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5 minutes to book. Best day of our entire trip. Everything felt effortless from pickup to sunset.
Port guide
Migennes — at a glance
29 boats are available to book in Migennes from Migennes. The most common models are Vision 3 (4), Horizon 5 (3), Corvette A (3), Magnifique (2), Caprice (2) — 19 models in all. Built 1985–2025, 9–15 m long, 2–5 cabins, up to 12 guests.
Migennes is the railway town on the Yonne where the Canal de Bourgogne begins, an hour and a half from Paris, and its port is a hire base for both: licence-free cruisers up the Canal de Bourgogne past the châteaux of Tanlay and Ancy-le-Franc towards Tonnerre and Montbard, or down the Yonne to Joigny and Sens. It is the nearest canal cruising to Paris.
Getting there
By air. Paris airports (CDG, ORY) are about 150 km — an hour and a half by train via Paris-Bercy or two hours by road. By rail. Migennes (Laroche-Migennes) station has direct trains from Paris-Bercy in about 1 h 20; the port is a ten-minute walk. By road. The A6 motorway exit Joigny; free parking at the base.
Migennes before you cast off
Joigny’s half-timbered old town is 10 minutes downstream; Auxerre’s cathedral and abbey are 20 minutes up the Yonne by road; the Chablis vineyards are 20 minutes east. The Renaissance châteaux of Tanlay and Ancy-le-Franc are the highlights of the canal week.
Supermarkets in the town within walking distance of the port; the base has a shop, water and fuel.
A week from Migennes
Day 1 — Migennes → Brienon (12 km, 4 locks). Up the first reaches of the Canal de Bourgogne to the small town of Brienon.
Day 2 — Brienon → Saint-Florentin (10 km, 5 locks). To the hill town with its church and market.
Day 3 — Saint-Florentin → Tonnerre (22 km, 10 locks). Up the Armançon valley to Tonnerre and the Fosse Dionne spring.
Day 4 — Tonnerre → Tanlay → Ancy-le-Franc (22 km, 10 locks). Two Renaissance châteaux on one day’s cruising.
Day 5 — Ancy-le-Franc → Tonnerre (22 km). Turn around and back down the valley.
Day 6 — Tonnerre → Brienon (32 km, 15 locks). The long day back down.
Day 7 — Brienon → Migennes (12 km, 4 locks). Home to the port by mid-morning.
Every boat on the Burgundy & the Nivernais
Ports near Migennes
Joigny (23 boats · 9 km) · Saint-Didier (5 boats · 67 km) · Corbigny (13 boats · 83 km) · Sermoise-sur-Loire (12 boats · 115 km) · Decize (39 boats · 127 km) · Dompierre-sur-Besbre (16 boats · 161 km) · Saint-Jean-de-Losne (72 boats · 162 km) · Savoyeux (12 boats · 173 km) · All boats in France
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of boats can I charter in Migennes?
29 boats are available to book in Migennes: 29 motor boats. The most common models are Vision 3, Horizon 5, Corvette A, Magnifique.
Can I take a boat out for just one day?
Yes — 29 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?
29 of the 29 boats in Migennes 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.