Canal boating holiday in Franche Comté
Canal boating holidays in Franche Comté and Doubs: a wide choice of routes with something for everyone.
Located between Alsace, Burgundy and Switzerland, Franche Comté has more than 300 km of accessible waterways to be explored on board our self-drive canal barge rentals.
You will travel through the heart of a region dominated by amazing natural landscapes that are dotted with traditional villages and remarkable historical towns – a truly beautiful setting for a boating holiday in France!

The town of Dole, famous for its art and history, was home to the first self-drive canal boat hire base that Nicols opened in France in 1991. It provides a remarkable setting to get on board your barge and fall under the spell...
Hire a canal barge on the Doubs, the canal from the Rhône to the Rhine and the Saône
Nicols offers boat hire from their Dole base (former capital of the Comté region) located on the waterway known as the "Canal du Rhône au Rhin" that is actually the canalised River Doubs.
Standing at the meeting point for the Doubs, Saône and Canal de Bourgogne, the Nicols base at Dole sits at a crossroads of rivers and therefore offers many different holiday routes – meaning you’re bound to want to return and explore the Franche Comté by boat again on many boating holidays!