A cruise on the Rivers of Western France
Enjoy the comfort of a pleasure boat to discover the Rivers of Western France. Whether a guided tour or a dinner cruise, there are many kinds of river excursions available on the rivers Sarthe, Maine and Mayenne.
A guided tour by pleasure boat
Get on board for a two-hour long tour on a pleasure boat such as the “Sablésien”, the “Hirondelle”, the “Vallis Guindonis” or the “Meduana”. These covered and heated vessels of several metres in length offer panoramic views all along the river route. Some even have a terrace on the upper deck.
A river tour starting in Sablé-sur-Sarthe
Board the Sablésien for a tour of 1.5 hours on the river Sarthe between Sablé and Juigné with views of the abbey at Solesmes. The “Gregorian cruise” is available during the day or in the evening as a “sundowner cruise”.
A guided tour from Angers, Grez-Neuville or Chenillé-Changé
The “Hirondelle” offers two river tours:
- A tour of 1 hour and 45 minutes on the Mayenne starting from Grez-Neuville or Chenillé-Changé with demonstration of the towpath.
- A cruise of 2 hours setting off from Angers towards the island of Saint-Aubin with its ferry and island port, Châtillon and Écouflant.
A pleasure boat trip from Laval
Take a seat on the Vallis Guidonis for an hour-long tour from the river stop in Laval. During this pleasure boat trip, a barge will take you on a journey of discovery of the region’s architectural heritage from the river Mayenne.
Guided tour around the town of Mayenne
The pleasure boat La Meduana offers two guided boat tours from the river stop in Mayenne:
- "Discover the river Mayenne”: a tour of two hours including passing of locks.
- “The roots of Mayenne”: a tour of 1.5 hours upstream with the passing of one lock.
Dinner cruise on a restaurant boat
The majority of pleasure boats turn into restaurants for lunch or dinner for a tour of 3 hours. Tours during the day including meals are also available.
On the Sarthe with “Le Sablésien”
- Starting from the river port at Sablé-sur-Sarthe, enjoy a dinner cruise of three hours on the restaurant boat “Le Sablésien”.
- Alternatively, choose a daytrip of five, seven or nine hours on the river Sarthe between Sablé and Malicorne.
On the Mayenne with “L’Hirondelle” or the “Vallis Guidonis”
- Starting from Grez-Neuville or Chenillé-Changé: enjoy the foods prepared by the restaurant “La Table du Meunier” during a dinner cruise aboard “L’Hirondelle”.
- Starting from Laval : set off with the master gastronomer “Maison Marsollier” on the “Vallis Guidonis” for tasty and refined tours.
On the Maine with “L’Hirondelle”
- From Angers, the restaurant boat takes a tour of the islands of Saint-Aubin by going up the confluence of the river to Cantenay-Épinard.
- Also from Angers, this dinner cruise travels down the Maine towards Bouchemaine and then the Loire to Béhuard.
