They knew the Loire River by heart and cherished it with all their heart. Today, there are many bridges, yet the Loire boatmen are still around—now they share their passion for the river with passengers who want to get to know it better.

Jean-Philippe and Bruno are Loire boatmen because they love what they do—there’s no other way to be one. They observe the weather every day, as Jean-Philippe explains:
“The Loire can change so fast. Last year, the water level was so low that we had to board passengers upstream, on the other side of the inlet. Two weeks ago, I had to take down the pontoon because the water had risen one meter forty.”

“Passengers appreciate it when we explain about the Loire, the birds…look behind you, there is a tern about to dive for a fish, it’s a migratory bird that we see from May to September who comes to reproduce on the sandy banks.”

“At night, we take people on evening trips. They love it when we glide between the islands, and the other day we came back at sundown—there’s a special ambiance, that’s the hour where you might see a beaver looking for something to eat.”

“Bruno is a Loire fisherman, and when we take passengers he shows them what he fished and explains what species they are and fishing techniques. Often, these fish are sold to nearby restaurants but most are processed in our artisanal processing workshop, and made into rillettes (paté) or prepared dishes.”

“We also organize picnics by request on our boats. You can even rent the entire boat for 4 to 6 people, for people who want explore the river in a small group.”

“We want people to be happy, and that they leave having learned something about the Loire, that they have good memories of the trip, that they had a good time—we share our passion for the river with our passengers.”
by Isabelle Brigout

Loiret Tourism (www.tourism-loiret.com), Photos © Passeurs de Loire (www.passeursdeloire.fr)
Luxury hotels and designer Bed and Breakfast in the Loire Valley Business hotels and Secret places