Why licence-free boat holidays in France are booming in 2026

The licence-free boat market continues to grow, attracting a new clientele eager to experience France through a slower style of travel on short-to-medium-term trips.

Click&Boat, SamBoat and Le Boat are three of the biggest companies in the market, but smaller operators have long catered to demand across the country, from the Channel coast to Arcachon Bay and the ever-popular Canal du Midi.

Licence-free boating sits at the crossroads of slow tourism and van life, with clients prioritising quality over quantity and immersing themselves in local culture, traditions and natural surroundings rather than rushing through sightseeing. At the same time, they enjoy fully equipped boats, sometimes nicknamed camping-cars sur l’eau (RVs on water) or appartements flottants (floating apartments).

Two of the biggest players – Click&Boat and SamBoat – operate in a manner similar to Airbnb, but for boats. Their platforms allow owners to list vessels for hire. Other companies own their fleets, such as Le Boat, a UK-founded company established 57 years ago. It owns over 900 boats and offers cruising holidays across eight countries with 33 departure bases.

The company’s reservations rose by 6% in 2026 compared with 2025.

It recently launched its high-end Liberty range, featuring five berths, two cabins, a Smart TV, Wi-Fi and air conditioning, alongside its three existing categories: Standard, Comfort and Premium.

In France, it operates on the Canal du Midi, most famously, but also in Bourgogne, Loire-Nivernais, Camargue, Alsace, Bretagne, Charente, Lot and Aquitaine.

“The Canal du Midi best exemplifies what clients are looking for: heritage, gastronomy, slow tourism and nature. It is French culture at its finest,” said Amandine Jimenez, marketing manager at Le Boat.

“I have had all sorts of clients for all sorts of occasions,” said Amandine Champion, founder of Escape Insolite, a licence-free boat company operating in Anjou and on the Canal du Midi.

“They include men on stag weekends, families with children, former boat owners, and both older and younger couples looking for a romantic getaway,” she added.

“There is a new generation with new expectations,” said Frédéric Carrère, founder of E-co Plaisance BA, a licence-free electric boat company operating on Arcachon Bay.

Mr Carrère said that while clients once viewed ownership as freedom, owning a boat is now increasingly seen as a burden involving numerous constraints.

“Clients no longer rely on cars. They come to the bay by bicycle and expect to benefit from every amenity through rental systems,” he said.

His boats cost €70 per hour, with trips lasting four hours.

Realising market potential

Ludovic Morice, manager of Uship MG Nautic in Fécamp (Seine-Maritime), introduced a rental service as soon as he launched his company in 2021. Previously the owner of a sailing shop, he quickly became aware of the market’s potential.

“Renting is a sort of loss leader for us,” he said, as his company covers every aspect of the boating world – from rentals and training to sailing, refurbishment, boat sales and brokerage.

Many clients rent a boat for half a day to visit the cliffs of Étretat, one of the region’s main tourist attractions.

He also introduced a Boat Club card, a yearly membership paid monthly that allows members to sail for an unlimited amount of time within a single day.

“Some of my Boat Club members are factory workers. That would never have been possible in the past,” he said.

Starting with two boats, Mr Morice said he now owns six thanks to the growth of his rental business.