The Waterways of France by Region
French Waterways in Detail

The French call it the ‘hexagon’ and it’s easy to see why. Within this geometrically defined land, neatly bordered by three seas and six countries, the physical geography is a story of rivers rolling down gentle gradients from the centre, the Alps and the Pyrenees to the three seas and the three north-lying countries. These rivers were all navigable with shallow-draught boats in their natural state. The history of settlement, consolidation of the nation and then its industrial and economic development is inextricably bound up in the growth of inland navigation first on these rivers, improved with weirs and locks, then on the canals that were built over more than three centuries, from 1642 to 1966, to link up the rivers and thus create the amazing network shown on this map.

All the richness and diversity of France are embodied in the 80 navigable rivers and canals that are presented on these pages, with descriptions and practical information for planning cruises.

The network is divided into eight regions, with between 7 and 15 waterways under each region, as listed below. The information, maps and images for each waterway are broken down for convenience into four tabs: Summary, Essentials, Details+Map, and Guides+Downloads. For complete detailed information, click on any of the region titles, or on an individual waterway name.