Fluvial map  There are some 8500 km/5000+ miles-waterways for pleasure sailing in France and thus France has the first river network in Europe.

You can find about 2000 hire boats, 1200 out of which belong to or are managed by 5 companies based in different places, and 60 local companies, managing approximately 800 boats.

A strong standardization of boats (barges or river launches) can be noticed now, evolving to more comfortable and spacious boats: some even have safes, a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. The increasing size of boats matches the wish of comfort and growing number of family or friend cruises.

If you have already seen a boat towing through a lock, you have become instantly aware that the waterways can offer a calm and serenity that no motorway will ever give you. Whether with family or friends, you may decide to go boating for wither a week or w week-end to discover the canals and rivers of France. Once you've made the decision on your "dream-boat", the one with the dimensions, the capacity and the comfort corresponding to your wishes, once you've chosen your departure base, and the waterway on which you wish to navigate, then you'll be free to enjoy yourself and make the most of your holiday.

Arriving at your departure base you will find your boat ready. The boat hirer will take you on board and familiarize you with the maneuvers. Piloting is almost a child's game and for most of the boats you do not require a license. The apprehension of the initial moments will blow over very quickly and you'll be able to steer your boat, simply by moving the control lever. In any case there are only two positions, forward and reverse or slow down. One you are sure of yourself, let your ropes go and finally start navigating. With your first lock over, you will realize that your journey is going to be a very pleasant one.

You'll soon discover that there are two types of "captains" in you: the adventurous, who let themselves go as their fancy takes them, stopping when it feels good, and there are those who have studied the map books and follow a well thought out itinerary. It's up to you to decide which one you will be, or maybe you will find a third way of going about things. In all events you'll find an inn at the next lock or you can cycle down the tow path.  Captain or passenger, you'll all find the same pleasure, wakening up each morning to a different place....

What distance can you cover? It is very difficult to determine the distance you can cover during a week, all depends upon the waterway you have chosen, the number of locks you have to pass.... and the stops you plan to make. As an indication you can consider reasonably doing 12 to 15 miles a day, giving you a weeks journey of approximately 85 to 105 miles a week.

Connoisseur Cruisers Ile de Sauzay - 70100 Gray
Tel +33 3 84 64 95 20 - Fax +33 3 84 65 26 54
12 bases for more than 300 boats.

Crown Blue Line Le Grand Bassin BP 21 11401
Castelnaudary Cedex Tel +33 4 68 23 17 51 - Fax +33 4 68 23 33 92
13 bases for more than 400 boats

Nicols Route du Puy Saint-Bonnet 49300 Cholet
Tel +33 2 41 56 46 56 - Fax +33 2 41 56 46 47 Nicols themselves own 7 bases in France and work with 10 independant hirers having Nicols boats.

Rives de France 255, rue Saint-Honoré 75001 Paris
Tel +33 1 42 96 00 06 - Fax +33 1 42 61 12 13
(4 bases in France)

Burgundy
Port de Plaisance 89600 Saint-Florentin
Tel +33 3 86 43 44 00 - Fax +33 3 86 43 48 56
Bourgogne canal, Nivernais, Yonne canal

Alsace
Port de Plaisance 57810 Lagarde Tel +33 3 87 86 65 01 - Fax +33 3 87 86 64 13
Marne canal th Rhin, Houillères de la Sarre canal

Franche-Comté
Port de Plaisance 70360 Sucey-sur-Saône
Tel +33 3 84 92 74 03 - Fax +33 3 84 92 74 11 Saône, Doubs

South
Port de Plaisance 34440 Colombiers Tel +33 4 67 37 14 60 - Fax +33 4 67 37 60 03
Camargue, Midi canal

In Burgundy
Connoisseur Cruisers de Branges Port de Plaisance - 71500 Branges
Tel +33 3 85 74 92 33 - Fax +33 3 85 75 37 42
Connoisseur Cruisers de Chatel-Censoir Base nautique 89660 Chatel-Censoir
Connoisseur Cruisers de Laroche-Migennes 17, rue Pierre Curie 89400 Migenne
Tel +33 3 86 80 08 60 - Fax +33 3 86 80 45 35
Connoisseur Cruisers de Montchanin  Bois Bretoux 71210 Montchanin
Tel +33 3 85 78 53 20 - Fax +33 3 85 78 18 84
Connoisseur Cruisers de Plombières-les-Dijon
Port de Plaisance - Plombières-les-Dijon
Tel +33 3 80 45 31 03 - Fax +33 3 80 45 86 76

In Franche-Comte
Connoisseur Cruiser de Gray  Halte nautique. Ile de Sauzay 70100 Gray
Tel +33 3 84 64 95 20 - Fax +33 3 84 65 26 54

In the Centre
Connoisseur Cruisers de Gannay-sur-Loire Les Vanneaus 03230 Gannay-sur-Loire
Tel +33 4 70 43 49 27 - Fax +33 4 70 43 49 10

In the East
Connoisseur Cruisers de Toul Rue de Champagne 54200 Toul
Tel +33 3 83 64 61 07 - Fax +33 3 83 64 46 23

In the South
Connoisseur Cruisers de Beaucaire 14, quai de la Paix 30300 Beaucaire
Tel +33 4 66 59 46 08 - Fax +33 4 66 59 27 19

Connoisseur Cruisers de Narbonne Halte nautique 7, quai d'Alsace 11000 Narbonne
Tel +33 4 68 65 14 55 - Fax +33 4 68 90 66 72
Connoisseur Cruisers de Trèbes Port de Plaisance 11800 Trèbes
Tel +33 4 68 78 73 75 - Fax +33 4 68 78 92 79

Alsace-Lorraine
Crown Blue Line : departure base Hesse. Port du Canal 57400 Hesse
Tel +33 3 87 03 61 74 - Fax +33 3 87 23 86 68
Starting in Hesse, return cruises on the Marne canal to Rhin, Houillères de la Sarre canal, East canal. Single cruise on the Marne canal to Rhin and Rhône canal to a
base situated in Boofzheim.

Burgundy-Franche-Comte :
Crown Blue Line 2 bases : St Jean de Losne - La Gare d'Eau 21170 St Jean de Losne
Tel +33 3 80 29 12 86 - Fax +33 3 80 29 25 03

Fontenoy-le-Château Port du Canal Tel +33 3 29 30 43 98 - Fax +33 3 29 30 41 67
Starting at St-Jean de Losne, cruises on the Bourgogne canal, the Saône, Centre canal, the Seille and Rhône canal to Rhin. Single cruise on the Saône and East canal to Fontenoy-le-Château. Starting at Fontenoy-le-Château, cruises on the south part of the East canal and the Petite-Saône.

Loire-Nivernais  Crown Blue Line 2 main bases :Marseilles-les-Aubigny L'Equerre 18320 Marseilles-les-Aubigny Tel +33 2 48 76 48 01 - Fax +33 2 48 76 15 56

Decize Bassin de la Jonction 58300 Decize
Tel +33 3 86 25 46 64 - Fax +33 3 86 25 29 66
Cruises on the Loire side canal , Nivernais canal, Center canal, Roanne canal to Digoin. Several single cruises between the main base and the bases of Tanny and Briennon.

Brittany
Crown Blue Line : departure base : Messac Port de Plaisance 35480 Messac
Tel +33 2 99 34 60 11 - Fax +33 3 99 34 25 27 Starting at Messac, cruises on the
Nantes canal to Brest, the Vilaine, the Erdre, the Blavet. Single cruise to Dinan on the Vilaine and Ille and Rance canal.

Charente
Crown Blue Line : departure base : Jarnac rue du port Gros Jean 16200 Jarnac
Tel +33 5 45 36 59 98 - Fax +33 5 45 36 20 69 Cruises on the Charente

Aquitaine
Crown Blue Line departure base :  Mas d'Agenais - 44 l'Ecluse 47430 Le Mas d'Agenais Tel +33 5 53 89 50 80 - Fax +33 5 53 89 51 13
Cruises on the side canal, Baise, Tarn and Midi canal. Single cruise to Castelnaudary.

Lot
Crown Blue Line departure base : Douelle Le Moulinat 46140 Douelle
Tel +33 5 65 20 08 79 - Fax +33 5 65 30 97 96 Cruises on the Lot

South
Crown Blue Line 2 bases :Castelnaudary Le Grand Bassin 11401 Castelanudary
Tel +33 4 68 23 17 51 - Fax +33 4 68 23 33 92

Port-Cassafières Portiragnes 34420 Portiragnes
Tel +33 4 67 90 91 70 - Fax +33 4 67 90 96 86 Cruises on the Midi canal, Rhône canal to Sète, Robine canal. Single cruise between the two bases

Camargue
Crown Blue Line departure base : St-Gilles 2, quai du Canal 30800 St-Gilles
Tel +33 4 66 87 22 66 - Fax +33 4 66 87 15 20 Trip on the Rhône canal to Sète, Thau
pond, the Petit-Rhône. Single cruise between St-Gilles and Port Cassafières.

Burgundy-Nivernais
Joigny Port au Bois BP 150 89303 Joigny cedex
Tel +33 3 86 91 72 72 - Fax +33 3 86 62 42 41

Yonne-Nivernais canal-Bourgogne canal
Chitry-les-Mines (relay) C/O Marine Diesel Le port - 58800 Crobigny
Tel +33 3 86 91 72 72 - Fax +33 3 86 62 42 41

Nivernais canal
Pont-Royal (relay) Clamerey 21390 Précy-sous-Thil
Tel +33 3 80 41 74 30 - Fax +33 3 80 43 17 91

Burgundy canal
Dijon 14, av. Jean Jaurès Tel +33 3 80 41 74 30 - Fax +33 3 80 43 17 91
Bourgogne canal, Saône, Seille, Rhône canal to Rhin

Franche-Comté
Corre Le Port 70500 Corre Tel +33 3 84 92 59 66 - Fax +33 3 84 92 58 93
Saône-East canal

South-Burgundy
Dompierre s/Besbre Le port 03290 Dompierre Tel/Fax +33 4 70 34 69 69
Loire side canal, Center canal, Nivernais canal

Lorraine-Alsace
Lutzelbourg Le Port 57820 Lutzelbourg Tel +33 3 87 25 37 07 - Fax +33 3 87 25 43 08
Marne canal to Rhin, Houllières de la Sarre canal

Somme-Picardie
Cappy Chemin du Port 80340 Cappy Tel/Fax +33 3 22 76 12 12

Camargue
Aigues-Mortes Port de Plaisance 30220 Aigues-Mortes
Tel +33 4 66 53 94 50 - Fax +33 4 66 53 85 87 Rhône canal to Sète, petit Rhône, Thau bassin, Midi canal

South
Argens Port Occitanie 11200 Argens Minervois
Tel +33 4 68 27 03 33 - Fax +33 4 68 27 27 18
Midi canal, Robine canal Negra Ecluse de Négra 31450 Montesquieu du L. -
Tel +33 5 61 81 36 40 - Fax +33 5 61 51 36 43

Midi canal, Garonne side canal Lot-et-Garonne

Agen Port de la Gare du Pin 47000 Agen
Tel +33 5 53 66 00 74 - Fax +33 5 53 68 26 23 Garonne side canal, Baïse

Lot
Luzech Le Port 46140 Luzech Tel +33 5 65 30 71 11 - Fax +33 5 65 20 13 52
Nicols themselves Rohan in Bretagne
- Nantes canal to Brest, the Vilaine, the Blavet Sireuil in Charente
- the Charente Narbonne le Midi
- Midi canal, Rhône canal to Sète Pont d'Ouche Bourgogne
- Bourgogne canal Dôle in Franche-Comté
- Rhône canal to Rhin (the Doubs), the Saône Montbeliard Le Doubs
- Rhône canal to Rhin (the Doubs) Saverne in Alsace
- Marne canal to Rhin

Nicols network bases Suce-sur-Erdre in Bretagne
- The Erdre and Nantes canal to Brest, the Vilaine Grez-Neuville in Anjou
- the Mayenne and Oudon Sable-sur-Sarthe in Anjou
- the Sarthe Sireuil in Charente
- the Charente Buzet-sur-Baïse in Aquitaine
- the Baïse and Garonne side canal Bouzies in Lot
- the Lot Carnon in Camargue
- Rhône canal to Sète La Truchère in Bourgogne
- the Saône and Seille Nevers-Plagny le Nivernais
- Loire side canal, Nivernais canal Montbouy in Loiret
- Loing canal, Briare canal, Loire side canal

Cruises on the Marne, Marne side canal , Aisne canal to the Marne Crown Blue Line : departure base :
Château-Thierry - 2, avenue d'Essonnes 02400 Château-Thierry
Tel +33 3 23 69 42 00 - Fax +33 3 23 69 41 99

Canaux de France Plaisance BP 8 34280 La Grande Motte
Tel +33 4 67 29 58 32 - Fax +33 4 67 29 48 90 markets :

Anjou Navigation (Pays de Loire)
Saintonges rivières (Charente and Midi canal)
Vincelles Nautique (Bourgogne)
Camargue Plaisance (Languedoc)
Aquitaine Navigation
Babou Marine (Lot)
Charmes Nautiques (Centre-Bourgogne)
Aquavac Plaisance (Alsace)

France Passion Plaisance BP 89 71602 Paray-le-Monial cedex
Tel +33 3 85 81 60 51 - Fax +33 3 85 81 27 92 sells :

Marne Loisirs (Ille de France)
Canal Evasion (Alsace)
Cap Rivière (Bretagne-Pays de la Loire)
Charente Croisières (Charente)
Les Canalous (Centre-Bourgogne)
Babou Marine (Lot)
Bateaux Safaraid (Lot)
Nautic (Languedoc)
Sunshine Cruise Line (Languedoc)
Pastel rivières (Midi)