Bienvenue sur Plaisance Fluviale - Simonszand - Briare the canal

Situated on the right bank of the Loire, Briare has always been an important junction of waterways. Under the regime of Henry IVth in the early 1600s, Hugues Cosnier started the construction of the "Canal de Loyre en Seine" later known as the Canal de Briare. Nowadays, the harbour in Briare welcomes pleasure boats from all over Europe. The South of France can also be reached from here via the Loire Lateral Canal. It is only159 kilometres from Paris by boat, car or train.

Today’s Town Hall is the original Château and Head Office of the Association of the Lords of the Briare Canal.

TOWN HALL

Place Charles de Gaulle - Tél. +33 (0)2 38 31 20 08

What to visit in Briare:
In the ‘Museum of the Two Marines and the Aqueduct’ discover the evolution of the shipping industry of the River Loire and her canals down through the years. Here you can watch several videos of the construction of the Briare canal and its ingenious water supply system, as well as learn all about the building of the famous Aqueduct. There’s a lot to find out about the River Loire!

MUSEUM OF THE TWO MARINES AND THE AQUEDUCT

58 boulevard Buyser - Tél. +33 (0)2 38 31 28 27

For many years, the 662.69 metre Aqueduct was the longest one in Europe to be made from metal. Construction of this Aqueduct has meant being able to cross the volatile River Loire in safety and without any risks. Gustave Eiffel was, in this case, responsible for the masonry; it was the Daydé & Pillé Company that carried out the steelwork. It is worth making a little detour to see the pumping factory that still pumps water from the River Loire up to the summit of the Briare canal.

In 1851 the Bapterosses family bought an old china factory in Briare as they needed extra space for their button manufacturing business which had outgrown their small workshop in Paris. They continued manufacturing buttons as well as beads and later on, enamel; (see the church). The Mosaic and Enamel Museum retraces 150 years of its history, and is situated in the factory, which still exists.

MOSAIC AND ENAMEL MUSEUM

1 Boulevard Loreau - Tél. +33 (0)2 38 31 20 51

Walking through the town, you’ll discover numerous mosaic designs on houses or other buildings such as those on the Romanesque -Bysantine styled church of Saint Etienne (Stephen).

Many exhibitions take place in the Château of Trousse-Barrière. Discover there also some of the well-loved places of Briare, represented in stained-glass by Henry Harpigny.

PRĖS GRIS AQUATIC CENTRE

Rue des Près Gris - Tél. +33 (0)2 38 31 26 87

Près Gris Aquatic Centre.

Enjoy water sports: Aqua-fitness

Various tourist circuits help you discover the locks on the old canal: Baraban, Combles, Martinet, Rivotte, and also Mantelot Lock which is across the Loire on the left bank.

Didier, driver of the little train will tell you about many more sights as he drives you around his town: the Rialto Bridge, ‘Goat Island ‘( l’Île aux Chèvres ), the Grey Meadows (Près Gris,) Henri IV Bridge, the lock at “La Place” and its old mill, as well as the lock “La Cognardière”- at the junction with the new canal.

If you stay in Briare for a while, the opportunity to visit the “cinémobile”, a unique cinema in France, should not be missed. This semi-trailer opens out to create a 100-seat cinema. It travels and visits many towns right across the Centre region. It will be in Briare, in 2012,on Place du Champ de Foire (the Market Place) Once a month on Mondays. Check with the Capitainerie for dates. It shows films shortly after their release.

Be sure not to miss the lovely, traditional market before leaving Briare, which takes place each Friday morning. Note also that excellent local Coteaux du Giennois wines can be enjoyed in a variety of restaurants around the town.

In the vicinity of Briare, visit the Château de La Bussière with its fine vegetable garden, owned by the Seigneurs du Tillet. It is nicknamed “The Fishermens’ Château”, and known for its preserved specimen of a very rare coelacanth, a fish thought to be extinct. In Dammarie-en-Puisaye, the “grange aux dimes”(Tithes Barn) and the keep are also well worth a look. On the way up the hill to the 12th-century church in Ouzouer-sur-Trézée, you can also admire a 15th-century half-timbered house. Ponds, rivers and canals within the area are a paradise for fishermen.

An environmental accolade, this is awarded to (coastal) and waterway destinations or stopovers which have achieved the highest quality in water, facilities, safety, environmental education and management.

In the very heart of the town, the leisure port of Briare-Le-Canal provides the best of facilities for boaters.

Quay Tchékoff and Quay de la Trézée seen from the air (Google Earth)

Quay de La Trézée and Quay Tchékoff are accessible by water from the lock of La Cognardière. The water draught is limited to 1.20 metres. Please contact the Harbour Master’s Office /Capitainerie if you want to moor here in the heart of Briare.

You must carry on board the general police regulations and those of the waterways you sail in. Plaisance Fluviale - Simonszand provides them in a pdf format.

Since 1st January 2010, the Lyonnaise des Eaux Company controls the management of the port. Thanks to its considerable experience, it can guarantee the continuity of a quality service, in a friendly atmosphere. Harbour Master Bruno Chanal, who has a long background in boating, along with his entire team are always ready to help, and can give any further information required.

Port de Briare-le-Canal
Capitaine Dorothé MAAS
Quai de la Trézée
45250 BRIARE
Fixe : +33 (0)2-38-31-24-65
Mobile : +33 (0)6-08-95-03-20
E-mail : port.briare@lyonnaise-des-eaux.fr

You can order bread and pastries in the Port Office before 6 p.m. The Harbour Master and/or his team will be pleased to deliver them the following day on your boat between 8.30 and 8.45 a.m.

Newspapers: Order your newspaper at the Harbour Master's Office before 7.00pm. It will be dropped to your boat the next day between 8:30 am and 8:45 pm

From 1st of April to 30th of October

8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. – 1.30 to 7.00 p.m.

7/7

From 1st of November to 30th of March

10.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. – 2.00 to 4.30 p.m.

From monday to Friday

Registration required at the Capitainerie/Port Office – Quai de la Trézée

Bring the boat’s documents. You will then receive your mooring instructions.

Port de Briare-le-Canal
Capitaine Dorothé MAAS
Quai de la Trézée
45250 BRIARE
Fixe : +33 (0)2-38-31-24-65
Mobile : +33 (0)6-08-95-03-20
E-mail : port.briare@lyonnaise-des-eaux.fr

ROOM AVAILABLE AT THE CAPITAINERIE



You 'd like to meet your clients in professional and pleasant surroundings beside the Canal de Briare, but haven’t an office available? Thanks to the Briare Port Capitainerie you may benefit from a meeting room which can be set up so as to allow you to conduct your business.

Room size : 25 m2	Maximum Capacity : 14 personnes	Prices from : 220 €

Restaurant facilities are available only two minutes away, opposite the Marina.
Safe Parking

To make a reservation, call 06 08 95 03 20 or e-email : port.briare@lyonnaise-des-eaux.fr