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5 minutes to book. Best day of our entire trip. Everything felt effortless from pickup to sunset.
Port guide
Grez-Neuville — at a glance
23 boats are available to book in Grez-Neuville from Grez-Neuville. The fleet is 22 motor boats and 1 houseboat. The most common models are Nicols Octo Fly 12 (2), Nicols Estivale Octo (2), Nicols Confort 900 DP (2), Nicols Estivale Sixto (2), Nicols Confort 1350 (2) — 13 models in all. Built 1986–2022, 7.9–15 m long, 1–4 cabins, up to 12 guests.
Grez-Neuville is a village on the Mayenne north of Angers, and its port is the hire base for the Mayenne, the Sarthe and the Oudon — the rivers of Anjou: licence-free cruisers up the wooded Mayenne to Château-Gontier and Laval, or down to Angers and up the Sarthe towards Sablé. Gentle rivers, a lock every few kilometres, and Angers’ château and tapestry an hour by road.
Getting there
By air. Nantes Airport (NTE) is about 100 km — an hour and a quarter; Paris airports about 300 km, an hour and a half by TGV to Angers. By rail. Angers Saint-Laud station has TGVs from Paris in 1 h 30; Grez-Neuville is 25 minutes by taxi. By road. The A11 motorway exit Angers-Nord, then the N162; free parking at the base.
Grez-Neuville before you cast off
The village has a mill and a church on the river; the Château du Plessis-Bourré is 15 minutes away, Angers 25. Chenillé-Changé and Château-Gontier are the prettiest stops upstream.
A shop in the village and supermarkets in Le Lion-d’Angers, 5 minutes away; the base has a shop, water and fuel.
A week from Grez-Neuville
Day 1 — Grez-Neuville → Chenillé-Changé (12 km, 3 locks). Upstream to the water-mill village of Chenillé-Changé.
Day 2 — Chenillé-Changé → Château-Gontier (20 km, 5 locks). To the old town on its hill above the river.
Day 3 — Château-Gontier → Laval (35 km, 12 locks). On up the Mayenne to Laval and its castle (or turn around at Château-Gontier).
Day 4 — Laval → Château-Gontier (35 km). Back downstream.
Day 5 — Château-Gontier → Grez-Neuville → Angers (45 km, 9 locks). Past the base and down to the city.
Day 6 — Angers → Grez-Neuville (22 km, 3 locks). Back up the Mayenne.
Day 7 — Grez-Neuville. Return the boat by mid-morning.
Types of boats in Grez-Neuville
- Motor boats 22 boats
- Houseboats 1 boat
Every boat on the Brittany & the Loire
Ports near Grez-Neuville
Sablé-sur-Sarthe (31 boats · 37 km) · Sucé-sur-Erdre (8 boats · 69 km) · Messac (27 boats · 88 km) · Glénac (11 boats · 109 km) · Saint-Martin-sur-Oust (12 boats · 119 km) · Arzon (41 boats · 166 km) · La Rochelle (10 boats · 166 km) · La Trinité-sur-Mer (9 boats · 176 km) · All boats in France
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of boats can I charter in Grez-Neuville?
23 boats are available to book in Grez-Neuville: 22 motor boats and 1 houseboat. The most common models are Nicols Octo Fly 12, Nicols Estivale Octo, Nicols Confort 900 DP, Nicols Estivale Sixto.
Can I take a boat out for just one day?
Yes — 12 boats here accept a single-day booking, and 23 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?
23 of the 23 boats in Grez-Neuville 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 Grez-Neuville?
The nearest airport is Nantes Airport (NTE), about 85 km away as the crow flies; Rennes Airport (RNS) is about 95 km. 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.