European Inland Waterways

Welcome to the European Inland Waterways Section

There are almost 30,000 kilometres of rivers and canals in mainland Europe. Cruising Association members have been enjoying them safely for many years, using the wealth of information and advice available through the CA's European Inland Waterways Section (EIWS).

The Section currently publishes four guides covering the inland waterways of France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands – all of which are free for members to download. They consist of a 212-page guide to Cruising the Inland Waterways of France and Belgium; a 244-page guide to 50 Great Inland Cruising Routes in The Netherlands; a 48-page guide to Through the Netherlands via the Standing Mast Routes and a 20-page guide to The German Rhine.

All guides are regularly updated and incorporate numerous hyperlinks to a wealth of additional information. CA members benefit additionally from hyperlinks to the CA's highly successful app, CAptain's Mate, to obtain the most up to date information on mooring locations and navigation restrictions as it is posted.

Non-members may also purchase the guides - either in downloadable PDF form from the CA's digital store Shopify or in print form from the print-on-demand publishers Lulu. For further details of all the guides see the CA Shop.

In addition to the invaluable and up to date information these guides provide, purchasers of all the PDF versions and selected printed versions who wish to join the CA online can benefit from a 25% discount offer on their first year's membership subscription! You'll find details of which of the printed guides contain this offer in the CA Shop or on the Lulu website.

Meanwhile, click on this link for a free 'taster' of the Cruising the Inland Waterways of France and Belgium guide (which includes moorings and other details of the Canal de Bourgogne).

Further member benefits

Underlying this comprehensive suite of publications are several further member benefits. A range of free Information Sheets can be downloaded, including Sources of Information on the European Inland Waterways; Summary of Maps and Guides for the French Waterways; VHF and ATIS (Automatic Traffic Information System); Tips for Cruising the French Inland Waterways; Winterisation Tips; The CEVNI Rules; Using the ANWB Waterkaarten Nederlands and Information Sources for Inland Cruising In the Netherlands.

The CAptain's Mate app not only links with all the Section publications so that members can post updates as they travel throughout the European inland waterways, but also incorporates a Find My Friend feature to locate and contact fellow members in one's cruising area. It also contains details of possible Layup locations on the European inland waterways, an invaluable service when seeking places to leave a boat safely to return home for family commitments or for the winter months. Currently there are around 80 locations in Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands where boats may be left both in and out of the water.

Finally, the Section has its own separate European Inland Waterways forum where members regularly exchange information or seek helpful advice on every conceivable topic related to inland waterway cruising.

Members are kept in touch with Section affairs by the dispatch of occasional newsletters as well as through announcements on the forum and the Section arranges an Annual Seminar and Lunch at CA House in London, usually in November, where both new and old members can meet to exchange information and advice, pass on experience of cruising the inland waterways and generally socialise with like-minded cruisers.