France: Houseboats

Overview

France boasts extensive navigable waterways (rivers and canals), which are perfect for those whose ideal home is one that floats. Floating homes are usually restored and converted barges, which can offer extensive and luxurious accommodation. You can choose between a fixed mooring (there are even berths in the centre of Paris) and a peripatetic life, travelling from one part of the country to another.

Expect to pay upwards of €200,000 for a luxury houseboat. As well as the cost of fuel (if you plan to be moblie) and maintenance, you should allow between €25 and €60 per day, €100 to €200 per month or €1,000 to €2,000 per year (depending on the size of your boat) for moorings. You need a ‘driving licence’, which costs around €300, and permits for the use of waterways.

Further information about French waterways and operating a boat on them can be obtained from the French national waterways board, Voies Navigables de France (www.vnf.fr).

© Survival Books Limited 2005

“Buying a Home in France 2006” 6th Edition, David Hampshire.

Reproduced with the permission of Survival Books Limited.

Further information on this topic can be found in “Buying a Home in France 2006” 6th edition, by David Hampshire.

For extensive, annually updated information about buying a property in France, you can purchase this book at www.survivalbooks.net