The Seine - No guide to French inland waterways would be complete without describing the River Seine, which, at around 330 miles is France’s longest navigable waterway.

Although the Seine is still used extensively by commercial vessels, it is also popular with pleasure craft too being an obvious gateway to inland France from the English Channel and giving access to several inland waterway routes through France to the Mediterranean.

However west of Paris the tides and commercial traffic make it suitable only for experienced pleasure boat operators, and it’s therefore not available to hire-cruiser operators’ clients, so our description of this westerly section will be brief.

From its source in Burgundy, almost 500 miles from the sea, the Seine only becomes navigable when it reaches Champagne from where it winds through Paris  before reaching the Normandy coast, and the English Channel, at Le Havre.

From the beautiful village of Marcilly-sur-Seine the river runs via a canalised section 
through Crancey to re-join the river itself at Nogent-sur-Seine, a large town with rail links to Paris and Troyes (pronounced “trois”) It then winds through open country, another canalised section and through several towns and villages such as Villiers-sur-Seine,  and Bray-sur-Seine, all the while becoming busier and busier with commercial traffic.

Through the large towns of Montereau, Surville and Mammes to the famous royal hunting lodge at Fontainbleau a useful and attractive night-stop can be found at Thomery. Alternatively Melun is very attractive too, and although the river runs through some more countryside before reaching the outskirts of Paris this is now mainly “commuterland”

Day trips on the river operate from Corbeil-Essonnes, while there are moorings at Evry and at Villeneuve-St.georges near Orly airport before you reach a junction with the River Marne and begin going under the many bridges between here and the centre of Paris itself.

Arriving in the centre of a great city by water is always interesting, and Paris is certainly no exception as most of the great buildings and monuments are situated on the banks of the Seine. Indeed, arguably the best way to see Paris is from the water, and there are good mooring facilities close to the centre too near the Pont de la Concorde and Port de Plaisance on the Canal St Martin near the Bastille.

The Seine winds its way through Paris in a series of curves on its way westward via the Bois de Bologne and various suburbs such as Maisons-Laffite before reaching the boating centre of Conflans-Ste-Honorine, where there are good moorings.

Passing the junction with the River Oise the Seine continues its westward course through more open countryside and towns such as Poissy and Meulan before the attractive approaches to the city of Rouen in Normandy with its pleasure craft port and pontoon moorings.

From Rouen to the English Channel at Le Havre is a further 70 miles, with strong tides and fewer mooring places, before the Seine passes under the spectacular Tancarville Bridge outside Le Havre. There are excellent mooring facilities in the marina at Le Havre, and in the attractive little port and resort of Honfleur.

The River Marne – this river actually has its source at Marnotte, near Langres, and flows for some 420 miles to join the Seine near Paris, but it’s the 110 mile section, with 18 locks, from Epernay to the Seine that’s of most significant interest for cruising.

The small city of Epernay is devoted to the production of  Champagne, and visits to the cellars of champagne houses such as Moet et Chandon can be arranged with the tourist office.

Leaving Epernay along the Marne the countryside is devoted to viticulture, but there are interesting towns and villages such as Chatillon-sur-Marne, Dormans and Verneuil which are worth a visit, and where you may be able also to engage in tasting the products of the local wine makers…

The fortified town of Chateau-Thierry is interesting although it’s commercialised, but the nearby villages of Essomes-sur-Marne, Etampes-sur-Marne, Chierry, Blesmes and Gland are all places where you can enjoy sampling the local wines.

The scenery on this stretch of the Marne is delightful as you cruise between woods and vineyards and past villages such as Charly-sur-Marne with its nearby 17th century chateau, Crouttes and Nanteuil-sur-Marne where there are moorings close to the bridge.

Continuing through lovely scenery past Mery-sur-Marne there are more useful moorings at the small town of La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, where the British Expeditionary Force crossed the Marne during the First World War, and the site of that crossing, using pontoons, is marked by stone obelisks; there is also a memorial to the British forces who were killed in the battles of 1914.

The next town of any real importance is Meaux, which is a popular hire-cruiser base, and where there are good moorings, and where you may like to visit the Saint-Etienne Cathedral or the Gallo-Roman ramparts.

Leaving Meaux you cruise for some 8 miles via the Meaux-Chalifert canal and a 300 metre long tunnel, passing Condé-Ste-Libaire, Coupvray and Esbly to Lagny-sur-Marne, an attractive small town which is well worth a visit, and where there are new pontoon moorings reserved for pleasure cruisers.

By now you’re approaching Paris, and the scenery becomes suburban before you reach Joinville-le-Pont and the Saint Maur Tunnel where you have the choice of going through the tunnel or taking the Saint Maur loop through Champigny-sur-Marne, La Varenne and St Maur-des-Fosses although this is officially only navigable as far as Creteil where there are good moorings.

Below St Maur you pass Maisons-Alfort before reaching the junction with the Seine at Alfortville.

The River Oise   From the point of view of cruising, the most important section of the Oise is between the junction with the Canal Lateral a l’Aisne near Compiegne in the north-east to the Seine west of Paris.

Compiegne, with its impressive royal palace, is situated on   the banks of the Oise about a mile downstream of the River Aisne, and there are useful moorings on the quays. It has very strong historical associations, and also makes a good base for exploring the area, especially for those who like to explore by bicycle.

Leaving Compiegne by boat on the Oise there is a tranquil section of the river through to Verberie where there is a chateau and moorings, before you reach the industrial areas around Nogent-sur-Oise and Creil.

Pressing on you reach the famous horse-racing area at Chantilly and the riverside resort of Boran-sur-Oise and Royaumont with its abbey. There follows a mixture of rural and industrialised countryside of no significant interest through Beaumont-sur-Oise and Champagne-sur-Oise before you get to the pretty area around L’Isle-Adam, where there are good pontoon morrings.

Some way below here the river runs through the historic city of Pontoise where there are sandy beaches beside the river and then around a long loop at Cergy before reaching Neuville-sur-Oise and the Seine at the port of Conflans-Ste-Honorine.

The River Aisne   This river is navigable for some 35 miles from its junction with the River Oise near Compiegne to a junction with the Canal Lateral a l’Aisne near Near Condé and thus forms part of a popular “circuit” through Paris, Champagne and the Marne valley.

Branching off the Oise near Compiegne the River Aisne is pleasantly rural and runs through several attractive villages such as Rethondes as well as more industrialised towns such as Breuil before reaching the interesting town of Vic-sur-Aisne which is worth exploring.

Further up-stream the river runs through wooded countryside and passes several attractive villages including Port-Fontenoy and Osly-Coutil before reaching the industrialised but nevertheless interesting city of Soissons, where of course there are ample moorings.

From Soissons the river Aisne passes Missy-sur-Aisne and Condé sur Aisne where one joins the 30 mile long Canal Lateral a l’Aisne to Berry-au-Bac and junctions with the Canal des Ardennes and the Canal de l’Aisne a la Marne.

Leaving Condé-sur-Aisne the Canal Lateral à l’Aisne runs through pleasant countryside with several small villages before reaching the interesting small town of Vailly-sur-Aisne.

From Vailly the river passes through more small villages before you get to the historic barge-town of Berry-au-Bac and the junction with the Canal de l’Aisne à la Marne

The Canal de l’Aisne à la Marne was constructed in the 19th century to link the Aisne to the Marne and to incorporate the city of Reims into the waterway network.

From Berry-au-Bac the canal runs south-eastward through Courcy and Loivre to the city of Reims, where there is a harbour. Although perhaps at first glancve not the most attractive of cities the historic centre is well worth a visit with its superb architecture, cathedral and several museums.

Continuing in a south-easterly direction from Reims the canal follows the Vesle valley through the small town of Sillery, where there is a port which is much quieter than that at Reims itself, and the village of Sept-Saints before running through the attractive 2300 metre long Billy Tunnel and the descent through woodlands and agricultural land to Condé-sur-Marne and the junction with the Canal Lateral à la Marne.

Fully detailed Navigation & Tourist Guides (The Guides Fluvial) to these waters are available from Boating-in-France – see appendix 1 for details of how to order the Guides Fluvial

« go back