River tourism recorded a record activity for liners on the Rhine in 2023, with nearly 400,000 passengers,
“a level never reached before which can be explained by a constantly increasing supply”
, announced this week Voies navigables de France (VNF).
To discover
Stays in France: weekends, hotels and tailor-made stays from our partners
“On the large network, river liners are experiencing a historic record of activity in 2023”
, with nearly 400,000 passengers for 2,981 ships, notes the manager of the national river network in a press release.
This constitutes, for example, an increase of 20% over one year at the Gambsheim locks (Bas-Rhin), near Strasbourg.
Just behind the Canal du Midi
The Batorama tourism boats, which allow a visit to the Strasbourg canals, also recorded “
an exceptional year with growth of almost 14% in the number of passengers compared to 2022, despite a month of December constrained by the phenomena of high water”
, further indicates VNF.
“With a total of 740,348 passengers in 2023, this sightseeing boat activity returns to the standards before the Covid-19 health crisis.”
In the Rhine basin, the Marne-Rhine and Saar canals are also particularly popular entry points for German and Dutch boaters to access the French river network.
The Marne-Rhine canal is the second busiest in France, just after the Canal du Midi.
“With more than 7,281 boat passages at the Saint-Louis/Arzviller inclined plane and 4,610 recorded at Saverne in 2023, these two major tourist spots confirm the attraction for pleasure boating in France,”
continues VNF.
In video -
Come aboard the Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world from Royal Caribbean.