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5 minutes to book. Best day of our entire trip. Everything felt effortless from pickup to sunset.
Port guide
Joigny — at a glance
23 boats are available to book in Joigny from Joigny. The fleet is 15 houseboats and 8 motor boats. The most common models are Pénichette 1020 (4), Pénichette 1500FB (2), Pénichette 1180 (2), Pénichette 1400 (1), Nicols Sedan 1310 (1) — 18 models in all. Built 1984–2024, 8–14.9 m long, 1–5 cabins, up to 12 guests. Day rates start from €131; the typical boat here is around €336 per day, and every price on this page is the boat’s own listed rate before extras.
Joigny is a half-timbered town on the Yonne an hour and a half from Paris, and its port is a hire base for the river and the Canal de Bourgogne next door: licence-free cruisers up the Yonne to Auxerre and the start of the Nivernais, or up the Canal de Bourgogne to Tonnerre and the châteaux of Tanlay and Ancy-le-Franc. It is the closest river cruising to Paris.
Getting there
By air. Paris airports are about 150 km — an hour and a half by train via Paris-Bercy or two hours by road. By rail. Joigny station on the Paris-Bercy–Dijon line, about 1 h 20 from Paris; the port is a ten-minute walk. By road. The A6 motorway exit Joigny; free parking at the base.
Joigny before you cast off
Joigny’s old town of timber houses climbs the hill from the river; Auxerre’s cathedral and Saint-Germain abbey are 30 minutes upstream by road; Chablis 30 minutes east; Sens’ cathedral 30 minutes north.
Supermarkets in the town within walking distance of the port; the base has a shop, water and fuel.
A week from Joigny
Day 1 — Joigny → Migennes (12 km, 2 locks). Up the Yonne to the canal junction town.
Day 2 — Migennes → Auxerre (25 km, 6 locks). On up the river to the cathedral city; moor on the quay under the old town.
Day 3 — Auxerre → Vincelles / Cravant (15 km on the Nivernais, 5 locks). The first reaches of the Canal du Nivernais through the vineyards of Irancy.
Day 4 — Cravant → Auxerre (15 km). Back to the city.
Day 5 — Auxerre → Migennes (25 km). Back down the Yonne.
Day 6 — Migennes → Joigny → Villeneuve-sur-Yonne (30 km, 4 locks). Past the base and downstream to the walled town of Villeneuve.
Day 7 — Villeneuve → Joigny (18 km, 2 locks). Back up to the base by mid-morning.
Types of boats in Joigny
- Houseboats 15 boats · from €133 per day
- Motor boats 8 boats · from €131 per day
Frequently asked questions
How much does a yacht charter in Joigny cost?
Day rates on the boats listed here start from €131 and the typical boat is around €336 per day; a week (7 nights) starts from €921. 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 Joigny?
23 boats are available to book in Joigny: 15 houseboats and 8 motor boats. The most common models are Pénichette 1020, Pénichette 1500FB, Pénichette 1180, Pénichette 1400.
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.
Other ports in France
Portiragnes (90) · Hesse (69) · Saint-Jean-de-Losne (68) · Castelnaudary (47) · Arzon (41) · Saint Gilles (40) · Decize (33) · Homps (31) · All boats in France
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Joigny · prices
What a charter in Joigny actually costs
Adriavela lists 23 boats leaving from Joigny. 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 €2,252 and the cheapest boat on the list is €921. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houseboat 9.3–14.9 m · 2 cabins · built 2004 | Boats15 | Guests4–12 | From€934 | Average€2,315 | |
| Motor boat 8–13.5 m · 3 cabins · built 2009 | Boats8 | Guests4–12 | From€921 | Average€2,132 |
| Budget / week | Boats | Sleeps | Typical size | Mostly | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under €1,500 | Boats3 13% | Sleeps5 | Typical size9 m | Mostly2 houseboats, 1 motor boat | |
| €1,500 – €3,000 | Boats17 74% | Sleeps6 | Typical size11 m | Mostly10 houseboats, 7 motor boats | |
| €3,000 – €6,000 | Boats3 13% | Sleeps12 | Typical size15 m | Mostly3 houseboats |
How much does a yacht charter in Joigny cost for a week?
The average boat is €2,252 for 7 nights, and the cheapest on the list is €921. Prices run from small sailing boats up to crewed yachts, so the median says more than the average here.
What is the most common boat in Joigny?
Houseboat — 15 of the 23 boats listed. An average one sleeps 8 and costs €2,315 for the week.
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.