March 6, 2025, 3:05 p.m. | Reading time: 5 minutes
No boat license? No problem: thanks to a charter license or similar regulations, you can set off on a trip in a floating home in many areas of Europe. Five suggestions.
The magic word is charter license: It allows recreational captains to steer a rented houseboat on inland waters on vacation, even if they do not have the appropriate recreational boat license.
In Germany, according to the relevant legal regulations, the officially so-called charter certificate is an official document that is valid for the duration of the rental period of a boat.
Providers of houseboat holidays issue the charter license after an instruction period lasting several hours. Among other things, the technical functionality of the ship, safety regulations and traffic rules on the water are explained. A short driving lesson, often with one lock, is part of it.
According to the ADAC, over 700 kilometers of waterways in Germany can be navigated with a charter certificate. But there are also areas abroad where tourists can become responsible skippers for the duration of their holiday without a license. Here are some suggestions.
Netherlands
Germany
Netherlands
The neighboring country is one of the classics for houseboat holidays - no wonder, because water is not in short supply in the country of canals and canals. South Holland with cities like The Hague or Rotterdam and numerous rivers and canals such as the Maas or Nieuwe Waterweg offers suitable areas for recreational skippers.
In Friesland, the Frisian Lake District is an ideal area for beginners. There are no locks in the patchwork of waters. However, the opening times of some bridges must be taken into account.
Amsterdam can also be explored by houseboat; the infrastructure with many docks is better developed than almost anywhere else. In the Netherlands, a houseboat driven without a license may not be longer than 15 meters and the maximum permitted speed is 20 km/h.
Also interesting:The best tips for your first houseboat vacation
Thousands of lakes, dense forests, hills and heathland: a holiday in Masuria promises a variety of landscapes in itself. Exploring Poland's largest contiguous inland body of water with large lakes such as the Jezioro Sniardwy or the Jezioro Mamry on board a houseboat offers almost countless routes. Because canals and rivers create numerous connections. Nevertheless, navigation is easy thanks to good markings, and locks are rare.
The starting points for houseboat holidays are Mikolajki, Wegorzewo, Ruciane-Nida or Gizycko. In Poland, houseboats can be driven without a license, including if they are no longer than 13 meters and have a maximum speed of 15 kilometers per hour. You should reserve early, especially for the summer time. The Masurian Lake District is anything but an insider tip.
Germany
There are also smaller areas in Hesse and Saarland, but the best-known and perhaps most diverse destinations for houseboat vacationers with a charter license are the lake districts in Brandenburg and Mecklenburg with the Müritz as one of the largest inland bodies of water in the country.
The number of lakes, rivers and canals in Mecklenburg alone is in the hundreds. Large lakes are Kölpinsee, Fleesensee, Malchower See or Plauer See. On windy days, another requirement of the charter license quickly applies here, because from wind force 4 - which can be recognized by rippling waves as a rule of thumb - you have to moor.
A houseboat holiday in Brandenburg can easily be combined with a visit to Berlin. Starting points such as Fürstenberg (Havel) or Rheinsberg with the famous castle are within a 100-kilometer radius. From the Wildau charter base south of the capital, you can also take a houseboat tour into the Berlin city area.
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The Grande Nation is also big when it comes to houseboats. The ADAC states the total length of suitable waterways in France at over 800 kilometers. And most of them can also be discovered on board rental houseboats without a sports boat license.
The Canal du Midi between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the classics of a houseboat holiday. On sunny days, cypresses and plane trees provide shade along the 17th-century structure. Particularly relaxing for newcomers is a route of over 50 kilometers long without locks between Argens and Béziers - where the Fonseranes lock staircase is a technical historical attraction. Boats can be picked up in Argens-Minervois, Le Somail, Port Lauragais or the medieval fortress city of Carcassonne.
Other popular houseboating areas can be found in Alsace, Burgundy and Brittany. In the Camargue, holiday skippers can explore saltwater lagoons. In France, a houseboat chartered without a license cannot be longer than 15 meters. Specified maximum speed: 12 km/h.
Shannon and Erne are the names of the rivers that are well known in the skipper scene. Together with other canals, one of the largest houseboat areas in Europe awaits you on the Green Island; according to the ADAC, there are more than 1,000 kilometers of waterways.
The two rivers are connected by the Shannon-Erne Waterway and feed lakes such as Lough Allen, Lough Ree and Lough Erne. Houseboats can be picked up on their banks in several locations. If you start from the Shannon, you will find charter bases in Carrick-on-Shannon.
In order to take on the role of a captain without a license, you must be at least 21 years old in Ireland with some providers. A little experience behind the wheel doesn't hurt, as there are a few locks to pass through on the rivers and canals.
With material from dpa
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