Péniche are motorized historic barges that once ferried wine and other goods up the Rhône River. Both these boats are permanently moored near the drawbridge that Van Gogh painted in the 1880s, a sleepy 1.6km (1 mile) walk along a leafy canal away from the center of Arles. Péniche Risico (www.peniche-risico.com; tel. 06-03-31-81-18) was built in Holland in 1911 and is kitted out with funky private bathrooms and a wooden communal sunbathing deck. Double rooms overlook the rippling water and cost just 80€ per night including breakfast. Italian-owned Péniche Saint Louis (http://penichearles.jimdo.com; tel. 06-19-11-81-69) was built in Germany in 1931. The boat’s solitary double room has large glazed windows that peer over the waterway, plus a private bathroom.