Boating In France - Franche, Comte and Douds

Franche, Comte and Douds:
The River Saône is one of the most important rivers in France, flowing some 300 miles from its source in the Vosges Mountains through Franche-Comté and Burgundy to join the Rhone at Lyon.

Along with the Rhone it is frequently used by boats en-route through France from the English Channel to the Mediterranean, but it’s now also a popular cruising ground in its own right, running as it does through the Burgundy countryside, the very heart of France, with long avenues of poplar trees, farmland and populated by many attractive and interesting villages and towns.

It’s navigable length is around 230 miles, with some 25 locks; starting out from the Saone’s junction with the Canal de l’Est at Corre the river here runs through undulating wooded countryside passed Fourchecourt and Port d’Atelier to the historic town of Port-sur-Saône, where there is a hire-cruiser base and useful moorings, although there are arguably more attractive moorings in the countryside at Chemilly near the restored chateau.

Thereafter the river runs through the 680 metre St Albin tunnel to the beautiful village of Rupt-sur-Saone with its chateau and lovely church, from where there are some good views of the river. A little further on is the port of Ray-sur-Saone home to another chateau. Next there is another 600 metre-plus tunnel before arriving at the sizeable town of Gray, where again there are mooring facilities. However there are nicer moorings a little further on at Mantoche, a very pretty village with an attractive small chateau.

The next place to note is the town of Pontailler where there are good moorings and a range of shops, and the larger town of Auxonne, an ideal stopping place, with peacefully situated moorings and a charming town to explore.

After leaving Auxonne you come to the junction with the Canal du Rhone au Rhin before reaching Saint-Jean-de-Losne, the “waterways capital of Burgundy” where there are moorings at the 18th century quay, close to the shopping centre.  St.Jean-de-Losne is a good example of a typical “barge town” with a fine waterways museum and exhibition

Continuing southward through the attractive port of Seurre the river begins to widen out and run through attractive countryside to Verdun-sur-le-Doubs, first established as a riverside port by the Romans, and which retains is impressive waterside frontage today.

Through several villages, the town of Verjux, the port of Gergy and the junction with the Canal du Centre one next approaches the major city of Chalon-sur-Saone, where the river is more than half-a-mile wide. Chalon has been an important town since Roman times, and it makes a good centre for exploring the Burgundy region. 

 The next place of interest is the village of Gigny – there are moorings available, and Camping L’Eperviere, with its excellent restaurant and wines, is within a few minutes walk, although most will probably press on to the attractive town of Tournus where there are pontoon moorings below the bridge. Tournus is a sizeable Burgundian town, with much to explore, including a museum, particularly for those interested in the history of the Bresse region

Some four miles further on comes a junction with the River Seille, following which, at Fleurville, there is another junction, this time with the short Canal de Pont-de-Vaux and its worth making a deviation for a couple of miles along this to visit Pont-de-Vauz itself especially if you’re interested in exploring a really typical Bresse town.

Continuing southward through Asnieres and St Martin-Belle-Roche you pass the chateau at St Jean-le-Priche shortly before reaching the outskirts of Macon, a major town noted for its fine wines and where there are good moorings in the yacht harbour upstream of the town, or you can usually find space to moor at the town quay near the bridge which is more central, although likely to be noisy.

Pressing on there are plenty of opportunities to moor up and explore this part of Burgundy from riverside towns and villages such as Creches-sur-Saone, St Roman-des-Iles, Belleville, Villefranche-sur-Saone and at the very attractive town of Trevoux, which was at one time the capital of the region.

From here on the river is distinctly less quiet, and there’s plenty to see in terms of all sorts of activities as you continue south through Neuville-sur-Saône and Rochetaillée-sur-Saône, where there is a chateau and motor museum, before reaching a narrow one-way section of the river around the Ile Roy and the outskirts of Lyon, France’s second city. Arriving at Lyon via the Saône is a fascinating and rewarding experience, and of course there are plenty of mooring opportunities at places such as the Ile Barbe, the Quay Tilsitt, and the Quay Maréchal Joffre which is quite close to the centre. Lyon is a surprising beautiful city well worth exploring.

The Canal du Rhone au Rhin  Running for a distance of around 150 miles from a junction with the Saone at St Symphorien-sur-Saone through some 112 locks to a link with the Rhine via the Huningue Canal.

The canal climbs from the River Saône up the Doubs Valley,  and through the Jura, to a height of 340 metres. Throughout its length the canal runs through attractive and varied countryside starting with the plains of the Saone Valley, through the wooded hills and spectacular steep cliffs of the Jura where the Swiss and German influences are most marked – an abundance of flora and fauna add to the enjoyment of a cruise on this canal.

The artificial section of the canal from St Symphorien-sur-Saône to Dole is the least interesting, which probably explains why Dole is a popular hire-cruiser base rather than St Symphorien, but it’s no doubt also because the old town of Dole itself is well worth a visit,  and it is here that the canal meets the lovely River Doubs.

Leaving Dole in a north-easterly direction, you cruise past several interesting villages, which all have mooring possibilities, such as Brevans and Rochefort-sur-Nenon after which you travel along the northern edge of the Forest of Chaux where you may spot deer and even wild-boar.

Between here and Besancon there are more attractive villages, again usually with mooring facilities, among the most  interesting of which are Salans, Osselle and Fraisans.

The approach to the fortified Roman city of Besancon perched some 100 metres above the river is impressive, and it’s well worth a visit. There are moorings at Port Battant and Port République.

From Besancon to Clerval you will be cruising on a beautiful section of the River Doubs rather than on a canal, and there’s some glorious scenery, interesting small towns such as Baume-les-Dames, and pretty villages before you reach the twin towns of Clerval and La Vesselotte, which make an interesting stop-over before pushing on to the pretty town of L’Isle-sur-Doubs which is almost completely surrounded by waterways.

  There are more attractive villages, mostly with good mooring facilities, on the next stretch to the large industrial town of Montbéliard, where Peugeot cars are built – there is a good harbour here, and the old town centre is worth a visit

From Montbéliard, by-passing Belfort, and continuing through Montreux-Jeune asnd Montreux-Vieux the Swiss and German influences become more apparent with place names such as Retzwiller and Illfurth before you reach the city of Mulhouse which epitomises the industrial revoltution of the 18th century. It has good facilities for leisure craft opposite the railway station, and at the commercial port Ile Napoléon which is also the customs office for traffic entering Germany or Switzerland.
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The Canal de la Marne à la Saône: The Marne-Saône Canal was built in the 19th century running for some 140 miles from a junction with the Canal de la Marne au Rhin at Vitry-le-Francois in the north to join the River Saone at Heuilly-sur-Soane. It forms part of one of the main routes for yachts travelling through France from the Channel ports or Holland to the Mediterranean.

It is perhaps unusual in having a well-maintained tarmac towpath for much of its length, and is therefore a well-known and popular route for cycling

From the small waterside city of Vitry-le-Francois the canal runs south-east following the route of the River Marne, mainly through agricultural land and villages to the town of St Dizier, where there are useful moorings for an overnight stop.

Leaving St Dizier the scenery gets prettier the further you go, although the first place of significant interest is the attractive flower-bedecked town of Joinville, which is worth a visit. South of Joinville the canal begins to climb through cornfields, woods and the 300 metre long Condes tunnel towards the busy fortified town of Chaumont, with its huge 650 metres long viaduct, and the Langres Plateau.

Langres itself is situated some two miles to the west, and 130 metres above, the Marne but is worth the effort to make a visit to this historic old walled town with its cathedral – arguably one of the most beautiful towns in France, and from where you can get superb panoramic views of the countryside and river..

South of Langres you come almost immediately to the Balesmes tunnel, which is nearly three miles long! (but at least it’s lit)  Traffic through it is regulated by lights and a radar system.

Passing the little River Vingeanne, one of several that feed the canal and the pretty village of Piépape with its old mill, followed by Montsaugeon, Montigny-sur-Vingeanne, and the Chateau of Rosiéres, the canal continues to wend its way southward.  Beaumont-sur-Vingeanne, also with a beautiful chateau, is worth a look before you come to the Oisilly viaduct and the towns of Reneve and Talmay, the latter again having an interesting chateau. The canal runs just a few more miles before joining the River Saone at Heuilly

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.