About the Loire
France's longest river is also one of its wildest, with shifting sandbars that for centuries kept commercial cruising off the table. CroisiEurope's purpose-built MS Loire Princesse — a paddle-wheel ship with a draft of just one metre — finally opened the lower Loire to overnight passenger sailings in 2015.
Headline destinations: Nantes, Angers, Saumur, Bouchemaine, the Loire châteaux.
The river flows through 1 countries — France. 1 ships from 1 different operators currently sail itineraries here, ranging from week-long classic loops to multi-week extended voyages.
Featured itineraries on the Loire
| Itinerary | Length | Sample ports |
|---|---|---|
| Loire Châteaux Cruise | 6 nights | Nantes · Bouchemaine · Saumur · Ancenis · Bouchemaine · Nantes |
| Royal Loire & Châteaux | 6 nights | Nantes · Saumur · Angers · Bouchemaine · Nantes |
Operators sailing the Loire
Ships sailing the Loire
| Ship | Cruise line | Class | Guests | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS Loire Princesse | CroisiEurope | Paddle Wheel | 96 | 2015 |