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5 minutes to book. Best day of our entire trip. Everything felt effortless from pickup to sunset.
Area guide
Burgundy & the Nivernais — at a glance
292 boats are available to book in Burgundy & the Nivernais from 13 bases; the largest are Saint-Jean-de-Losne (72), Decize (39), Migennes (29). The fleet is 226 motor boats and 66 houseboats. The most common models are Pénichette 1020 (16), Horizon 1 (11), Royal Mystique (11), Vision 3 (10), Continentale (9) — 74 models in all. Built 1982–2025, 8–15 m long, 1–5 cabins, up to 12 guests. Day rates start from €85; the typical boat here is around €292 per day, and every price on this page is the boat’s own listed rate before extras.
Burgundy is the densest piece of cruising water in France: the Canal de Bourgogne, the Canal du Nivernais, the Canal du Centre, the Canal latéral à la Loire and the rivers Saône, Yonne and Doubs all meet here, and a hire boat can cross between them in a week.
Saint-Jean-de-Losne, where the Canal de Bourgogne meets the Saône 30 km south of Dijon, is the largest inland-waterway port in France and the hub of the network. Migennes and Joigny sit on the Yonne at the Paris end — the nearest canal cruising to the capital — and Decize is where the Nivernais begins, beside the Loire.
No licence is needed. Locks are worked by a keeper or automatically, they close at lunchtime and overnight, and a cruising day is about six hours. The water is slow, wooded and lock-rich, which is the point: this is a region for vineyards and villages rather than distance.
Charter bases in Burgundy & the Nivernais
- Saint-Jean-de-Losne 72 boats
- Decize 39 boats
- Migennes 29 boats
- Dole 28 boats
- Scey-sur-Saone Scey-sur-Saone-et-Saint-Albin 27 boats
- Joigny 23 boats
- Dompierre-sur-Besbre 16 boats
- Branges 15 boats
- Corbigny 13 boats
- Port de Plagny Sermoise-sur-Loire 12 boats
- Port de Savoyeux Savoyeux 12 boats
- Tannay Saint-Didier 5 boats
- Marina of Port-sur-Saône Port-sur-Saône 1 boat
Getting there
By air. The Paris airports serve the Yonne end — about 150 km from Migennes and Joigny, an hour and a half by train via Paris-Bercy. Lyon Saint-Exupéry (LYS) is the one for the Saône, about 180 km from Saint-Jean-de-Losne and 230 km from Decize. By rail. Dijon is 30 minutes from Saint-Jean-de-Losne and on the Paris TGV; Migennes and Joigny have their own stations on the Paris-Bercy line; Nevers serves Decize. By road. The A6 runs the length of the region, with exits for Joigny, Migennes, Beaune and Chalon; the A31 serves Saint-Jean-de-Losne and Dole.
Burgundy & the Nivernais before you cast off
Dijon's ducal palace and market, 30 minutes from Saint-Jean-de-Losne, and Beaune with its Hospices 40; the Côte de Beaune vineyards along the Canal du Centre; the Renaissance châteaux of Tanlay and Ancy-le-Franc on the Canal de Bourgogne above Migennes; Auxerre's cathedral and Saint-Germain abbey and the Chablis vineyards on the Yonne; Joigny's half-timbered old town; and on the Nivernais the Baye lakes, the Sardy lock staircase and the Morvan foothills, with the Loire — France's last wild river — running beside the canal at Decize.
Every base has a shop, water and fuel. Saint-Jean-de-Losne, Migennes, Joigny, Decize and Dole have supermarkets within walking distance of the port; the smaller villages on the Nivernais and the upper Saône have a baker and little else, so the week is provisioned at the start and topped up in the towns.
A week on the Burgundy canals
Day 1 — Saint-Jean-de-Losne → Seurre (20 km on the Saône, 1 lock). Down the wide, slow Saône to the quay at Seurre.
Day 2 — Seurre → Verdun-sur-le-Doubs (25 km). To the confluence town at the mouth of the Doubs.
Day 3 — Verdun → Chalon-sur-Saône (25 km, 1 lock). Chalon’s old town and the Niépce photography museum.
Day 4 — Chalon → Tournus (30 km). The Romanesque abbey of Saint-Philibert on the riverbank.
Day 5 — Tournus → Chalon (30 km). Turn around; a detour up the Canal du Centre to Santenay and the Côte de Beaune vineyards is the alternative from Chalon.
Day 6 — Chalon → Seurre (50 km). The long day back up the river.
Day 7 — Seurre → Saint-Jean-de-Losne (20 km). Home to the port by mid-morning.
Types of boats in Burgundy & the Nivernais
- Motor boats 226 boats · from €85 per day
- Houseboats 66 boats · from €167 per day
Ports in Burgundy & the Nivernais
Saint-Jean-de-Losne (72) · Decize (39) · Migennes (29) · Dole (28) · Scey-sur-Saone-et-Saint-Albin (27) · Joigny (23) · Dompierre-sur-Besbre (16) · Branges (15) · Corbigny (13) · Savoyeux (12) · Sermoise-sur-Loire (12) · Saint-Didier (5) · Port-sur-Saône (1) · All boats in France
Burgundy & the Nivernais · prices
What a charter in Burgundy & the Nivernais actually costs
Adriavela lists 292 boats leaving from Burgundy & the Nivernais. 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 €1,983 and the cheapest boat on the list is €601. 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 | Boats226 | Guests3–12 | From€601 | Average€1,848 | |
| Houseboat 9.3–14.9 m · 2 cabins · built 2003 | Boats66 | Guests4–12 | From€1,172 | Average€2,094 |
| Charter length | Available for a trip type | Share of fleet |
|---|---|---|
| One day | Available for a trip type 161 | Share of fleet55% |
| Two days | Available for a trip type 196 | Share of fleet67% |
| Three days | Available for a trip type 196 | Share of fleet67% |
| Four days | Available for a trip type 207 | Share of fleet71% |
| One week | Available for a trip type 292 | 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 | Boats22 18% | Sleeps7 | Typical size10 m | Mostly17 motor boats, 5 houseboats | |
| €1,500 – €3,000 | Boats98 82% | Sleeps6 | Typical size11 m | Mostly61 houseboats, 37 motor boats |
Frequently asked questions
How much does a yacht charter in Burgundy & the Nivernais cost?
Day rates on the boats listed here start from €85 and the typical boat is around €292 per day; a week (7 nights) starts from €601. 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 Burgundy & the Nivernais?
292 boats are available to book in Burgundy & the Nivernais: 226 motor boats and 66 houseboats. The most common models are Pénichette 1020, Horizon 1, Royal Mystique, Vision 3.
Which marinas do charters leave from in Burgundy & the Nivernais?
Charters in Burgundy & the Nivernais leave from 13 bases: Saint-Jean-de-Losne (72 boats), Decize (39 boats), Migennes (29 boats), Dole (28 boats), Scey-sur-Saone (27 boats).
Can I take a boat out for just one day?
Yes — 161 boats here accept a single-day booking, and 196 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?
172 of the 292 boats in Burgundy & the Nivernais 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.
Is the Saône difficult for a hire boat?
No — it is a wide, slow river with a handful of large automatic locks; the Canal de Bourgogne and the Canal du Centre are narrower, with more locks and more work.