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5 minutes to book. Best day of our entire trip. Everything felt effortless from pickup to sunset.
Port guide
Saint Gilles — at a glance
36 boats are available to book in Saint Gilles from Saint Gilles. The most common models are Horizon 1 (5), Continentale (4), Royal Mystique (3), Sheba (3), Cirrus B (2) — 20 models in all. Built 1986–2025, 8.8–15 m long, 1–5 cabins, up to 12 guests.
Saint-Gilles is a town on the Canal du Rhône à Sète at the edge of the Camargue, 20 minutes from Nîmes, and its port is the hire base for the Camargue cruise: licence-free boats east to Beaucaire and the Rhône, or west through the lagoons to Aigues-Mortes, Le Grau-du-Roi and the Étang de Thau — flamingos, white horses and the medieval walls of Aigues-Mortes from the water.
Getting there
By air. Nîmes Airport (FNI) is about 15 km — 20 minutes by taxi; Montpellier (MPL) about 50 km, 45 minutes; Marseille (MRS) about 90 km. By rail. Nîmes station has TGVs from Paris in three hours; Saint-Gilles is 20 minutes by taxi or bus. By road. The A54 and A9 motorways; free parking at the base.
Saint Gilles before you cast off
The abbey church of Saint-Gilles with its Romanesque façade is in the town; Nîmes’ arena and Maison Carrée are 20 minutes away, Arles and its amphitheatre 25. Aigues-Mortes is the highlight of the week by boat.
Supermarkets in the town within walking distance of the port; the base has a shop, water and fuel.
A week from Saint Gilles
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.
Every boat on the Camargue & Languedoc
Ports near Saint Gilles
Bellegarde (15 boats · 23 km) · Lattes (23 boats · 45 km) · Marseille (15 boats · 82 km) · Portiragnes (73 boats · 96 km) · Le Somail (32 boats · 132 km) · Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer (10 boats · 136 km) · Argens-Minervois (32 boats · 143 km) · Homps (42 boats · 146 km) · All boats in France
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of boats can I charter in Saint Gilles?
36 boats are available to book in Saint Gilles: 36 motor boats. The most common models are Horizon 1, Continentale, Royal Mystique, Sheba.
Can I take a boat out for just one day?
Yes — 36 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?
36 of the 36 boats in Saint Gilles 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 Saint Gilles?
The nearest airport is Montpellier Airport (MPL), about 40 km away as the crow flies; Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) is about 70 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.
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.