Canal boat hire and Pénichette® rental

The Riverly fleet stands out for its quality and consistency. All our rental boats and Pénichettes® are exceptionally comfortable, easy to handle, and perfectly suited for license-free river cruising.

2 boat styles

Pénichettes

The Pénichette® is the proud heir to traditional canal barges, a true icon of inland waterways. Instantly recognizable by its flat, elongated silhouette, it’s the quintessential river boat.

Cruisers

The river cruiser features a sleek, streamlined shape inspired by classic pleasure boats, giving it a distinctly modern look.

4 levels of comfort

This range includes our most affordable boats, practical, comfortable, and time-tested. Sturdy and reliable, they’re perfect for first-time cruisers.

These boats are thoughtfully designed and well-equipped to host crews of 2 to 12 people in complete comfort.

All boats in the Premium range come with an outdoor helm. Most models also feature one bathroom per cabin and a bow thruster for easier manoeuvring from the front.

Our newest boats, offering all the features of the Premium range, outdoor helm, bow thruster, en-suite bathrooms, on our most modern models.

Discover our boats

Can I really rent a boat with no licence as easily as it sounds?

Under European law, it is legal to rent a boat without a licence on certain waterways. The water conditions in such areas are generally calm and pleasant. Riverly’s self-drive boats range from 9 and 15 metres in length but have been designed to be easy to handle and manoeuvre.

Finally, rest assured that we won’t let you set off before we’re certain you’re fully prepared. We are authorised to train our customers to operate self-drive boats with no licence. At the start of your cruise, a technician will spend time explaining how your boat works and the necessary manoeuvres. Once you’re completely confident, you can set off on your boating holiday – you’re the skipper, after all.

Can I really rent a boat with no licence as easily as it sounds?

Where can I find the boats and Pénichettes® ?

For your next river cruise, you can choose among 550 Pénichettes® and license-free boats available in France, Germany, Holland, Italy and Ireland. In order to find the boat that suits you best, Riverly recommends you to have a look at the list of boats available at its 39 departure bases.

Canal boat and Pénichette®: comfort and equipment??

Locaboat boats are as comfortable to live in as an apartment. You’ll find a kitchen (called a ‘galley’ in boating terminology) equipped with a fridge, hot plates, a worktop and usually an oven (all boats except the Linssen model). All necessary kitchenware and crockery can be found on board. We also provide sheets, duvets, bath towels and dishcloths. There’s almost nothing you have to bring yourself, but if you’re unsure take a look at the pre-departure checklist.

All our boats have a main room and one or more cabins. Except for the Pénichette Classic^®, all our rental boats have an outside deck where a table can be placed for al-fresco dining.

Canal boat and Pénichette®: <span style="color:#DE6B50;">comfort and equipment?</span>?

Self-drive canal boats: what about children’s safety?

Safety is a primary concern for those with young children. Our boats are specially adapted and very safe, and problems are extremely rare on canals and lakes. For the most risk-averse parents, we recommend Pénichette^® models rather than boats from the Europa or Linssen ranges because they come equipped with guard rails around the outside of the boat. Please also be aware that children tend to adapt more quickly than adults to conditions on board. For these reasons, ensuring child safety on a boat is no more difficult than on dry land.

<span style="color:#DE6B50;"> Self-drive canal boats:</span> what about children’s safety?

Canal boat hire for travelling European waterways

Do you need a licence to drive European canal boats?

Before you set off on a holiday of a lifetime, boating across the many waterways of Europe, you may have a pang of fear about driving a boat. Although this task may seem like a daunting one, it can be far more accessible and, in turn, far more rewarding. In most European countries and on most European waterways, it is unnecessary to hold a boat’s license to drive a boat. Most of the canals and rivers you will be travelling down will be calm stretches of water and require little skill to manoeuvre or traverse. Locaboat’s boats range in length from nine to fifteen metres, yet they are simple to handle.

Although you may not need a boating license, you will need to learn how to control and drive the boat safely. To allow you to do this confidently, you and your fellow holidaymakers will be given a small moment of instruction by one of the Locaboat technicians. These instructional class will ensure you know how the boat works, what to look out for and how to perform important boating manoeuvres.

This short lesson and instructional time before you set out on canal boat holidays will ensure you have the confidence to travel by boat and enjoy your time on the water. Your instructor is also unlikely to abandon ship before you are confident in driving your canal barge. It is also advisable to instruct more than just one person in your holiday entourage – this means everyone will be capable of driving the boat in an emergency.

Canal boat hire for travelling European waterways

Our favorites itineraries

Germany / Saale Valley

Castles and Towns of the Saale - 5 nights

Departure : Bernburg

Arrival : Bernburg

Round trip

5 nights

Discover the itinerary

Germany / Saale Valley

History, Nature and Heritage - 10 nights

Departure : Bernburg

Arrival : Bernburg

Round trip

10 nights

Discover the itinerary

History and Nature in the Heart of the Saale

Germany / Saale Valley

History and Nature in the Heart of the Saale - 7 nights

Departure : Bernburg

Arrival : Bernburg

Round trip

7 nights

Discover the itinerary

Pricing and Availability

Departure on Saturday: minimum 7 days. For short stays: departure on Monday or Friday Remember to provide details of your crew to benefit from additional discounts. Please note: 1 May is a public holiday in France and, exceptionally, all locks will be closed on that day.

Boats	Routes

Make sure you can maneuver your canal boat rental

As already mentioned, you won’t need a professional boating license to boat across European waterways, but you do need to learn specific boating manoeuvers. These manoeuvres will not only ensure you and your fellow passengers are safe but also allow you to moor at different places along the many rivers and canals. This mooring manoeuvre is one of the most important and will guarantee safe stopping and stopping at will to any riverside or canalside port you wish. This manoeuver will be taught to you right before setting out on your barge boat trip, and you should not start before mastering it!

The actual process of manoeuvering and mooring your boat will all depend on the type of boat, the area you’re trying to moor at and the conditions of the river or canal. The first element you should consider is the speed at which you are travelling, ensuring it is appropriate for the surroundings. Next, make sure your mooring lines are free of tangle and knots, and they are also coiled and correctly stowed away. If there are multiple people on board the boat, then it is important to have them in position at either end of the boat. Preferably, they should be stood with one on the bow and another on the stern.

Choose the right boat hire to fit the environment

Before we move on to the intricacies of choosing the ideal boat for you and your holiday needs, it’s important to see what kind of boat fits this canal and river type of travel. As you are travelling along stretches of water that can be somewhat narrow, hiring a canal boat helps cut through the smaller stretches of the route. This type of boating is especially important when travelling through a series of locks on the Canal du Midi, for example, or winding sections of River Shannon cruises. These types of boats are both easy to drive and easy to manoeuvre, giving them far more credibility and reliability out on the water.

As you will also be using this boat as a home away from home, it is important to hire a narrowboat that has enough space to keep you in comfort throughout the journey. Alongside this relative comfort, you will also need a canal boat that has enough storage space to keep you going throughout your trip. A perfect balance of driveability, storage space, and comfort is exactly what you will get with a Locaboat canal barge rental. To understand these in a little more detail, it is important to break down particular boats and what they can offer when looking for a barge to rent.

Where can I rent a barge from?

Explore stunning waterways in the South of France

As the south of France is one of Europe’s most popular boating destinations, there are unsurprisingly numerous stops along its rivers and canals where you can hire this selection of Locaboat boats. As the Canal du Midi is one of the South of France’s most frequented waterways, you can start from a number of different spots. Where you start from in France and where you hire your canal boat from is a completely personal choice.

Taking Canal du Midi into consideration, there are three main places in which you can begin your boating holidays, and these three are also where you can hire your boat. Deciding which mooring site to start from is your own choice and will often depend on the route you plan to take. As the Canal du Midi runs from the Mediterranean sea to the city of Toulouse, you can start at either end and travel the entire route.

You can hire any of the boats listed above from the town of Négra, only half an hour’s drive south of Toulouse. Hiring your boat from here will allow you to travel the Canal du Midi route in its entirety. The second Locaboat location is halfway down the canal’s route at the town of Bram, fifty kilometres away from the town of Négra. Holidaymakers can start their canal journeys here and go in either direction, making it another popular place to rent barges and boats from. The final boat rental destination along the Canal du Midi is at Argens, closer to the Mediterranean side of the route. It is also possible to start the entire Canal du Midi journey from here and travel east to west.

Discover boat rental on the Emerald Isle

The Emerald Isle has quickly become a fantastic destination for canal holidays, and it is easy to see why. Locaboat have set up a number of different boating ports and canalside rental places, giving visitors to Ireland the chance to see many of its counties. Where you start can all depend on which of these countries you wish to visit. It can also depend on which waterway you want to travel down, be it the River Shannon, the Royal Canal or the Grand Canal.

If you are travelling down the River Shannon, there are two main locations in which you can rent a Locaboat boat. The River Shannon runs on a north-south route and depending on the direction you wish to travel, you can travel northwards, or you can travel southwards. Where you choose to start is a wholly unique choice and will often depend on where you are entering the country. Flying to its capital Dublin will mean you are in the middle of both starting points, and the choice is yours on which to choose.

There are two main places to rent boats along the Shannon River. The first of these is at the town of Carrick-on-Shannon in the northern county of County Leitrim. Hiring your boat from here will allow you to travel southwards through the county and onto the River Shannon’s many must-see sights. The second of these River Shannon boat rental spots are on the south section of the river, in the town of Banagher.

Renting a boat in the Netherlands

With a country whose water table is so low, most of the Netherlands is covered in numerous waterways, rivers and canals. This environment lends itself perfectly to boating holidays and Locaboat has set up a couple of boat renting sites. Both of these reside in the Holland area of the Netherlands and give holidaymakers the chance to travel through both the east and west sections of the Holland region.

If you are planning to travel throughout the western areas of the Holland region, then hiring your boat from the town of Alphen will be a huge help. The Locaboat headquarters here ensures you can travel all the way to The Hague in the south and even as far north as Amsterdam and beyond. Being in between these two major cities allows boaters to travel the length of the region with ease and even bring the boat back to where they started.

The second of these boat rental locations are located in the east of the region, in the town of Loosdrecht. The Loosdrecht canal base means you can travel northwards to Amsterdam within a few short miles and south to the town of Utrecht. Travelling this region can even be done in a complete loop, with the Loosdrecht canal base serving as both the starting and ending point. The increased connectivity of the canals in this region means you can travel distances in a very short amount of time, making hiring and returning boats a breeze.

They travelled with Riverly

4,4

Excellent sur

Trustpilot

Canal du Midi & Camargue

Bourgogne & Environs

Lacs du Mecklembourg

Lagune de Venise

Grande Lago

Shannon & Erne

Venice Lagoon

Do you have a question?

Do you have a question?

Canal boat hire and Pénichette® rental

2 boat styles

Pénichettes

Cruisers

4 levels of comfort

Discover our boats

Can I really rent a boat with no licence as easily as it sounds?

Where can I find the boats and Pénichettes® ?

Canal boat and Pénichette®: comfort and equipment??

Self-drive canal boats: what about children’s safety?

Canal boat hire for travelling European waterways

Do you need a licence to drive European canal boats?

Our favorites itineraries

Castles and Towns of the Saale - 5 nights

History, Nature and Heritage - 10 nights

History and Nature in the Heart of the Saale - 7 nights

Pricing and Availability

Pricing and Availability

Make sure you can maneuver your canal boat rental

Choose the right boat hire to fit the environment

Where can I rent a barge from?

Explore stunning waterways in the South of France

Discover boat rental on the Emerald Isle

Renting a boat in the Netherlands

They travelled with Riverly

4,4

Oenotourisme & Gastronomie

City Break

Baignade

Golf

En couple

En famille

Entre amis

Week-end & Courts séjours

Une semaine

Longs séjours

Avril

Mai

Juin

Oenotourisme & Gastronomie

City Break

Baignade

Golf

En couple

En famille

Entre amis

Week-end & Courts séjours

Une semaine

Longs séjours

Avril

Mai

Juin