Cuisine Foodie pleasures

Foodie pleasures aboard your rental houseboat

From Castel­naudary cas­soulet to Alsa­t­ian sauer­kraut, gas­tro­nom­ic spe­cial­ties from all regions of France await you on your licence-free rental boat. So, get ready for an explo­sion of flavours and whet your appetite by prepar­ing your water­way cruise itin­er­ary right now.

A waterway cruise for dining pleasure

You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to enter­tain­ing your­self aboard your licence-free rental boat. What with loung­ing lazi­ly on the deck, cycling on the tow­paths or swim­ming in rivers or lakes, there’ll be some­thing to sat­is­fy the whole fam­i­ly. And your water­way cruise is also sure to be a tru­ly gas­tro­nom­ic jour­ney, as you trav­el through pic­turesque land­scapes rep­re­sent­ing a host of local flavours. Whether onboard your licence-free boat or in one of the region’s top restau­rants, make the most of your cruise to sam­ple a host of gas­tro­nom­ic delights.

The pleasure and tradition of local markets – another way to enjoy a gastronomic journey

Moor up as close as you can to towns and vil­lages dur­ing your water­way cruise. On foot or by bike, you’ll eas­i­ly be able to reach the heart of these towns to enjoy wan­der­ing around the local mar­ket stalls. Seek out local cui­sine and spe­cial­i­ties to take back on board, offer­ing you the oppor­tu­ni­ty to sam­ple pro­duce from the var­i­ous ter­roirs you trav­el through. At the turn of a mean­der, you’ll have the chance to meet pro­duc­ers and/​or farm­ers. Vis­it­ing farms, wine estates and vine­yards is also part of these unsus­pect­ed plea­sures of water­way cruis­ing. Far from the main­stream tourist trail, you’ll pen­e­trate to the heart of each ter­roir, where arti­sans will con­tin­u­al­ly awak­en and enchant your taste buds. In the evening, you’ll be able to gath­er with your fam­i­ly around the table on your licence-free boat to taste the day’s finds.

Gastronomic itineraries for 3‑star waterway cruises

While you may well be guid­ed by his­toric sites, for­ti­fied cities or major build­ings in our nation­al her­itage in choos­ing and prepar­ing your water­way cruise, the same can cer­tain­ly be said of the local gas­tron­o­my. Set off on your rental boat in the Cognac region on the waters of the Char­ente and dis­cov­er the secrets of Pineau and Cognac. From vine cul­ti­va­tion to dis­til­la­tion, these two brandies will accom­pa­ny you through­out your cruise. Gas­tro­nom­ic ideas abound on the Lot – from Roca­madour cheese to black truf­fles, foie gras or Quer­cy mel­on, your cruise will be punc­tu­at­ed by gourmet moments, washed down, of course, with the famous Cahors wine.