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5 minutes to book. Best day of our entire trip. Everything felt effortless from pickup to sunset.
Destination guide
France — at a glance
1,231 boats are available to book across 68 departure bases. The largest are Portiragnes (78), Hesse (69), Saint-Jean-de-Losne (66). The fleet is 827 motor boats, 196 houseboats, 106 catamarans and trimarans, 97 sailing boats. Weekly prices start from €179 for a motor boat; every price on this page is the boat’s own listed rate for 7 nights, before extras.
When to go
Two seasons for two different fleets. The canals and rivers open from late March to the end of October, since locks and rental bases close over winter; May, June and September are the months with mild weather, working locks without queues and lower rates, while July and August are booked well ahead on the Canal du Midi and in Burgundy. On the Mediterranean the Côte d'Azur is a June and September coast: warm sea, space in the harbours and the same boat materially cheaper than in July and August. Avoid the event weeks, when berths are unobtainable: the Cannes film festival in May, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Cannes and Monaco yacht shows in September. Corsica sails from May to October; the mistral can blow for days on its west coast and in the Strait of Bonifacio in spring and autumn. Brittany and the Atlantic are a May to September season with tides and cooler water.
Where to sail in France
Boat rental on the Canal du Midi and in Languedoc
The largest fleet in France is here, and no licence is needed for any of it. Portiragnes near Béziers, Castelnaudary, Homps, Argens-Minervois, Le Somail and Trèbes are the bases for the Canal du Midi, a UNESCO site since 1996: plane-tree avenues, the Fonseranes lock staircase, Carcassonne, and vineyards from Toulouse to the Étang de Thau. Lattes, at Montpellier, joins the Canal du Rhône à Sète and the Camargue. A week covers Castelnaudary to Béziers one way, or a return from any base.
Boats leave from Portiragnes 78 Castelnaudary 54 Homps 36 Argens-Minervois 30 Le Somail 26 Trèbes 19 Lattes 23 Saint Gilles 37
Canal boat hire in Burgundy, the Nivernais and Alsace-Lorraine
Saint-Jean-de-Losne on the Saône is the hub of the Burgundy canals, with Migennes and Joigny on the Yonne, Decize and Dompierre-sur-Besbre on the Canal du Nivernais and the Loire lateral canal, Branges, Dole and Scey-sur-Saône on the quieter Saône and Doubs. Hesse, Saverne and Lutzelbourg in Alsace-Lorraine sit on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin, with the Arzviller inclined plane lifting boats forty-four metres in one go.
Boats leave from Saint-Jean-de-Losne 66 Hesse 69 Migennes 31 Decize 32 Saverne 30 Joigny 23 Lutzelbourg 23 Dole 18 Branges 16 Scey-sur-Saone-et-Saint-Albin 18 Dompierre-sur-Besbre 16
River cruising in Brittany, Anjou and the south-west
Messac and Glénac are on the Vilaine and the Nantes-Brest canal, Grez-Neuville and Sablé-sur-Sarthe on the Mayenne and the Sarthe towards the Loire châteaux. Further south, Douelle and Cahors are on the Lot, Buzet-sur-Baïse on the Baïse and the Canal de Garonne, and Jarnac on the Charente through cognac country. Arzon, on the Gulf of Morbihan, and Saint-Quay-Portrieux are the sea-going Breton bases: tides, islands and real navigation for experienced crews.
Boats leave from Arzon 41 Sablé-sur-Sarthe 31 Messac 27 Grez-Neuville 23 Douelle 30 Jarnac 24 Saint-Quay-Portrieux 18 Buzet-sur-Baïse 15 Glénac 11 Cahors 15
Yacht charter on the Côte d'Azur and in Corsica
Cogolin and Grimaud, on the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, are the sailing bases for the Riviera: the Îles d'Hyères and Porquerolles to the west, Cannes, Antibes and the Îles de Lérins to the east, Monaco a long day. Bandol and Bormes-les-Mimosas cover Toulon and the Hyères islands, Golfe-Juan and Cannes the day-charter market. Ajaccio and Bonifacio in Corsica open the Scandola reserve, the Lavezzi islands and Sardinia two hours across the strait.
Boats leave from Cogolin 21 Grimaud 20 Ajaccio 16 Bonifacio 9 Cannes 5 Antibes 1 Bandol 1 Bormes-les-Mimosas 12 Golfe Juan 1
A week on the water in France
Day-by-day routes from the bases below, with the distances between stops. Each opens the full week on the base page.
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A week from Castelnaudary, Homps or Argens-Minervois 120 boats
Trèbes · Le Somail · Capestang · Béziers · Portiragnes or Agde
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A week from Portiragnes 78 boats
Béziers · Capestang · Le Somail · Homps
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A week from Saint Gilles 37 boats
Gallician · Aigues-Mortes · Le Grau-du-Roi · Palavas · Frontignan or Sète
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A week from Le Somail 26 boats
Narbonne · Capestang · Béziers · Homps
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A week from Lattes 23 boats
Palavas-les-Flots · Aigues-Mortes · Gallician · Frontignan · Sète or Marseillan
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A week from Hesse 69 boats
Niderviller · Lutzelbourg · Saverne · Hochfelden or Brumath · Strasbourg
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A week from Saint-Jean-de-Losne 66 boats
Seurre · Verdun-sur-le-Doubs · Chalon-sur-Saône · Tournus · Chalon
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A week from Decize 32 boats
Cercy-la-Tour · Châtillon-en-Bazois · Baye · Sardy
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A week from Migennes 31 boats
Brienon · Saint-Florentin · Tonnerre · Ancy-le-Franc
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A week from Saverne 30 boats
Lutzelbourg · Niderviller · Hesse / Sarrebourg · Hochfelden
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A week from Joigny 23 boats
Migennes · Auxerre · Vincelles / Cravant · Villeneuve-sur-Yonne
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A week from Lutzelbourg 23 boats
Niderviller · Xouaxange · Gondrexange lake · Saverne
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A week from Arzon 41 boats
Île aux Moines, Gulf of Morbihan · Vannes · Houat · Belle-Île, Le Palais or Sauzon · Hoëdic · La Trinité-sur-Mer
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A week from Sablé-sur-Sarthe 31 boats
Solesmes · Malicorne · Le Mans · Châteauneuf-sur-Sarthe
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A week from Douelle 30 boats
Cahors · Vers / Saint-Géry · Bouziès / Saint-Cirq-Lapopie · Luzech
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A week from Messac 27 boats
Le Boël / Pont-Réan · Redon · La Roche-Bernard · Malestroit
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A week from Jarnac 24 boats
Cognac · Saintes · Port d’Envaux / Taillebourg · Châteauneuf-sur-Charente
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A week from Grez-Neuville 23 boats
Chenillé-Changé · Château-Gontier · Laval · Angers
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A week from Saint-Quay-Portrieux 18 boats
Paimpol or Bréhat · Lézardrieux, Trieux river · Tréguier · Perros-Guirec · Bréhat · Binic
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A week from Cogolin 21 boats
Saint-Tropez / Pampelonne · Cavalaire / Le Lavandou · Port-Cros · Porquerolles · Île du Levant / Cavalaire · Sainte-Maxime
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A week from Grimaud 20 boats
Saint-Tropez / Pampelonne · Le Lavandou · Port-Cros · Porquerolles · Cavalaire · Sainte-Maxime
Bareboat, skippered or crewed
Canal and river hire boats in France are steered without any licence: the law exempts hire boats up to 15 metres with limited engine power, the base gives a briefing and a short handling lesson, and the lock keepers do the rest. That is four boats in five on this page. At sea, France recognises most national skipper licences and the ICC for bareboat charter, and a motorboat up to 6 hp (4.5 kW) can be hired without one. On the Riviera the majority of weekly charters are skippered or crewed, with crew, fuel and provisioning added to the base price; skippered sailing is the norm for Corsica and Porquerolles, and day charters run from Cannes, Antibes and Saint-Tropez all summer.
Types of boats in France
Canal cruisers and houseboats are the French fleet on Adriavela: steel and GRP river boats for two to twelve people with a kitchen, cabins and a sun deck, moored at the bank at night. At sea, catamarans and sailing yachts are based on the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and in Corsica, motor boats and RIBs in the day-charter ports of the Riviera and on the Breton coast.
- 827 motor boats from €179 per week
- 196 houseboats from €795 per week
- 106 catamarans and trimarans from €1,490 per week
- 97 sailing boats from €899 per week
- 5 motor yachts from €23,999 per week
Ports and marinas in France
- Portiragnes 78 boats
- Hesse 69 boats
- Saint-Jean-de-Losne 66 boats
- Castelnaudary 54 boats
- Arzon 41 boats
- Saint Gilles 37 boats
- Homps 36 boats
- Decize 32 boats
- Migennes 31 boats
- Sablé-sur-Sarthe 31 boats
- Argens-Minervois 30 boats
- Douelle 30 boats
- Saverne 30 boats
- Messac 27 boats
- Le Somail 26 boats
- Jarnac 24 boats
- Grez-Neuville 23 boats
- Joigny 23 boats
- Lattes 23 boats
- Lutzelbourg 23 boats
- Cogolin 21 boats
- Grimaud 20 boats
- Le Mas d´Agenais 19 boats
- Trèbes 19 boats
- Dole 18 boats
- Saint-Quay-Portrieux 18 boats
- Scey-sur-Saone-et-Saint-Albin 18 boats
- Avignonet-Lauragais 17 boats
- Ajaccio 16 boats
- Branges 16 boats
- Dompierre-sur-Besbre 16 boats
- Bellegarde 15 boats
- Buzet-sur-Baïse 15 boats
- Cahors 15 boats
- Hyeres 15 boats
- Saint-Leger-sur-Dheune 15 boats
- Sireuil 14 boats
- Bram 13 boats
- Corbigny 13 boats
- Bormes-les-Mimosas 12 boats
- Saint-Martin-sur-Oust 12 boats
- Savoyeux 12 boats
- Sermoise-sur-Loire 12 boats
- Glénac 11 boats
- Propriano 11 boats
- Port-sur-Saône 10 boats
- Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer 10 boats
- Bonifacio 9 boats
- La Rochelle 9 boats
- La Trinité-sur-Mer 9 boats
- Saintes 9 boats
- Negra 8 boats
- Sucé-sur-Erdre 8 boats
- Mittersheim 6 boats
- Pont a Bar 6 boats
- Cannes 5 boats
- Niderviller 5 boats
- Saint-Didier 5 boats
- Marseille 3 boats
- Pianottoli-Caldarello 2 boats
- Porto Vecchio 2 boats
- Sete 2 boats
- Antibes 1 boat
- Bandol 1 boat
- Golfe Juan 1 boat
- Menton 1 boat
- Plèneuf-Val-Andrè 1 boat
- Saint Tropez 1 boat
France · prices
What a charter in France actually costs
Adriavela lists 1,231 boats in France, spread across 68 departure bases. What separates one price from another is the type of boat, its size, and the base it leaves from — not the month you go.
The average week is €2,870 and the cheapest boat on the list is €179. Figures are list prices for a 7-night bareboat charter, refreshed nightly; the exact total for your dates is confirmed on the boat’s own page before you book.
| Boat type | Boats | Guests | From | Average | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motor boat 5.5–15 m · 3 cabins · built 2007 | Boats827 | Guests2–12 | From€179 | Average€2,024 | |
| Houseboat 9.3–14.9 m · 2 cabins · built 2003 | Boats196 | Guests3–12 | From€795 | Average€1,908 | |
| Catamaran & trimaran 9.9–23.3 m · 4 cabins · built 2023 | Boats106 | Guests2–12 | From€1,490 | Average€6,890 | |
| Sailing boat 7.6–15.3 m · 3 cabins · built 2018 | Boats97 | Guests4–12 | From€899 | Average€2,225 | |
| Motor yacht 19.9–32.7 m · 3 cabins · built 2006 | Boats5 | Guests6–10 | From€23,999 | Average€41,950 |
| Charter length | Available for a trip type | Share of fleet |
|---|---|---|
| One day | Available for a trip type 608 | Share of fleet49% |
| Two days | Available for a trip type 826 | Share of fleet67% |
| Three days | Available for a trip type 829 | Share of fleet67% |
| Four days | Available for a trip type 847 | Share of fleet69% |
| One week | Available for a trip type 1,231 | Share of fleet100% |
Short charters are priced per boat and date rather than by the week, so no range is quoted here. Pick your days on a boat’s page and the rate comes back live.
| Budget / week | Boats | Sleeps | Typical size | Mostly | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under €1,500 | Boats160 25% | Sleeps6 | Typical size9 m | Mostly94 motor boats, 40 houseboats, 25 sailing boats | |
| €1,500 – €3,000 | Boats361 57% | Sleeps7 | Typical size12 m | Mostly156 motor boats, 144 houseboats, 47 sailing boats | |
| €3,000 – €6,000 | Boats88 14% | Sleeps8 | Typical size13 m | Mostly42 catamaran & trimarans, 19 motor boats, 15 sailing boats | |
| €6,000 – €12,000 | Boats15 2% | Sleeps10 | Typical size14 m | Mostly14 catamaran & trimarans, 1 sailing boat | |
| Over €12,000 | Boats13 2% | Sleeps8 | Typical size18 m | Mostly8 catamaran & trimarans, 4 motor yachts, 1 motor boat |
| Departure base | Boats | From | Average | Mostly | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portiragnes | Boats78 | From— | Average— | Mostly78 motor boats | |
| Hesse | Boats69 | From— | Average— | Mostly69 motor boats | |
| Saint-Jean-de-Losne | Boats66 | From— | Average— | Mostly66 motor boats | |
| Castelnaudary | Boats54 | From— | Average— | Mostly54 motor boats | |
| Arzon | Boats41 | From€899 | Average€1,576 | Mostly39 sailing boats, 2 catamaran & trimarans | |
| Saint Gilles | Boats37 | From— | Average— | Mostly37 motor boats | |
| Homps | Boats36 | From— | Average— | Mostly36 motor boats | |
| Decize | Boats32 | From— | Average— | Mostly32 motor boats |
Do I need a licence to charter a boat in France?
Canal and river hire boats in France are steered without any licence: the law exempts hire boats up to 15 metres with limited engine power, the base gives a briefing and a short handling lesson, and the lock keepers do the rest. That is four boats in five on this page. At sea, France recognises most national skipper licences and the ICC for bareboat charter, and a motorboat up to 6 hp (4.5 kW) can be hired without one.
When is the best time to sail in France?
Two seasons for two different fleets. The canals and rivers open from late March to the end of October, since locks and rental bases close over winter; May, June and September are the months with mild weather, working locks without queues and lower rates, while July and August are booked well ahead on the Canal du Midi and in Burgundy. On the Mediterranean the Côte d'Azur is a June and September coast: warm sea, space in the harbours and the same boat materially cheaper than in July and August.
Where can I sail in France?
4 sailing areas: Canal du Midi and Languedoc (from Portiragnes, Castelnaudary, Homps); Burgundy, the Nivernais and Alsace-Lorraine (from Saint-Jean-de-Losne, Hesse, Migennes); Brittany, Anjou and the south-west (from Arzon, Sablé-sur-Sarthe, Messac); Côte d'Azur and Corsica (from Cogolin, Grimaud, Ajaccio). Each has its own bases, and the boats on this page leave from all of them.
How do I get to the charter bases in France?
The nearest airports to the largest bases: Portiragnes (78 boats): Montpellier Airport (MPL), about 55 km away; Hesse (69 boats): Zurich Airport (ZRH), about 175 km away; Saint-Jean-de-Losne (66 boats): Geneva Airport (GVA), about 115 km away. Distances are as the crow flies; most charter companies arrange a transfer on request.
How many boats can I charter in France?
1,231 boats from 68 bases: 827 motor boats, 196 houseboats, 106 catamarans and trimarans, 97 sailing boats, 5 motor yachts. Availability and prices are live from the charter companies.
How much does it cost to charter a boat in France?
On the boats listed here day rates start from €25 and a week (7 nights) from €179. These are the boats’ own listed rates before extras; fuel, marina fees on the route and local taxes are paid separately.
How much does a yacht charter in France cost for a week?
The typical boat is €2,102 for 7 nights (the median across the priced boats), and the cheapest on the list is €179. Prices run from small sailing boats up to crewed yachts, so the median says more than the average (€2,870) here.
What is the most common boat in France?
Motor boat — 827 of the 1,231 boats listed. An average one sleeps 7 and costs €2,024 for the week.
Can I take a boat out for just one day?
Yes — 608 boats accept a single-day booking, and 826 take two days. A day rate is quoted for the specific boat and date, so pick your day on the boat’s own page and the price comes back live.
Where do most boats leave from?
Portiragnes has the largest fleet at 78 boats, and there are 68 departure bases in France altogether. The base you start from changes the price as much as the boat does.
What is not in the price?
The figure is for the boat. Transit log, tourist tax and the APA are mandatory, set per boat, and paid at the base. Skipper, hostess, extra equipment and other services are optional and also settled at the base.
Why do some boats show no price?
594 of the 1,231 boats are on request — usually larger or crewed yachts, where the rate depends on the week and the crew. They are left out of every figure above.