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5 minutes to book. Best day of our entire trip. Everything felt effortless from pickup to sunset.
Area guide
Alsace & Lorraine — at a glance
141 boats are available to book in Alsace & Lorraine from 6 bases; the largest are Hesse (71), Saverne (30), Lutzelbourg (23). The fleet is 115 motor boats and 26 houseboats. The most common models are Pénichette 1020 (5), Caprice (4), Magnifique (4), Calypso (4), Crusader (4) — 69 models in all. Built 1983–2025, 8–15 m long, 1–5 cabins, up to 12 guests. Day rates start from €115; the typical boat here is around €266 per day, and every price on this page is the boat’s own listed rate before extras.
The Canal de la Marne au Rhin crosses the Vosges between Nancy and Strasbourg, and it is the most engineered cruising water in France: the Arzviller inclined plane, a boat lift that replaced seventeen locks, carries hire boats up the hillside in one movement, and the Niderviller tunnels take them through it.
Hesse, near Sarrebourg, is the main hire base for the canal; Lutzelbourg sits in the wooded Zorn valley below the lift, and Saverne at the foot of the Vosges where the canal passes under the Rohan palace. Mittersheim and Niderviller are the quieter bases on the Lorraine plateau and its lakes.
No licence is needed, and the canal is lock-light by French standards once the lift has done its work. A week runs east to Strasbourg or west to the Sarre and the lakes.
Charter bases in Alsace & Lorraine
- Hesse 71 boats
- Saverne 30 boats
- Lutzelbourg 23 boats
- Pont a Bar 6 boats
- Port de Plaisance de Mittersheim Mittersheim 6 boats
- Niderviller Marina Niderviller 5 boats
Getting there
By air. Strasbourg (SXB) serves the whole canal — about 45 km from Saverne, 60 from Lutzelbourg and 75 from Hesse. Basel-Mulhouse (BSL) and Luxembourg are about two hours. By rail. Saverne is on the Paris-Strasbourg TGV line; Sarrebourg serves Hesse and Niderviller; Strasbourg is 30 minutes from Saverne by train. By road. The A4 Paris-Strasbourg runs parallel to the canal, with exits at Sarrebourg and Saverne.
Alsace & Lorraine before you cast off
The Arzviller inclined plane, the sight of the canal, an hour east of Hesse and 4 km up the water from Lutzelbourg; the Rohan palace facing the port at Saverne, with the ruined castle of Haut-Barr on the hill above and the rose garden in the old town; the ruined castle over Lutzelbourg and the Zorn valley walks; the Chagall window in the chapel at Sarrebourg; the crystal works of Saint-Louis-lès-Bitche and the Vosges du Nord park; and at the eastern end Strasbourg's cathedral and Petite France.
The bases have a shop, water and fuel. Saverne and Sarrebourg have supermarkets and markets; Hesse, Lutzelbourg, Niderviller and Mittersheim are villages, so the main shop is done at the start of the week or in Saverne on the way through.
A week on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin
Day 1 — Hesse → Niderviller (8 km, 2 locks). A short first afternoon east to the pottery village of Niderviller.
Day 2 — Niderviller → Lutzelbourg (14 km, the two tunnels and the Arzviller lift). Through the tunnels, down the inclined plane and into the wooded Zorn valley to Lutzelbourg under its castle.
Day 3 — Lutzelbourg → Saverne (12 km, 4 locks). Down the valley to Saverne and the Rohan palace on the canal.
Day 4 — Saverne → Hochfelden or Brumath (20 km, 8 locks). Onto the Alsace plain through the hop fields.
Day 5 — Brumath → Strasbourg (25 km, 6 locks). Into the city: moorings near the Petite France quarter.
Day 6 — Strasbourg → Saverne (45 km, 14 locks). The long day back up to Saverne (or turn around at Saverne on day 3 for an easier week).
Day 7 — Saverne → Hesse (34 km, the lift and the tunnels). Up the inclined plane and home to the base.
Types of boats in Alsace & Lorraine
- Motor boats 115 boats · from €139 per day
- Houseboats 26 boats · from €115 per day
Ports in Alsace & Lorraine
Hesse (71) · Saverne (30) · Lutzelbourg (23) · Mittersheim (6) · Pont a Bar (6) · Niderviller (5) · All boats in France
Alsace & Lorraine · prices
What a charter in Alsace & Lorraine actually costs
Adriavela lists 141 boats leaving from Alsace & Lorraine. 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 €1,566 and the cheapest boat on the list is €809. 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 8–15 m · 3 cabins · built 2006 | Boats115 | Guests2–12 | From€977 | Average€1,880 | |
| Houseboat 9.3–14.9 m · 2 cabins · built 2004 | Boats26 | Guests4–12 | From€809 | Average€1,167 |
| Charter length | Available for a trip type | Share of fleet |
|---|---|---|
| One day | Available for a trip type 76 | Share of fleet54% |
| Two days | Available for a trip type 101 | Share of fleet72% |
| Three days | Available for a trip type 101 | Share of fleet72% |
| Four days | Available for a trip type 107 | Share of fleet76% |
| One week | Available for a trip type 141 | 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 | Boats23 39% | Sleeps6 | Typical size11 m | Mostly19 houseboats, 4 motor boats | |
| €1,500 – €3,000 | Boats36 61% | Sleeps8 | Typical size12 m | Mostly29 motor boats, 7 houseboats |
Frequently asked questions
How much does a yacht charter in Alsace & Lorraine cost?
Day rates on the boats listed here start from €115 and the typical boat is around €266 per day; a week (7 nights) starts from €809. Prices are the boats’ own listed rates; fuel, marina fees on the route and local taxes are paid separately.
What kinds of boats can I charter in Alsace & Lorraine?
141 boats are available to book in Alsace & Lorraine: 115 motor boats and 26 houseboats. The most common models are Pénichette 1020, Caprice, Magnifique, Calypso.
Which marinas do charters leave from in Alsace & Lorraine?
Charters in Alsace & Lorraine leave from 6 bases: Hesse (71 boats), Saverne (30 boats), Lutzelbourg (23 boats), Pont a Bar (6 boats), Port de Plaisance de Mittersheim (6 boats).
Can I take a boat out for just one day?
Yes — 76 boats here accept a single-day booking, and 101 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.
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?
82 of the 141 boats in Alsace & Lorraine 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.
Do I need a licence for a canal boat in France?
No. Licence-free river cruisers can be hired by anyone over 18 on the French waterways; the base gives an hour’s instruction on steering, mooring and the locks before you leave.
How do the locks work?
Most locks on the Canal du Midi and the Burgundy waterways are worked by a lock-keeper or are automatic; the crew handles the ropes. Locks are closed at lunchtime and overnight, so a day’s cruising is about six hours.
What day do charters start?
Weekly hires usually run Saturday to Saturday or Friday to Friday, with handover in the afternoon and return by mid-morning; shorter breaks of three or four days are common — the exact times are on each boat’s page.
What is the Arzviller inclined plane?
A boat lift that carries the boat in a water-filled tank up or down a 44-metre slope in a few minutes, replacing a chain of 17 locks; hire boats use it like a lock, with the operator’s instructions.