfortable canal barge.

Met at your arrival airport by the tour leader, you drive to your embarkation port, settle into your comfortable air-conditioned cabin with private bath on a modernized barge, and begin your adventure.

Typical tours include a day or two of sightseeing, hours of bike riding each day through beautiful countryside, pretty villages and towns, along riverbanks and canal towpaths, through shady forests, and on streets, roads and two-lane highways.

Stops may be made to visit museums, exhibits, and châteaux; for coffee, lunch, ice cream or snacks. The day's ride is designed to suit the athletic abilities and desires of tour participants.

With a congenial group of participants and good weather, a French bike and barge tour is a wonderful experience. Here's a description of a week's biking and barging in France.

At the end of the day, back on the barge, you compare notes of the day's ride over a glass of wine while the chef prepares a fine dinner from ingredients bought at markets in local villages.

Numerous tour companies organize biking and barging vacations, including International Bicycle Tours, Inc. of Essex, Connecticut, USA.

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