France Main Waterways.
– Burgundy Canal: About 150 miles long, it abounds of historic locations along its meandering route.
– Canal du Centre: About 73 miles long, it constituted the final link in the first inland-waterway route between the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea.
– Canal du Midi: About 204 miles long, it’s a system of navigable waterways in southern France that links the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. it mixes well utilitarian function with aesthetic appeal harmonizing with the landscape. It’s still in commercial use and also very popular for its tourist cruises.
– Marne-Rhin Canal: Linking the Mare and Rhine Rivers in Alsace, this canal is popular for leisurely boat cruises.
– Rhine-Rhone Canal: About 217 miles long, it links the Rhine with other river systems.
– Doubs River: About 270 miles, rising in the Jura Mountains of eastern France and flowing northeast.
– Dordogne River: It derives its source from the Puys, the highest points at the heart of the Massif Central. Its waters feed some of France’s richest agricultural lands around Perigord.
– Garonne River: It derives its source from Spain Pyrenees Mountains and flows northeast and then northwest about 312 miles. It reaches the Atlantic Ocean close to the southwest city of Bordeaux through the Gironde Estuary.
– Isere River: About 180 miles, it rises in the Alps of southeastern France and then flows southwest until it joins the Rhone River.
– Loire River: It’s the longest river in France with a total length of 625 miles. Going from the center of France toward Paris but turning west at Orleans to finally reach the Atlantic. By the Loire Valley you can visit the famous chateaux such as Chambord…
– Marne River: About 326 miles, it is located in northern France. It joins the seine river at Charenton le Pont, an eastern suburb of Paris.
– Meuse River: About 560 miles long. It goes from north east France into Belgium and Netherlands where part of it flows into theNorth Sea. Via waterways and canals it is linked to the cities of Antwerp and Rotterdam.
– Moselle River: About 320 miles long. Rising, in the Vosges mountains of northeastern France it goes north toward Germany.
– Oise River: About 186 miles long. It rises in southern Belgium and flows through northern France to join the seine river.
– Rhine River: It is one of the main European rivers, about 820 miles long. It rises in the Swiss Alps and flows north passing through or bordering Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands emptying into the North Sea. The river carries more traffic than any other waterway ion the world and is navigable by oceangoing vessels as far as Mannheim Germany. The Rhine-Main-Danube canal completed in 1992 allows barge traffic between the North Sea and the Black Sea.
– Rhone River: It is one ofEurope’s longest rivers, about 500 miles long. It rises in Switzerland Alps to flow southward through eastern France and empties in the Mediterranean Sea. It passes though some important cities like Geneva and Lyon.
– Saone River: It is about 300 miles long. Located in eastern France.
– Seine River: It is about 482 miles long. Famous because it flows through the heart of Paris. It rises in Burgundy and empties in the English Channel. It has been since Roman times an important commercial artery.
