The Mayenne in a licence-free boat

The pleasure begins at Chenillé Changé, even before you embark on your waterway cruise

If you’ve opt­ed for a water­way cruise to immerse your­self in the trea­sures of this region of rur­al France, you should plan to vis­it the town of Che­nil­lé Changé before embark­ing on your licence-free rental boat. You’ll be able to admire the water mill, which is still in oper­a­tion and will plunge you straight into the mag­i­cal water­way her­itage you’re about to explore dur­ing your cruise. The remains of the Château des Rues are anoth­er enchant­i­ng attrac­tion to behold, along with the Romanesque church of Saint Pierre, which dates back to the 11th cen­tu­ry and is well worth a vis­it in itself. It will then be time to head to our water­way base, from which you can embark on a mul­ti-faceted cruise. Whichev­er route you choose, you’ll have easy access to the region’s nature and her­itage, with many marked trails for you all to fol­low, whether on ATB bikes or on foot.

Navigate a soothing path where discoveries abound

Che­nil­lé Changé is the gate­way to a ver­i­ta­ble con­cen­tra­tion of all the attrac­tions of water­way tourism. There are 300 kilo­me­tres of water­ways to choose from. You may pre­fer the waters of the Mayenne or the wilder course of the Oudon, unless the sooth­ing and ele­gant Sarthe gets the upper hand. Going through the many locks makes for unfor­get­table cruis­ing mem­o­ries : here, every lock is unique and pro­vides an oppor­tu­ni­ty to share expe­ri­ences and dis­cov­er some­thing new. So, let your­self go ! Vis­it the local mar­kets along the way to pur­chase region­al spe­cial­i­ties to enjoy aboard your house­boat or stop off for a swim­ming break at one of the nau­ti­cal bases en route. You may also like to join the pop­u­lar tourist trail from time to time and vis­it the region’s must-see attrac­tions, whether in Laval or Angers, unless you pre­fer to keep your dis­tance and make the most of the unique coun­try­side envi­ron­ment off the beat­en track.