River cruises and license-free boating in the Vosges
Last updated on 8 April 2025
Discover the pleasures of freshwater sailing along the famous Canal des Vosges during your vacation in northeastern France. also known as the Canal de l'Est, this 70 km route invites you to discover the Vosges landscape punctuated by numerous locks, medieval castles and picturesque villages.
Choose the best points of departure
River cruises in the Vosges will give you the opportunity to enjoy your vacation along the Canal des Vosges in a different way. Linking the Saône, the Meuse and the Moselle, the Canal de l'Est begins in Givet and ends in the commune of Corre in Franche-Comté. Crossing the Vosges, it takes the name of the Canal des Vosges and passes through numerous villages where you can drop anchor or weigh anchor at any time. Note that four towns have a marina where you can rent a boat and begin your adventure on the water. Your point of departure will depend on the length of your excursion. But the best-indicated towns for traveling along the Vosges canal are Épinal and Fontenoy-le-Château.
Traversed by the Moselle, the commune of Épinal benefits from a marina surrounded by greenery that invites you to relax. Before leaving the port, you can linger for a few hours on its playground, built on the banks of the Moselle. From Épinal, gently sail up the canal and reach towns such as Thaon-les-Vosges or Nomexy before disembarking at the marina of Charmes, also crossed by the Moselle.
The commune of Fontenoy-le-Château is about thirty kilometers from Épinal. From the port, go up the canal to admire the towns that follow one another between Épinal and Fontenoy-le-Château, or go down to the town of Corre, which also has a marina. However, take the time to take a tour of the town of Fontenoy-le-Château before setting off on your cruise. Fontenoy-le-Château is adorned with a rich architectural heritage and nature that lends itself to beautiful hikes. The Château de Fontenoy, the Lombards Tower, the church of Saint-Mansuy, the embroidery museum and the ponds are all points of interest not to be missed in Fontenoy-le-Château.
The Vosges along the water
Whatever your point of departure, your boat trip will be punctuated with pleasant surprises such as the discovery of picturesque villages. Leaving the port of Fontenoy-le-Château, enter the department of Haute-Saône and pay attention to the picturesque villages such as Selles and Pont-du-Bois before finishing your trip in Corre.
As you travel up the Canal des Vosges, before relaxing for a few hours at the port of Épinal, linger in the communes of Harsault, built on the right bank of the Coney, Chaumousey, immersed in a bucolic setting, or Uzemain, home to the Thièlouze chapel overlooking the Vosges canal. From Épinal, traveling up the Vosges Canal, you can stop off in the village of Les Forges, where a short hike to the Étang de la Comtesse (the Countess' Pond) will be most welcome.
Good to know
| Number of boats available | 724 |
|---|---|
| Average price per week | $2,382 |
| Minimum weekly price | $945 |
| Maximum price per week | $5,761 |