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5 minutes to book. Best day of our entire trip. Everything felt effortless from pickup to sunset.
Port guide
Decize — at a glance
33 boats are available to book in Decize from Decize. The most common models are Royal Mystique (3), Caprice (3), Horizon 1 (3), Calypso (2), Horizon 4 (2) — 22 models in all. Built 1987–2025, 8.8–15 m long, 1–5 cabins, up to 12 guests.
Decize is a town on the Loire in the Nivernais where the Canal du Nivernais begins and the Canal latéral à la Loire passes, and its port is a hire base for both: licence-free cruisers north up the Nivernais through the Morvan foothills — Cercy-la-Tour, Châtillon-en-Bazois, the Baye lakes and the Sardy locks — or along the Loire canal to Nevers and Digoin. Quiet water, few locks a day and small towns; Paris is three hours by train.
Getting there
By air. Lyon Saint-Exupéry (LYS) is about 230 km; Paris airports about 300 km — three hours by train via Nevers. By rail. Decize station is on the Nevers–Dijon line; Nevers has direct trains from Paris-Bercy in two hours. By road. The N7 and N81; free parking at the base.
Decize before you cast off
Decize sits on an island in the Loire with a Romanesque church over a Merovingian crypt; Nevers’ cathedral and pottery are 35 minutes away, and the Loire itself, France’s last wild river, runs alongside the canal.
Supermarkets in the town within walking distance of the port; the base has a shop, water and fuel.
A week from Decize
Day 1 — Decize → Cercy-la-Tour (18 km, 6 locks). North up the Nivernais through the meadows to the port at Cercy-la-Tour.
Day 2 — Cercy → Châtillon-en-Bazois (22 km, 8 locks). To the small town with the château on the water.
Day 3 — Châtillon → Baye (18 km, 12 locks). Up the summit locks to the lakes and the port at Baye.
Day 4 — Baye → Sardy (12 km, the three tunnels, 16 locks down). Through the summit tunnels and down the Sardy staircase into the Yonne valley.
Day 5 — Sardy → Baye (12 km, 16 locks up). Back up the staircase (or continue one-way to Clamecy and Auxerre with the base’s agreement).
Day 6 — Baye → Cercy-la-Tour (40 km, 20 locks). The long day back down.
Day 7 — Cercy → Decize (18 km, 6 locks). Home to the port by mid-morning.
Ports near Decize
Sermoise-sur-Loire (12 boats · 27 km) · Dompierre-sur-Besbre (16 boats · 38 km) · Corbigny (13 boats · 48 km) · Saint-Didier (6 boats · 61 km) · Saint-Leger-sur-Dheune (15 boats · 90 km) · Migennes (29 boats · 127 km) · Joigny (23 boats · 129 km) · Branges (15 boats · 133 km) · All boats in France
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of boats can I charter in Decize?
33 boats are available to book in Decize: 33 motor boats. The most common models are Royal Mystique, Caprice, Horizon 1, Calypso.
Can I take a boat out for just one day?
Yes — 33 boats here accept a single-day booking. 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?
33 of the 33 boats in Decize 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.
How far is the airport from Decize?
The nearest airport is Geneva Airport (GVA), about 215 km away as the crow flies. Transfer times by road are longer; most charter companies arrange a transfer to the base on request.
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.