What’s the difference between barging and a river cruise?
Think of the difference between a minivan and a coach. Barges generally travel along the canals of Europe at a very leisurely pace so you can get off, ride one of the vessel’s bicycles into town to buy croissants or walk along the tow path to the next lock and catch up with ease. Barges are quite small – typically, with capacity for four to a couple dozen passengers – and fine cuisine is often one of the drawcards. River cruise boats are much larger and may carry several hundred passengers. They can travel quite fast, enabling them to take you from one side of Europe to the other in the course of a shortish voyage. On board, the facilities resemble those you’d find on an ocean voyage, with restaurants, lounges, libraries, internet rooms – even, perhaps, a swimming pool.
