mrplastic
Well-Known Member
Hi, can anyone give me any information on Port Napoleon, I:E how to get there, nearest airport etc . Tried searching on the net...nothing!
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
Port napoleon?
- Thread starter mrplastic
- Start date
Nick_Pam
Well-Known Member
Website is here
Nearest airport is Nimes - about 60km (1 hour) in a car
Good engineering and hard standing facilities but not a great sailing area and the port is in the middle of a mozzie ridden swamp, so be prepared!!
Also beware the wind - the week our Jeanneau was launched there to be commissioned we saw over 130km/hr in the anemometer in the bar!!
Please shout if you need more information
Nick
Nearest airport is Nimes - about 60km (1 hour) in a car
Good engineering and hard standing facilities but not a great sailing area and the port is in the middle of a mozzie ridden swamp, so be prepared!!
Also beware the wind - the week our Jeanneau was launched there to be commissioned we saw over 130km/hr in the anemometer in the bar!!
Please shout if you need more information
Nick
samwise
Well-Known Member
Popular spot for over wintering, but it is pretty isolated, you need a bike at least but you can usually cadge a lift from the friendly liveaboard neighbours. The mozzies were very bad when I was down there last summer. Weapon of choice was some French spray on stuff called Cinq et Cinq. Don't apply in a closed area, it will take your breath away! Port St Louis nearby is small but has supermarket etc.
If you are thinking of just overwintering the boat and not living aboard, have a look at Navy Service up the road which is a Port a Sec, up to 750 boats on hardstanding. Very bleak place and very basic facilities but probably cheaper than PN.
We commuted to the boat via Eurostar, TGV and local train to Arles. Best time was six hours from Marseille St Charles to platform 11 at Liverpool Street and the train home in six hours. Beat that Easyjet!
If you are thinking of just overwintering the boat and not living aboard, have a look at Navy Service up the road which is a Port a Sec, up to 750 boats on hardstanding. Very bleak place and very basic facilities but probably cheaper than PN.
We commuted to the boat via Eurostar, TGV and local train to Arles. Best time was six hours from Marseille St Charles to platform 11 at Liverpool Street and the train home in six hours. Beat that Easyjet!
Liz_I
Well-Known Member
There are 2 airports both equdistant, Nimes as mentioned & Marseilles (Marignane) served by both Ryanair & Easyjet. Trains, as Samwise says are good but only to Arles. Transport is a must as the nearest 'town' is about 2 miles but it has 2 good supermarkets and a weekly street market on Weds. The surrounding area is not a marshy swamp! It is the Camargue either love it or hate it. Port Napoleon has about 2000 spaces on the dry with about 250 places in the water. The mosquito problem can be controlled by using nets and plug in anti-mossie machines. This is our 5th winter here in 6 years so if you need any further info please get in touch (PM).
Nick_Pam
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
The surrounding area is not a marshy swamp! It is the Camargue either love it or hate it.
[/ QUOTE ]
Apologies - I should have used the word marsh not swamp.....still mozzie ridden though.
Love it or hate it????? Hmmmm........didn't enjoy our time here with our Jeanneau - Port Camargue was FAR nicer, still in the Camargue and about 25% cheaper in terms of berth prices....
The surrounding area is not a marshy swamp! It is the Camargue either love it or hate it.
[/ QUOTE ]
Apologies - I should have used the word marsh not swamp.....still mozzie ridden though.
Love it or hate it????? Hmmmm........didn't enjoy our time here with our Jeanneau - Port Camargue was FAR nicer, still in the Camargue and about 25% cheaper in terms of berth prices....
Liz_I
Well-Known Member
Can't resist the reply!
We love it, you hated it. Isn't this the way life is? Thank goodness we are all different. We couldn't dream of fetching up in Port Camargue. Concrete concrete & concrete! Good services though but if you are living aboard 24/7/12 then it's perhaps not the best place.
Did you, or anyone else who's been in this area ever go inland? Sampled the delights of the region. The colours are spectacular just how many greens and bronzes did M nature invent. The bird life is out of this world, within a short distance of this God forsaken place are the hills of Provence. Vineyards with wines that are sooo good. Okay will agree that the immediate area is not aweinspiring with the petrochemical works but the sailing to Frioul/Marseilles/Calanques & Porquerolles within a few hours is splendid.
It's all to easy to just cruise on by and see nothing of the countryside. One forumite stated that this area is dull, flat & very poor. Don't think that they ventured into the interior.
Luckily peoples attitudes are very different. 'Plus de change' as they say in French. Otherwise we'd be inundated. Have fun where you are and enjoy. We love the Camargue - you hated it!! here..... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
We love it, you hated it. Isn't this the way life is? Thank goodness we are all different. We couldn't dream of fetching up in Port Camargue. Concrete concrete & concrete! Good services though but if you are living aboard 24/7/12 then it's perhaps not the best place. Did you, or anyone else who's been in this area ever go inland? Sampled the delights of the region. The colours are spectacular just how many greens and bronzes did M nature invent. The bird life is out of this world, within a short distance of this God forsaken place are the hills of Provence. Vineyards with wines that are sooo good. Okay will agree that the immediate area is not aweinspiring with the petrochemical works but the sailing to Frioul/Marseilles/Calanques & Porquerolles within a few hours is splendid.
It's all to easy to just cruise on by and see nothing of the countryside. One forumite stated that this area is dull, flat & very poor. Don't think that they ventured into the interior.
Luckily peoples attitudes are very different. 'Plus de change' as they say in French. Otherwise we'd be inundated. Have fun where you are and enjoy. We love the Camargue - you hated it!! here..... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
MrCramp
Well-Known Member
Best place for info is the liveaboard forum where Port Napoleon often comes up.
Nick_Pam
Well-Known Member
As you say, each to his (or her) own....
I can't say I hated the place - just that we preferred somewhere else....We were in PC for over a year and fully agree, from many trips inland in our hire cars, that the interior is fabulous.
We were, as you say, living aboard on regular trips to the boat, rather than winter storage, and so PC had more attraction for us....PN was a bit depressing after 3 weeks listening to the same few people droning on in the club bar...the only one within 3 miles!
We're definitely Frankophiles though, even though we are currently in exile in Spain!!
Honi soit qui mal y pense....... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I can't say I hated the place - just that we preferred somewhere else....We were in PC for over a year and fully agree, from many trips inland in our hire cars, that the interior is fabulous.
We were, as you say, living aboard on regular trips to the boat, rather than winter storage, and so PC had more attraction for us....PN was a bit depressing after 3 weeks listening to the same few people droning on in the club bar...the only one within 3 miles!
We're definitely Frankophiles though, even though we are currently in exile in Spain!!
Honi soit qui mal y pense....... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
F37Stardust
New Member
Hi,
We know Port Napoleon is isolated and from Marseilles it is a picturesque drive through the refineries but what's it like for keeping a boat there when you are not using it? We are looking at Port Napoleon to base our motor cruiser at for 2009, when we go down to the boat we plan to put it in the water and go off to use it. Does anyone have experience of this? We boat in the UK at the moment what should we know?
We know Port Napoleon is isolated and from Marseilles it is a picturesque drive through the refineries but what's it like for keeping a boat there when you are not using it? We are looking at Port Napoleon to base our motor cruiser at for 2009, when we go down to the boat we plan to put it in the water and go off to use it. Does anyone have experience of this? We boat in the UK at the moment what should we know?
