Bases at Joigny, Corbigny and Dompierre sur Besbre
As you follow the valley of the Yonne and the Canal du Nivernais, you travel through a landscape where, at each bend or lock, new vistas open up, often punctuated by the tower of some little-known but sublime Romanesque church.
Here, at superb restaurants in Joigny and Auxerre, food and fine Nivernais architecture complement each other like capon and a good Chablis.
Irancy, surrounded by vineyards, sleeps around its church which felicitously combines Gothic and Renaissance features.
The dramatic location of Châtel-Censoir, a pretty village with a 5th-century crypt and ancient church, vies in splendour with the excursion to glorious Vézelay, its main street lined with medieval bouses and its magnificent Sainte-Madeleine basilica.
Friendly, bustling Clamecy retains its ancient dovecots.
The canal also makes the most of its verdant setting as it passes the Rochers de Saussois, where, if rock-climbing is your thing, you can try your hand at scaling the crags.
One-week cruises from Joigny
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Joigny, Auxerre, Vermenton, Chatel-Censoir and return
Cruise distance 154km (95.69 miles), 68 locks, 33 hours of cruising -
Joigny, Auxerre, Vermenton, Clamecy, Corbigny ONE WAY
Cruise distance 128km (79.54 miles), 62 locks, 29 hours of cruising
10 or 11-day cruises from Joigny
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Joigny, Auxerre, Chatel-Censoir, Clamecy and return
Cruise distance 194km (120.55 miles), 86 locks, 42 hours of cruising -
Joigny, Villeneuve, Sens, Bray, Nogent sur Seine and return
Cruise distance 256km (159.07 miles), 48 locks, 42 hours of cruising
Three-week cruise from Joigny
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Joigny, Sens, Montereau, Moret, Montargis, Briare, Sancerre, Nevers, Decize, Chatillon, Baye, Clamecy, Auxerre, Joigny CIRCLE
Cruise distance 553km (343.62 miles), 214 locks, 100 hours of cruisingIncludes 3 rivers and 3 canals
One-week cruises from Corbigny
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Corbigny, Tannay, Clamecy, Chatel-Censoir, Corbigny
Cruise distance 108km (67.11 miles), 62 locks, 26 hours of cruising
10/11-day cruise from Corbigny
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Corbigny, Tanlay, Clamecy, Coulanges, Vermenton, Corbigny
Cruise distance 158km (98.18 miles), 92 locks, 38 hours of cruising
Two-week cruise from Corbigny
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Corbigny, Chatillon, Decize, Nevers, Sancerre, Corbigny
Cruise distance 340km (211.27 miles), 168 locks, 72 hours of cruising
One-week cruises from Dompierre sur Besbre
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Dompierre, Decize, Cercy, Chatillon en Bazois, Dompierre
Cruise distance 170km (105.63 miles), 58 locks, 30 hours of cruising
Two-week cruises from Dompierre sur Besbre
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Dompierre, Decize, Chatillon en Bazois, La Collancelle, Clamecy, Auxerre, Joigny: ONE WAY
Cruise distance 260km (161.56 miles), 129 locks, 54 hours of cruising
Locaboat by Riverly rental boats for Nivernais Canal and River Yonne
Locaboat by Riverly operate 14 types of self-drive boats for Nivernais Canal and River Yonne
Locaboat by Riverly enquiries and reservations
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