Wine-country between river Rhine and the Vosge-mountains

Landscape
Expansive grain-fields, woods with plenty of game, vineyards, picturesque villages and a number of reservoirs and lakes characterize this area. In two nature parks you will find vegetation not generally expected in this area: carnivorous plants, capercaillie on the higher grounds and lynx in the woods. But the main attraction of a boating holiday in the Alsace-Lorraine lies in the historic water buildings and structures. A number of manual and electric locks, several tunnels, the huge lock of Réchicourt and the boat-lift of St. Louis-Arzviller are among other awesome structures present.
 
The main waterways Canal de la Marne au Rhin, Canal de l’Est, Mosel(le) and Saar-Cabak are multi-faceted: meandering rivers intersect with straight canal-sections. The waterway runs through mountainous areas, vast fields of open countryside, and busy towns like Strassbourg, Saverne or Verdun as well as dreamy little wine villages.

Canal de la Marne au Rhin
The 290km Canal de la Marne au Rhin connects the basin around Paris with the plain of the river Rhine. It goes up through the Vosge mountains and the Lorraine-Department with the help of numerous locks. At the top there is a long section with no locks where some of our bases are situated. After this highest point the canal runs through two tunnels and drops down again into the Alsacien valley of the river Zorn.

From our base in Niderviller it is only a short journey to the tunnels of Niderviller which are quite an adventure being 500m and over 2km in length respectively. Right after the tunnels you will reach the boating-lift.

Once in the lovely valley of the Zorn you will soon get to Lutzelbourg, a small village famous for glass-blowing. Towering above the village is a castle dating back to the 12th century.

Several locks further you will approach Saverne with its pretty old houses and busy little shops. We recommend you stop right across from the Rohan-castle (the picture on the right is taken from a mooring-position there).

The next bigger town is Strassbourg, capital of the Alsace. You can cruise almost to the centre of the town and the harbour is just a few minutes by foot from the famous cathedral. Further details in the box at the right.

West from Niderviller you will first pass a very large lock at Réchicourt, which replaced six smaller locks some time ago. This impressive lock will take you down over 15m, where it will release you onto the Lake of Réchicourt, in the center of a large nature park. Now your crew will be busy; until you get to the village of Lagarde there are six locks to be passed. Further on you will pass Luneville, Einvillen and Dombasle, cross an aqueduct across the river Meurthe and eventually arrive in Nancy. Here you can park the boat right in the centre of town and walk to the Place Stanislas and the historic part of town.

At Frouard you will get onto the Moselle, which will later in Germany be called Mosel. Together with the Saar-Canal it makes the so-called “Small Sauerkraut Trip.” Just before reaching Toul you can turn left into the southern branch of the Canal de l’Est and travel down towards the Saone River.

In Toul the Canal de la Marne au Rhin flows through an ancient town-ditch. The medieval fortress and the St. Etienne cathedral are interesting sights to catch. Once again the Canal de l'Est turns off, this time at the northern branch. If you stay on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin you will soon reach the tunnel of Mauvages, which is almost 5km long. Vast fields, soft hills and rolling plains dominate this countryside. At Vitry-le-Francois the canal meets the Canal de l’Aisne à la Marne.

Mosel(le)
Why not plan a trip into the river Moselle, which is well-known for its beauty? You should definitely plan a visit of the old town of Metz with its picturesque old town-centre.

Canal de l'Est
With a total of 395km the Canal de l'Est is one of the longest French waterways. It connects the Meuse (Maas) in the North of France with the Saone River and crosses the Canal de la Marne au Rhin near Toul. Along its northern branch you will find historic sights like Verdun with its citadel and cathedral and Sedan with a huge fortress. Towards the south you will have to tackle a number of locks until you get to Epinal and then the Saone River.

Saar-Canal
The Saar-Canal leads from the Etang de Gondrexange at the Canal de la Marne au Rhin to Sarreguemines, situated about 80km further north. KUHNLE-TOURS base lies right at the southern end (see picture on the right).

If you talk to one of the lockkeepers who will accompany you up to Mittersheim, you will find out lots about this region. The lakes on either side offer great views and some places offer good swimming opportunities. The canal winds down in three major curves until it gets into the Saar Valley. At times the Saar River is right next to the canal, later they join and you travel on the canalized Saar. You will be able to take your boat to Saarbrücken, over on the German side.