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5 minutes to book. Best day of our entire trip. Everything felt effortless from pickup to sunset.
Area guide
Camargue & Languedoc — at a glance
76 boats are available to book in the Camargue & Languedoc from 4 bases; the largest are Saint Gilles (36), Lattes (23), Bellegarde (15). The fleet is 51 motor boats, 23 houseboats and 2 catamarans. The most common models are Horizon 1 (5), Pénichette 1020 (4), Continentale (4), Pénichette 1400 (3), Pénichette 1180 (3) — 43 models in all. Built 1986–2025, 8–15 m long, 1–5 cabins, up to 12 guests. Day rates start from €114; the typical boat here is around €345 per day, and every price on this page is the boat’s own listed rate before extras.
The Canal du Rhône a Sete runs behind the Languedoc coast through a chain of lagoons, and it is the one piece of French canal cruising with flamingos beside it. Saint-Gilles, 20 minutes from Nîmes, is the hire base for the Camargue; Lattes is the port of Montpellier, ten minutes from the city and fifteen from its airport; Bellegarde sits at the Rhône end.
No licence is needed. The water is wide, nearly lock-free and open in a way the Canal du Midi is not — this is a week of lagoons, salt flats and beaches rather than plane trees and locks.
At the western end the canal reaches the Étang de Thau and Sete, where the Canal du Midi begins. Canet-en-Roussillon, further south on the Roussillon coast, is the one sea marina in the region.
Charter bases in the Camargue & Languedoc
- Saint Gilles 36 boats
- Lattes 23 boats
- Bellegarde 15 boats
- Port de Sete Sete 2 boats
Getting there
By air. Nîmes (FNI) is about 15 km from Saint-Gilles, 20 minutes by taxi. Montpellier (MPL) is 8 km from Lattes, 15 minutes, and about 50 km from Saint-Gilles. Marseille (MRS) is about 90 km. By rail. Nîmes and Montpellier are both on the Paris TGV; Nîmes is 20 minutes from Saint-Gilles by road. By road. The A9 runs the length of the coast with exits at Nîmes, Lunel and Montpellier.
Camargue & Languedoc before you cast off
Aigues-Mortes, the walled crusader port in the salt flats, the highlight of the week by boat; the Camargue itself — flamingos, white horses and the rice fields; the Romanesque façade of the abbey church at Saint-Gilles; Nîmes with its arena and Maison Carrée 20 minutes away and Arles with its amphitheatre 25; Palavas-les-Flots, the beach of Montpellier, 5 km down the canal from Lattes; and the Étang de Thau with its oyster beds at Bouzigues and Marseillan.
The bases have a shop, water and fuel. Saint-Gilles and Lattes have supermarkets within walking distance, Montpellier is 15 minutes by tram from Lattes, and the oyster villages on the Étang de Thau sell at the quay.
A week in the Camargue
Day 1 — Saint-Gilles → Gallician (12 km, 1 lock). West along the canal into the Camargue to the small port at Gallician and the Scamandre nature reserve.
Day 2 — Gallician → Aigues-Mortes (18 km). Along the lagoons to the walled crusader town; moor under the ramparts.
Day 3 — Aigues-Mortes → Le Grau-du-Roi (6 km). Down the channel to the fishing port and the beach.
Day 4 — Le Grau-du-Roi → Aigues-Mortes → Palavas (25 km). Back through Aigues-Mortes and west along the coastal canal to Palavas-les-Flots.
Day 5 — Palavas → Frontignan or Sète (25 km). Along the lagoons to the canal port of Frontignan, or into Sète with an extra day.
Day 6 — Frontignan → Aigues-Mortes (40 km). The long day back east.
Day 7 — Aigues-Mortes → Saint-Gilles (30 km, 1 lock). Home to the base by mid-morning.
Types of boats in the Camargue & Languedoc
- Motor boats 51 boats · from €169 per day
- Houseboats 23 boats · from €114 per day
- Catamarans 2 boats · from €590 per day
Ports in the Camargue & Languedoc
Saint Gilles (36) · Lattes (23) · Bellegarde (15) · Sete (2) · All boats in France
Camargue & Languedoc · prices
What a charter in the Camargue & Languedoc actually costs
Adriavela lists 76 boats leaving from Camargue & Languedoc. 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 €2,135 and the cheapest boat on the list is €801. 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 · 2 cabins · built 2006 | Boats51 | Guests4–12 | From€1,185 | Average€1,653 | |
| Houseboat 9.5–14.9 m · 3 cabins · built 2002 | Boats23 | Guests4–12 | From€801 | Average€2,275 | |
| Catamaran & trimaran 10.9–12.4 m · 3 cabins · built 2021 | Boats2 | Guests8–8 | From€4,133 | Average€4,133 |
| Charter length | Available for a trip type | Share of fleet |
|---|---|---|
| One day | Available for a trip type 36 | Share of fleet47% |
| Two days | Available for a trip type 55 | Share of fleet72% |
| Three days | Available for a trip type 55 | Share of fleet72% |
| Four days | Available for a trip type 55 | Share of fleet72% |
| One week | Available for a trip type 76 | 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 | Boats12 30% | Sleeps6 | Typical size11 m | Mostly10 motor boats, 2 houseboats | |
| €1,500 – €3,000 | Boats24 60% | Sleeps7 | Typical size12 m | Mostly21 houseboats, 3 motor boats | |
| €3,000 – €6,000 | Boats4 10% | Sleeps8 | Typical size12 m | Mostly2 motor boats, 2 catamaran & trimarans |
Frequently asked questions
How much does a yacht charter in Camargue & Languedoc cost?
Day rates on the boats listed here start from €114 and the typical boat is around €345 per day; a week (7 nights) starts from €801. 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 Camargue & Languedoc?
76 boats are available to book in Camargue & Languedoc: 51 motor boats, 23 houseboats and 2 catamarans. The most common models are Horizon 1, Pénichette 1020, Continentale, Pénichette 1400.
Which marinas do charters leave from in Camargue & Languedoc?
Charters in Camargue & Languedoc leave from 4 bases: Saint Gilles (36 boats), Lattes (23 boats), Bellegarde (15 boats), Port de Sete (2 boats).
Can I take a boat out for just one day?
Yes — 36 boats here accept a single-day booking, and 55 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?
36 of the 76 boats in Camargue & Languedoc 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.
Can we see flamingos from the boat?
Yes — the Canal du Rhône à Sète runs through the Camargue lagoons and the Scamandre reserve, and flamingos, herons and the white horses are seen from the deck for most of the week.