My cruise in complete autonomy | Haute-Saône Tourisme I Découvrez un territoire authentique

River trip On the Saône

At Corre, the waters of the Canal des Vosges mingle with those of the Saône as cyclists and boaters cross the département. Heritage and nature are revealed along the way.

From Cendrecourt to Port-sur-Saône

Roughly halfway along the Saône’s navigable waters, overlooking the river, Port-sur-Saône, the town of many names, is reached downstream from the Fouchécourt stopover. The port is situated below, once under the ancestral protection of a fortified castle built in the 12th century. In the past, the port was intensively used for transporting agricultural and manufactured goods. The marina is large and well-equipped for both short stays and holidaymakers.

The yacht charter season runs from 1 April to the end of October. The rest of the year is devoted to welcoming private boats, renting them out in the harbours and maintaining the fleet.

Aerial view of a boat without a licence sailing on the Saône, in a setting of unspoilt nature, surrounded by greenery - Vesoul-Val de Saône — ©Sailing on the Saône|French Wanderers

River tourism is an opportunity to travel at a minimum speed. There’s a certain excitement at the start, and then at a speed of 10 km/h, you calm down and adopt a peaceful rhythm. The Saône is France’s second most popular river destination, with few locks and a few reaches, including Rupt-sur-Saône. Sailing along, dozing or reading on deck, all the pleasures are within reach, including fishing, swimming, observing nature, fauna and flora, marvelling at encounters with herons and swans, and taking advantage of stops to visit the region. A true art of living.

Rest assured, piloting one of these boats only requires basic training.

All you need to know On self-guided cruises

No worries for beginners! A little training and clear instructions will have you mastering your boat in no time. Sailing will quickly become an intuitive pleasure. Let yourself be guided by the flow of the water, while admiring the scenery that unfolds at every bend in the river.

Cruising in practice

Navigate Between history and nature

From Port-sur-Saône to Ray-sur-Saône

We’re in the heart of the département, at the crossroads of cycling, walking and road trails. Between Port-sur-Saône and Ray-sur-Saône, the river, wide, winding and peaceful, lazes in harmony with the landscapes it flows through: meadows, crops, wetlands and small towns with a remarkable architectural heritage. At the end of a meander, it’s not uncommon to come across a heron overhanging the water, or to see the façade of a castle, such as the one at Rupt-sur-Saône. So much so that you start to imagine that the boat is at a standstill, that it’s the scenery that’s moving. In Scey-sur-Saône-et-Saint-Albin, you can make the most of your stopover on the water to visit the small town, a “Cité de caractère Bourgogne-Franche-Comté”, admire the facade of its private castle (once the home of the princes of Beaufremont), and stroll around the houses with turrets, fountains and calvaries. Scey-sur-Saône is also a departure base, where Locaboat offers ideas for themed itineraries.

Visiting Scey-sur-Saône

Before reaching Ray-sur-Saône and its remarkable château.

As well as the Saint-Albin tunnel, undoubtedly the most spectacular structure on the route of the Haute-Saône waterways, located between Scey-sur-Saône and Rupt-sur-Saône, on the way down the river: the underground part of this tunnel-canal measures six hundred and eighty-one metres. When the tunnel was first planned in the first half of the 19th century, the aim was to allow barges to cross by avoiding a meander in the Saône that was prone to silting up, thereby saving boatmen seven kilometres.

A woman pilots a boat without a licence on the Saône, admiring the surrounding landscape, near the Cité de Caractère and the château of Ray-sur-Saône, visible in the background - Vesoul-Val de Saône — ©Sailing on the Saône|French Wanderers

The Cité de Caractère and the château of Ray-sur-Saône, seen from the Saône - Vesoul-Val de Saône — ©Ray-sur-Saône|French Wanderers

A couple pilot a boat without a licence on the Saône, looking at a navigation chart - Vesoul-Val de Saône — ©Sailing on the Saône|French Wanderers

A boat prepares to pass through the Seveux-Savoyeux tunnel on the Saône - Vesoul - Val de Saône — ©River tourism on the Saône

The river was opened to navigation in 1882. Today, a handful of barges still ply its damp arches, but most of the traffic is pleasure craft. An interpretation trail and picnic tables have been set up on the merlon.

In the middle of the meander, the Traves boat stop provides a base for those wishing to avoid the passage under the tunnel.

The Saint Albin tunnel

The banks of the Saône are alive with cyclists and tourists lunching at Le Barnayout in Scey-sur-Saône-Saint-Albin - Vesoul - Val de Saône — ©Le Barnayout|MJoly

Over the course of the Saône

From Ray-sur-Saônein Gray

Ray-sur-Saône is an attractive place to stay, and a visit to the château is a must. Taking to the water again quickly brings you to the port of Savoyeux, with its facilities and services to delight travellers. Saône Plaisance manages the port and offers maintenance, security and hire services. Further along the river, Gray comes into view. This could be a good opportunity to see L’Audacieux, which has been its home port since 2020.

Le Château de Ray

From Gray to the Côte d'Orvia Mantoche

The end of the journey in Haute-Saône is near, and Burgundy is just around the corner. One last important stop awaits the yachtsman. Mooring in the port of Gray is a must, as is a visit to the town, which is highlighted by the Voie Bleue cycle route. Once past Gray, the course of the Saône escapes southwards, and a penultimate stop at Velet and its riverside beach promises a refreshing moment of relaxation. Then it’s on to Mantoche and the Côte-d’Or.

The Blue Way

The Mantoche stopover

At Mantoche, the Saône is about to leave the département. This is the last area to be developed, and is a popular stopping-off point for pleasure boaters. Recently upgraded, it has taken its place in the former boys’ school on one bank of the waterway. The idea was to relocate the village’s former grocery shop, which, while remaining accessible to local residents, offers a wide range of services for those on the move: café, small restaurant, terrace, grocery shop, documentation. As well as offering greater parking facilities, the stopover is located right next to the Voie Bleue cycle route.

The stopover