Rent a boat to navigate on the Canal Latéral à la Loire
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Boat rental on the Canal Latéral à la Loire. Discover the highlights of this river cruise between Briare and Digoin
From Decize, many routes are available to you. You can leave for Auxerre to navigate in the heart of nature, for Chalon-Sur-Saône to navigate on the Canal du Centre, or for Briare for a river cruise in the heart of Burgundy. It is in this direction that we propose to take you.
Let's go for 196 km of waterways. In this navigation area you have 6 departure bases: Briare, Châtillon-Sur-Loire, Plagny, Decize, Dompierre-Sur-Besbre and Digoin. You will find a towpath all along your route so don't forget your bikes to enjoy it!
Cities and villages to discover during your cruise
See the current offers
Navigation conditions for hiring a boat without a licence on the Canal Latéral à la Loire
The Canal Latéral à la Loire was created in the 19th century to facilitate navigation because the Loire is a wild river, where navigation was uncertain due to floods and droughts. The Canal Latéral à la Loire is calm and offers a pleasant and easy navigation by boat without a licence, allowing you to enjoy the landscape and the nature. On this canal there are a total of 37 automatic locks and 26 harbours offering numerous mooring points. Did you know that boats without a licence have a maximum electricity autonomy of about 2 days? It is advisable to connect to the quay regularly and to navigate every day to allow the batteries to recharge.
We offer several bases to start your houseboat cruise: Rogny, Briare, Châtillon-Sur-Loire, Plagny, Decize, Dompierre-Sur-Besbre and Digoin. Please note that all our boat cruises depart in the afternoon and before leaving, you will receive a short 1 hour training session to familiarise you with your boat and its manoeuvres.
The locks are automatic or electric and most are manned by lock keepers, except on the Canal du Nivernais and the Canal du Centre where some are manual. The locks are closed the 1st of May, the 14th of July and the 1rst of November.
During the season locks are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and are closed for lunch between 12:00-13:00 (1:00 p.m.).
Navigation on the Canal du Nivernais is currently suspended at Cercy la Tour (south of the Canal du Nivernais) until 15 June 2024 due to major maintenance work on a dam. As a result, if you are departing from Decize or Plagny, you can currently only cruise on the Canal Latéral à la Loire, and one-way cruises between Decize and Tannay or between Digoin and Châtillon en Bazois will only be possible for a departure after June 15th.
On the Canal du Nivernais, there is a ladder of 16 consecutive locks: l'échelle de Sardy.
Between Saint Jean de Losne and Mâcon, you must only stop at designated moorings, elsewhere you can moor anywhere along the banks in the heart of the countryside.
Possible cruises in The Canal Latéral à la Loire.
Briare
round trip
Plagny
round trip
Decize
round trip
Briare
round trip
Dompierre
round trip
Briare
round trip
Decize
round trip
Dompierre
round trip
Plagny
round trip
Briare
round trip
Briare
round trip
Briare
Chatillon en Bazois
Corbigny
Dompierre
Chatillon en Bazois
Digoin
Gastronomy
Swimming
River constructions
Monument
Chatillon en Bazois
round trip
Briare
Dompierre
Dompierre
round trip
Decize
round trip
Briare
round trip
Digoin
round trip
Gastronomy
Swimming
River constructions
Monument
Dompierre
Corbigny
Chatillon en Bazois
Briare
Dompierre
Briare
Plagny
round trip
Digoin
Chatillon en Bazois
Gastronomy
Swimming
River constructions
Monument
Briare
Digoin
Gastronomy
Swimming
Monument
River constructions
Vineyard
Digoin
Briare
Gastronomy
Swimming
Monument
River constructions
Vineyard
Plagny
round trip
Dompierre
round trip
Briare
round trip
Chatillon en Bazois
round trip
Gastronomy
Swimming
River constructions
Monument
Also to be discovered
Here is the list of possible cruises on the Canal Latéral à la Loire
From €424 / pers
Week of the 5/4/24 to 5/11/24
- Max. people : 7
- Cabins : 3
- Bathroom & Toilet : 3
Dual cockpit
Bow thruster
Continuous 220V electricity
Electric toilets
Bimini
From €477 / pers
Week of the 5/4/24 to 5/11/24
- Max. people : 6
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 2
Bow and Stern Thruster
Electric toilets
220 v socket
Bimini
Customer testimonials
4.6/5
(based on 58 opinion)
"In 3 days, you don't navigate very far, but the main aim was to stroll along the canal, no matter how far we went."
"auto-translation :''Great, do it again''"
"Pleasant, bucolic area."
"Peace and quiet; pleasant restaurants."
"Wonderful."
"An interesting and relaxing cruise."
"It will remain a good memory, especially as the weather was great."
"Very comfortable, we'll probably prefer a busier canal next time."
"A good cruise with a variety of locks, good navigation time and interesting sightseeing spots."
"Very relaxing."
"A week to relax and enjoy life."
"We enjoyed it very much."
"Calm and relaxing."
"A timeless experience."
"A real pleasure to share with my daughter, her husband and my two grandchildren. It was their first river cruise."
"Very pleasant discovery of the Nivernais. Very friendly contact with the people who live around the canal."
"auto-translation :''Great!''"
"auto-translation :''pleasant and relaxing''"
"auto-translation :''Peace and quiet - Ideal for family reunions''"
"auto-translation :''Calm, serenity, a change of scenery''"
"auto-translation :''Excellent experience with 2 children of 10 years old''"
"auto-translation :''Pretty landscapes, few tourist attractions: visit, terroir''"
"Calme et reposant, mais paysages assez ordinaires"
"auto-translation :''Satisfied, it corresponded to our expectations''"
"auto-translation :''What happiness !!!''"
"Beautiful countryside’ lovely and quiet! Lovely places to moor up!"
"auto-translation :''Interestingly quiet relaxing, the canal bridge of the guetin to make beautiful experience''"
"auto-translation :''Very Godd''"
"auto-translation :''Cruise a bit long which leaves little time for cycling and discovery over 7 days''"
"auto-translation :''Nice cruise''"
"auto-translation :''We appreciated''"
"auto-translation :''No stress, relaxing. Site visit that we would not have done otherwise''"
"auto-translation :''Superb cruise on the Canal Lateral to the Loire''"
"auto-translation :''Great, lockers very nice and good atmosphere''"
"auto-translation :''Very pleasant''"
"auto-translation :''Very nice to live along the water''"
"Excellent - everything I imagined it would be."
"auto-translation :''Ideally well sized''"
"auto-translation :''Beautiful landscapes very calm lockers very welcoming''"
"auto-translation :''Very beautiful river cruise despite the heat''"
"auto-translation :''Very good family time; The good weather is nevertheless essential for the success of this type of stay ..''"
"auto-translation :''Great experience that we will renew''"
"auto-translation :''To redo''"
"We want to buy a boat, loved it."
"auto-translation :''Nice cruise on the Lateral Canal to the Loire''"
"auto-translation :''relaxing cruise''"
"auto-translation :''Super relaxing''"
"auto-translation :''Quiet and nice Weekend on the Canal Lateral à la Loire''"
"auto-translation :"Great discovery, corresponded to our expectations""
"auto-translation :"River cruise nice and relaxing especially with the 4 sunny days""
"auto-translation :"Beautiful river cruise on the Canal de Briare""
"auto-translation :"Very nice cruise on a houseboat""
"auto-translation :"No luck, rotten weather . We 're not out of the boat, so Belote and drink, it was very nice , pleasant boat on that side : living area , dining room and great as everyone 's toilet is appreciated ..""
"auto-translation :"Satisfied with our cruise choices""
"auto-translation :"Location really wild , no nearby ports , very few shops. Warning locks are closed July 14 on the Canal du Nivernais""
"auto-translation :"Pleasant landscapes , but too few supply opportunities""
"auto-translation :"Very good, very pleasant cruising""
Travelling with Cris Boat
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
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"Magnificent canal, impressive Briare canal bridge, very friendly lock-keepers."