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Our waterway cruises Burgundy

Hire a licence free boat in Burgundy

With no less than 1,200 km of nav­i­ga­ble water­ways, Bur­gundy is undoubt­ed­ly the region of choice for riv­er tourism enthusiasts.

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Our favourite boats in Burgundy

Discover Burgundy by boat

Sud Nivernais — Loire Valley

Châtil­lon-en-Bazois is sit­u­at­ed at the tran­si­tion point between the Niver­nais and the Mor­van in a green set­ting that’s well worth dis­cov­er­ing. The Niver­nais canal flows through vil­lages, châteaux, val­leys, plains and hills, forests and rivers. Decize is sit­u­at­ed at the junc­tion of the Niver­nais canal and canal Latéral à la Loire, where var­i­ous water­ways come togeth­er. Roman­tic walks, gourmet stop­ping points and his­tor­i­cal walks await as you trav­el up the Loire towards Nev­ers and then the vine­yards of Sancerre.

South Burgundy

Digoin is a water­way nav­i­ga­tion hub, locat­ed at the heart of Charo­lais with its famous white cat­tle, as well as at the con­flu­ence of 3 canals. To the south, the Roanne-Digoin Canal, also called “the qui­et canal”, offers a shad­ed cir­cuit, invit­ing you to moor up in the wild nat­ur­al set­ting of Brion­nais, by the Loire, where the cat­tle are fat­tened. To the east, the Canal du Cen­tre flows from Loire en Saône, cut­ting through the val­ley of ceram­ics as it cross­es Paray-le-Moni­al, a fine exam­ple of Bur­gun­di­an Romanesque art. It then takes you through the Maranges and Côtes Châlon­nais­es wine­grow­ing areas. Towards the North West, the Canal Latéral à la Loire goes through Bour­bon­nais towards towns of art and his­to­ry such as Decize and Nevers.

Nivernais Morvan

Coulanges-sur-Yonne : your dream des­ti­na­tion at the gate­way to the Mor­van Region­al Nature Park. Take to the waters of the Niver­nais Canal, prob­a­bly the most beau­ti­ful canal in France. It con­nects the Loire basin to that of the Seine, run­ning through pro­tect­ed areas where the nat­ur­al envi­ron­ment is of incred­i­ble qual­i­ty. Steeped in his­to­ry and tra­di­tion, this canal, dat­ing back to the late 18th cen­tu­ry, will share with you its his­to­ry as a key wood trans­porta­tion route from Mor­van to the capital.

canal du midi

Must-see places for a successful stay

Frequently asked questions

As its name suggests, the Burgundy canal is located in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region. It begins at Migennes in the Yonne department (89), where it meets the Yonne river, and ends at Saint-Jean-de-Losne in the Côte-d'Or department (21), where it meets the Saône river. It passes through Dijon, the capital of the Dukes of Burgundy.
The Canal de Bourgogne is often used to refer to the many and varied canals of Burgundy: The Canal Latéral à la Loire, the Canal du Nivernais, the Canal du Centre, the Canal de Roanne à Digoin and the Canal de Bourgogne.
The Burgundy canal is a very popular choice for a holiday on a licence free houseboat. Burgundy's gastronomy and vineyards make it a favourite destination for gourmets and food lovers from France and abroad. The Burgundy Canal winds its way through the heart of the Burgundy countryside, where nature takes centre stage. Every kilometre and every village crossed is a marvel. Around Dijon, the landscape is more urbanised, but a stop at the Port du Canal in Dijon is a must if you want to discover the capital of the Dukes of Burgundy.
Les Canalous offers you different models of licence free houseboat to cruise on the Burgundy canal, for a weekend, a mini week, a week or more, with, for example, a 5-week tour of Burgundy by boat.
The nearest licence-free houseboat hire base to the Burgundy canal is in Pontailler-sur-Saône, in the Côte-d'Or department. A day's sailing will take you to Saint-Jean-de-Losne on the River Saône, where you can take the Canal de Bourgogne.
You can hire a licence free houseboat from Les Canalous with any experience. On the day of your arrival, we'll give you a course on how to steer and handle the boat, so you can enjoy your holiday with family or friends on the water.
The Canal du Nivernais is located in Burgundy, straddling the departments of Nièvre (58) and Yonne (89). It links the Loire at Decize to the Yonne at Auxerre.
The Canal du Nivernais has been dubbed ‘the most beautiful canal in Europe’. It passes through landscapes each more bucolic than the last, and is a paradise for nature lovers.
One of the must-sees on the Canal du Nivernais is certainly the Collancelle vaults, a navigable part of the Canal du Nivernais that is only accessible by boat.
The Canal du Nivernais has a rich history, which includes the floating of timber, cut from the forests of the Morvan and transported to the Paris region by water. Clamecy tells the story.
Les Canalous offers you a week's one-way trip between the boat hire base at Chatillon-en-Bazois and the base at Mailly-le-Château. This stretch of the Canal du Nivernais is not to be missed.
The Canal du Centre is located in Burgundy, in the department of Saône-et-Loire (71). It links the Saône at Chalon-sur-Saône to the Loire at Digoin. Its route crosses part of the Côte Chalonnaise, then the Charolais region, a breeding area par excellence.
The Briare canal crosses the departments of Loiret (45), in the Centre region, and Yonne (89) in Burgundy-Franche-Comté. It links the Loire at Briare to the Seine at Loing. It is one of the oldest canals in France, and the 1st to have been built with a shared reach.
The Briare canal bridge allows boats to cross the Loire on the Canal Latéral à la Loire. The Briare canal bridge was built between 1890 and 1896, notably by Gustave Eiffel's workshops for the masonry piers. Listed as a historic monument since 1976, the Briare canal bridge is the longest bridge-canal in France, and for a long time was the longest bridge-canal in the world, at 662 linear metres.
The Seille is a river that flows through the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions, in the departments of Saône-et-Loire, Jura and Ain. Only a small part of the Seille is navigable in the Bresse bourguignonne region of Saône-et-Loire, between the communes of Truchère, near Tournus, and Louhans.

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