Rent a licence-free boat in Belgium
Crisboat - Expert in river boat rental for over 20 years
Licence-free boat rental in Belgium. Discover the highlights of this river cruise
Do you like history, discovering new cultures and tasting local specialities? Belgium is the right destination for you! From Nieuwpoort, you can take a number of different routes to Bruges, Ypres or Tournai.
Cities and villages to discover during your cruise
Hiring a licence-free boat in Belgium
Navigation in Belgium without a licence-free boat is easy, the waters of Flanders are ideal for beginners! The locks are operated by lock keepers and closed on certain public holidays. Please note that you are strongly advised to moor only at the pontoons and not in the open air during your cruise.
You can start your licence-free boat cruise in Belgium in Nieuwpoort. Before leaving the departure base, you will receive a short one-hour training course to introduce you to the navigation of a licence-free boat and to familiarise you with the operation of the controls.
- History and heritage
- Close to the sea and beaches
- Beer tasting and tasty chocolates from Flanders
The locks are manned by lock keepers. They are closed on some bank holidays.
Navigation is not always easy in Belgium. This region is therefore not necessarily recommended for a first boating holiday.
***Navigation restrictions on Belgian waterways in 2026***
- Due to scheduled maintenance work at several locks, the following areas will not be accessible between 10 and 23 August 2026: Fintele, Diksmuide, Bruges, Ypres, Veurne and Ghent. From 24 August 2026, navigation between Bruges and Ghent will resume.
- Due to maintenance work at Fintele Lock, the Fintele area will not be accessible by boat between 24 August and 2 October 2026 : during that time, it will not be possible to complete the full loop via Diksmuide, Ypres and Veurne.
- Update from 30th July : the water levels at too low to navigate in direction of Dunkirk, Veurne or Diksmuide : navigation is only possible from Nieuwpoort to Oudenburg and possibly, subject to mooring availability, as far as the first bridge in Bruges;
- Furthermore, licence-free boats are only permitted to pass through the locks along the Nieuwpoort–Bruges route when commercial traffic is present. This can significantly increase the duration of the cruise.
We strongly recommend you only moor up at designated moorings at and not in the middle of the countryside.
The Belgian Canals - our suggested cruises
Nieuwpoort
round trip
Nieuwpoort
round trip
Nieuwpoort
round trip
Nieuwpoort
round trip
Nieuwpoort
round trip
Here is the list of possible cruises in Belgium
From €225 / pers
Week of the 4/16/27 to 4/23/27
- Max. people : 6
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 2
Two steering positions
220 V converter
Microwave
220V socket
Electric toilets
From €245 / pers
Week of the 4/24/27 to 5/1/27
- Max. people : 6
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 2
Two steering positions
220 V converter
Microwave
220V socket
Electric toilets
From €354 / pers
Week of the 4/7/27 to 4/14/27
- Max. people : 5
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 1
Two steering positions
Bow and Stern Thruster
Plancha
Continuous 220V electricity
Air cooler
Bimini Top
Flat-screen TV
Microwave
Electric toilets
From €300 / pers
Week of the 4/28/27 to 5/5/27
- Max. people : 6
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 2
Two steering positions
220 V converter
Microwave
220V socket
Electric toilets
From €183 / pers
Week of the 4/12/27 to 4/19/27
- Max. people : 10
- Cabins : 4
- Bathroom & Toilet : 3
Two steering positions
Bow thruster
220 V converter
Air cooler
Microwave
220V socket
Electric toilets
From €212 / pers
Week of the 4/9/27 to 4/16/27
- Max. people : 6
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 2
Two steering positions
220 V converter
Microwave
220V socket
Electric toilets
From €378 / pers
Week of the 4/12/27 to 4/19/27
- Max. people : 5
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 1
Two steering positions
Bow and Stern Thruster
Plancha
Continuous 220V electricity
Air cooler
Bimini Top
Flat-screen TV
Microwave
Electric toilets
From €222 / pers
Week of the 4/14/27 to 4/21/27
- Max. people : 6
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 2
Two steering positions
220 V converter
Microwave
220V socket
Electric toilets
From €420 / pers
Week of the 4/17/27 to 4/24/27
- Max. people : 5
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 1
Two steering positions
Bow and Stern Thruster
Plancha
Continuous 220V electricity
Air cooler
Bimini Top
Flat-screen TV
Microwave
Electric toilets
From €438 / pers
Week of the 4/21/27 to 4/28/27
- Max. people : 5
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 1
Two steering positions
Bow and Stern Thruster
Plancha
Continuous 220V electricity
Air cooler
Bimini Top
Flat-screen TV
Microwave
Electric toilets
From €450 / pers
Week of the 4/24/27 to 5/1/27
- Max. people : 5
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 1
Two steering positions
Bow and Stern Thruster
Plancha
Continuous 220V electricity
Air cooler
Bimini Top
Flat-screen TV
Microwave
Electric toilets
From €510 / pers
Week of the 4/26/27 to 5/3/27
- Max. people : 5
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 1
Two steering positions
Bow and Stern Thruster
Plancha
Continuous 220V electricity
Air cooler
Bimini Top
Flat-screen TV
Microwave
Electric toilets
From €356 / pers
Week of the 4/10/27 to 4/17/27
- Max. people : 5
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 1
Two steering positions
Bow and Stern Thruster
Plancha
Continuous 220V electricity
Air cooler
Bimini Top
Flat-screen TV
Microwave
Electric toilets
From €267 / pers
Week of the 4/28/27 to 5/5/27
- Max. people : 10
- Cabins : 4
- Bathroom & Toilet : 3
Two steering positions
Bow thruster
220 V converter
Air cooler
Microwave
220V socket
Electric toilets
Customer testimonials
4.5/5
(based on 21 ratings)
"Relaxing."
"We all loved the trip."
"We really enjoyed our stay."
"We had a great time as a family of six."
"A wonderful surprise! Everyone was very friendly, and cruising on the boat was extremely enjoyable."
"Relaxing."
"Relaxing."
"Very enjoyable, varied, and relaxing."
"Beautiful, diverse."
"It was very enjoyable, but a bit too intense for a first time, especially with a 6-year-old. In hindsight, we should have limited the daily cruising time to 3 hours, or 4 at most."
"Wonderful."
"Très agréable."
"Wonderful."
"It was our first trip. It was very exciting at first with the bridges and locks and the mooring manoeuvres. We really enjoyed the trip and life on the ship."
"Pleasant cruise, wonderful stopover towns except Dienz; lack of mooring along the canals."
"Great, we'll be back for sure."
"auto-translation :''Do it again and hope for good weather''"
"auto-translation :''Interesting''"
"auto-translation :''Very good experience that makes you want to start again''"
"auto-translation :''No possibility to moor the boat where you want while in France this possibility allows a berthing in nature.''"
Travelling with CrisBoat
Crisboat has more than 90% of the French fleet of self drive river boats. Entrust us with your desires and your availabilities and we will shape your holidays on the water. Located in the heart of the Vienne, Crisboat is the leader in self driver river boat rental in France. Discover our team, made up of 6 experts ready to take up the challenge to design the cruise that will meet your expectations.
Satisfaction: 4,5 / 5
Cris Boat Blog
What to see in Belgium during your river cruise
"Wonderful."