Canal du Nivernais
Canal du Nivernais
4.5
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A canal on the River Yonne.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles96 reviews
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NorthStar33000695255
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Friends
We rented a houseboat from Nicols, in Plagny.
It was a terrible experience in particular due to the abrupt and truly unacceptable manner of the rude base manager.
For this reason I can only recommend making the same mistake as me, renting from others but not from Nicols. For the rest you will enjoy a beautiful region
Google
Written September 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sigrun H
4 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Friends
The one-week trip on the canal was enjoyable, BUT we were surprised and appalled as we understood that we had to flush our toilet wastewater right into the canal! We had expected the boat to be equipped with a wastewater tank and facilities to empty it along the way. This was in May, but dirt was already accumulating in and at the locks. I don't want to know what it looks and smells like in the peak season in the heat of the summer! I really hope the canal authorities forbid this practice! Who wants to go on vacation in a septic tank?
Written June 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Neal O
San Diego, CA9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2011 • Couples
My wife, another couple and I just completed our first LeBoat trip down the Yonne River and Canal Nivenais from Migennes to Chatel Censoir. It was an incredible experience and the boat performed without issue. We started in Migennes where Dominique helped us get started and proved to be an outstanding host and ended in Chatel Censoir where Mike helped us end our trip with the very best of service. We have chartered many sail boats the past few years in the Caribbean and this was our best chartering experience yet. We would recommend Leboat and the canal cruising experience to anyone who wants to see the countryside from the beautiful canals and rivers of France and at their own pace. It was incredible and the vacation of a lifetime. In my opinion there is no better way to see France. Also, I believe that anyone with minimal boating experience could, with the instruction provided by the Leboat staff prior to heading out, have a successful and once in a lifetime trip. We are already talking about what Leboat trip to do next.
Written September 26, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Henriette R
Melbourne, Australia136 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2016 • Family
A long review to help plan your barging trip in Burgundy:

We travelled as a family of 4 (children 10 and 13) from Corbigny to Joigny over one week during June. Travelling downstream is easier than upstream.

Highlights along the way included: medieval churches and towns, rural scenery, beautiful food and produce, a few great restaurants and introduction to wines from 'another' part of Burgundy (Tannay, Irancy, Chablis).

Sailing itself was hands on, as steering required effort and navigating many locks required some physical fitness. Assisting lock keepers along the way was also an active part of each day.

There were lock keepers at each lock and be aware of opening hours (often 9am to 12noon then 1pm-6pm) you can't go through any other time. At the last lock before mooring for the night, you need to let them know when you are planning to start the next day or may have a very long wait if there is no lock keeper ready for you.

Recommended towns to moor / visit:
Chitry-Le-Mines. Recommended for helpful port master, croissants and bread delivered in the morning (!) and cheap mooring fees. Also an interesting castle to visit (by appointment only).

Clamecy: recommended for good food and restaurants, shops, cathedrals/sightseeing. But noisy one evening with youths riding around nearby on mopeds and motorbikes

Chatel-Cesoir: beautiful small village- wonderful view from the very old church at the top of the hill. Excellent bar/restaurant L'Etape des Gourmets- about 500m from mooring. Easy access to power and water. Wifi less reliable. Have cash ready for the mayor who collects €11 in the morning.

Vincelles: easy mooring but less easy access to power and water unless you moor alongside the Creperie (highly recommended for a good meal). 3-4 kms uphill to picturesque Irancy town and wineries.

Auxerres: large town with many shops, restaurants, amazing history (see the abby, cathedral and churches). Most incredible boulangerie and Sunday morning small 'market' with food stalls by the river not far from mooring (about 800m walk)

Joigny: good port/ mooring with easy access to electricity, water and wifi (as long as you get the password from the office). Shops, medieval churches and streets. Michelin starred restaurant.

Other places to consider mooring for lunches / visits include Anois, Maille-Le-Chateau, Maille-Le-Ville, Cheveroche, Pregilbert (children's trampoline/activity course).

Watch points:
- It's an active trip while you are sailing - be ready to get involved navigating and getting through locks. Little time for reading or snoozing during sailing hours.
-Tannay and Cravent were recommended mooring destinations by the boat company but were not great for sightseeing or food. There are more picturesque places to stay.
- have some basic French phrases to help communicate with lockers and fellow travellers, many of who don't speak English. It makes the exchanges more fun and enjoyable for all.
Look out for market days where local produce can be purchased. Also many small village shops will have delicious home made produce along more standard fare- eg jams, honey, home made tarts.

Locaboat as a boat hire company are highly recommended.
Written July 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Donna O
Silverthorne, CO79 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2014 • Friends
Spending a week on the Canal du Nivernais on a rental from LeBoat was an outstanding experience! We travelled from Tannay to Migennes in late May. This was our second canal trip in a rented cruiser! We chose the Mystique cruiser from LeBoat and it was extremely comfortable for three couples plus easy to maneuver. Our previous trip was the Canal du Midi. This experience was quite different as there are no commercial barges on this canal. The scenery was pastoral and part of the time we were parallel to the river. We stopped in many small towns, always finding a wonderful restaurant for dinner! Each morning we would find a boulangerie for fresh bread and croissants. Lunch was usually on the beautiful deck of our boat! Auxerre was a highlight! The lockkeepers were all very friendly and enhanced our experience, but we were quite happy that a lockkeepers strike was called off! Recommend this canal for a fun relaxing way to visit the Burgundy region!
Written August 13, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Suzesonholiday
Auckland, New Zealand93 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
An excellent holiday meandering through rural Burgundy, we were 3 couples on a LeBoat (4 cabins, 3 bathrooms- which is recommended to allow the spare cabin for storage). We travelled 7 days from Tannay to Migennes, at a fairly leisurely pace. We recommend LeBoat. They were helpful during the booking process, but more importantly when we had a few small issues on the trip, their service was very good. We hired bicycles - highly recommended for visiting villages along the way. It was great to have wifi on board - we actually had problems with it, but LeBoat brought us a replacement as soon as we asked; and also replaced a bicycle when one got a flat tyre.
We experienced very hot weather - in the thirties - and we travelled in early June so that was quite unexpected. For that reason I highly recommend arranging for a canopy for the top deck, which you would have to arrange during the hiring process. We asked for one when we picked up the boat, but it was too late. If you don't buy the 'starter package' you need to get all supplies for the trip - including detergent, soap, sponges, matches. We cooked and ate on board about half of the nights, and ate out the other nights. Negotiating the locks is very much a part of the journey, and require a bit of active participation.
Trip highlights - exploring medieval villages on bicycle - delicious bread cheese and wines - everywhere - relaxed pace - the wine caves in Tannay and Bailly Lapierre - a side trip to Vezelay - roman ruins near Bailly - the medieval town centre of Auxerre - numerous beautiful churches - pleasant countryside. A perfect balance between meandering along, exploring interesting places, eating and drinking. Highly recommended.
Written June 26, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Travel_addict13_10
Australia653 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2016 • Couples
Our second experience in French canals with Locaboat and it was fabulous once again. The Canal du Nivernais is certainly scenic. We were advised to do the Canal du Midi first, which we did, and the advice was good. The Nivernias has some very narrow stretches and narrow, low bridges to steer through. As the Penichettes have very poor steering, these aspects required the person at the helm to be ever vigilant. The Canal du Midi was an easier experience for a first time. We travelled from Corbigny to Joigny through 64 locks which made it a very active experience. The days were busy but this appealed to us. On the Nivernais the lock keepers are doing much manual winding and we enjoyed being able to help them and interact with them and they were all friendly and personable. To cover the distance in the week we had to travel about 6 or so hours a day which kept us busy and didn't give a lot of time for exploring the towns. Having said that, most of the towns were quite small. The section from Auxerre to Joigny was in the River Yonne and was much easier with the wide locks and the wide river and the locks being more automated. In some ways this made it less interesting, particularly as the scenery became more suburban. We had excellent dinners on the way at the following restaurants. It was worth pushing it on the first day to reach Monceaux-le-Comte and eat at Restaurant Auberge du Centre. Wonderful food and service. At Clamecy port it is a very short walk to the Hostellerie de la Poste with its fine dining. Make sure you make a reservation. At Chatel Censoir we enjoyed a more rustic meal at L'Etape des Gourmets. Make sure you stop at Bassou and go to the the shop 'Billot' Francaise de Gastronomie which is noted for its Burgundy snails and Brittany sea scallops. We bought delicious frozen packs of delicacies and heated them on the boat. At Joigny we ate at Le Rive Gauche which is just near the Locaboat base and is absolutely delicious. They have a very reasonable set menu as well which we enjoyed. The penichette gave us no problems. Our friends had one with a battery that needed to be plugged in to electricity each night to keep it charged and the heating going. They had one other problem but a Locaboat technician was there very quickly and fixed it. We won't hesitate to use them again and certainly our canal experience left us keen to do it again.
Written October 9, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BetsyVan5
Los Gatos18 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2014 • Couples
We hired a fairly large boat from LeBoat for a week on the Canal du Nivernais and had a marvelous time. We needed a boat with three cabins and the one we chose had four so that extra cabin was used for luggage storage. While not the lap of luxury, the boat was comfortable.

The men did most of the driving and we all took turns with the locks. When it came to tying the boat along the banks, the guys took turns swinging the hammer to drive in the big spikes we tied to.

The weather in late June was warm and sunny, allowing us to eat outside on the deck for most meals though we had the occasional dinner out, and of course, coffee and ice cream in the towns and villages.

We hired bicycles and used them every day for casual rides and for bringing back bread, cheese, and the various goodies found along the way.

We will rent from LeBoat again and will be sure to stay on the canals for their bucolic charm and delightful villages.
Written October 2, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michele22London
London90 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2013 • Friends
We did a weeks boating holiday on the Yonne River through LeBoat and it was fantastic. We found it very difficult to research and get the right company to rent though, but I can only say good things about LeBoat and would not hesitate to recommend them and to hopefully use them again. The service was good, the information, cleanliness and facilities of boat. It was a super week.
Written June 24, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

michal a
Rehovot23 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2012 • Friends
Living in a postcard, in a painting!
Amazing scenery, beautiful villages,beautiful canals and rivers.
Don't miss Chablis and Vezelay.
,An incredible experience!
Written August 9, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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