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5 minutes to book. Best day of our entire trip. Everything felt effortless from pickup to sunset.
Port guide
Saint-Jean-de-Losne — at a glance
68 boats are available to book in Saint-Jean-de-Losne from Saint-Jean-de-Losne. The most common models are Vision 4 (5), Horizon 1 (5), Clipper (4), Grand Classique (4), Continentale (4) — 26 models in all. Built 1988–2025, 8.8–15 m long, 1–5 cabins, up to 12 guests.
Saint-Jean-de-Losne is the river town where the Canal de Bourgogne meets the Saône, 30 km south of Dijon, and the largest inland-waterway port in France: its hire bases send licence-free cruisers up the Saône to Chalon, Tournus and Mâcon, down the Canal de Bourgogne towards Dijon, or along the Canal du Centre through the Côte de Beaune vineyards. Dijon’s station and Lyon’s airport are the ways in.
Getting there
By air. Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport (LYS) is about 180 km — two hours by road or a TGV to Dijon; Paris airports three hours by TGV via Dijon. By rail. Dijon station has TGVs from Paris in 1 h 40; Saint-Jean-de-Losne is 30 minutes by taxi or local train. By road. The A31 and A36 motorways; free parking at the bases.
Saint-Jean-de-Losne before you cast off
The town is a river port of quays and barges with a museum of the bargemen; Dijon’s ducal palace and market are 30 minutes away, Beaune and its Hospices 40. The Saône villages of Seurre and Verdun-sur-le-Doubs are the first stops on the water.
Supermarkets in the town within walking distance of the port; the bases have shops, water and fuel.
A week from Saint-Jean-de-Losne
Day 1 — Saint-Jean-de-Losne → Seurre (20 km on the Saône, 1 lock). Down the wide, slow Saône to the quay at Seurre.
Day 2 — Seurre → Verdun-sur-le-Doubs (25 km). To the confluence town at the mouth of the Doubs.
Day 3 — Verdun → Chalon-sur-Saône (25 km, 1 lock). Chalon’s old town and the Niépce photography museum.
Day 4 — Chalon → Tournus (30 km). The Romanesque abbey of Saint-Philibert on the riverbank.
Day 5 — Tournus → Chalon (30 km). Turn around; a detour up the Canal du Centre to Santenay and the Côte de Beaune vineyards is the alternative from Chalon.
Day 6 — Chalon → Seurre (50 km). The long day back up the river.
Day 7 — Seurre → Saint-Jean-de-Losne (20 km). Home to the port by mid-morning.
Ports near Saint-Jean-de-Losne
Dole (18 boats · 18 km) · Branges (15 boats · 52 km) · Saint-Leger-sur-Dheune (15 boats · 56 km) · Savoyeux (12 boats · 62 km) · Scey-sur-Saone-et-Saint-Albin (18 boats · 81 km) · Port-sur-Saône (10 boats · 87 km) · Corbigny (13 boats · 121 km) · Saint-Didier (6 boats · 127 km) · All boats in France
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of boats can I charter in Saint-Jean-de-Losne?
68 boats are available to book in Saint-Jean-de-Losne: 68 motor boats. The most common models are Vision 4, Horizon 1, Clipper, Grand Classique.
Can I take a boat out for just one day?
Yes — 68 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?
68 of the 68 boats in Saint-Jean-de-Losne 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-Jean-de-Losne?
The nearest airport is Geneva Airport (GVA), about 115 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.
Is the Saône difficult for a hire boat?
No — it is a wide, slow river with a handful of large automatic locks; the Canal de Bourgogne and the Canal du Centre are narrower, with more locks and more work.