The navigation routes on the waterways to and from France

This map shows the main navigation routes (light blue colour) that cross through France from the north to the south and east to west. These routes follow natural paths created by rivers and mountains. They are ancient routes used for trade such as tin and spice, but as modern man's needs increased, the transported merchandise moved to boats and barges.

The rivers were controlled with locks and dams, and canals were built across the watersheds or beside unstable rivers. This allowed the cargo boats to traverse France and not be obliged to make dangerous journeys along the coastlines of the Mediterranean and Atlantic, risking their valuable goods and lives. The waterways have opened passages to distant countries and continents (shown by the orange arrows).

Notice the absence of a navigable route in the central west of France. This is the basin of the River Loire, which has always remained uncontrollable, with flooding and moving sandbanks. Converting the Loire into a commercial route and connecting it to the River Rhone would be a gigantic project.

Other cruise maps of France.