Discover Poses through two themes: inland waterway shipping and the lake landscape of the Parc de Léry-Poses. At the Musée de la batellerie, aboard the tugboat Fauvette and along a guided audio trail, you can encounter the history of former inland waterway boatmen in different ways. The park adds three lakes, protected birdlife and water sports to this focus. For your stay, you can choose between cultural history, nature watching and active pursuits.
Tugboats and memories of the river
The former Midway, originally a motorless towing barge, is moored in Poses and now houses the Musée de la batellerie. The museum keeps memories of the river alive through stories told by inland waterway boatmen, unusual objects and timeless photographs. You can get another glimpse of working vessels aboard the Fauvette: the tugboat was launched in 1928 and was one of the first boats with a diesel engine. It has been listed as a historic monument since 1992 and is once again sailing on the Seine. On board, you can visit the wheelhouse, engine room and the quarters of the captain and his deckhand. The contrast highlights two specific technical features: the Midway originally had no engine, while the Fauvette had an early diesel engine.
A guided, immersive audio trail in Poses also explores the history of former inland waterway boatmen. The stated distances are useful for planning: the walk takes about an hour each way and is approximately two kilometres long. The audio trail also includes seven additional stops. La Rousserole offers another cultural perspective: this is the house in Poses where the painter Marcel Niquet lived. His artistic legacy comprises more than 2,200 works, including portraits of inland waterway boatmen, scenes of everyday life and landscapes along the Seine. Alongside the boats, people and river landscapes thus emerge as themes in the history of the area.
Three lakes, different highlights
The Parc de Léry-Poses comprises three lakes with a total water surface of 650 hectares and offers 1,300 hectares of green space. Lac de la Grande Noé is a protected ornithological reserve of national importance, located on a major bird migration corridor. During migration, around 210 bird species can be observed there. This makes it particularly interesting if you want to focus on nature watching; the species diversity is explicitly linked to the migration season.
For water sports, Lac des Deux Amants has a different profile: it is open to the general public, is suitable for water sports and offers equipment rental on site. There are also playgrounds for children on its shores. Lac du Mesnil is used mainly by sports clubs, schools and associations for sailing, kayaking and windsurfing courses. The comparison can help you choose the right focus: Lac des Deux Amants emphasises public access and the activities described, while Lac du Mesnil is primarily for organised courses.
Choose culture or nature for your stay
If you are particularly interested in inland waterway shipping, you can see the Fauvette and the audio trail as different ways to explore it: aboard the boat, the vessel and its individual rooms take centre stage, while the guided trail conveys the history of former inland waterway boatmen. For nature lovers, Grande Noé offers a clear focus on birdwatching during migration. Water sports, in turn, can be considered through the differences between the two lakes: Lac des Deux Amants is described as a publicly accessible place with equipment rental, while Lac du Mesnil is primarily a venue for courses. Your choice depends on whether you want to focus more on cultural history, birdlife or one of the water sports mentioned during your stay.
Discover more destinations: Les Damps, Saint-Pierre-Du-Vauvray, Campigny, La Poterie-Mathieu, Le Neubourg, Bourth, Pont-Saint-Pierre, Toutainville.
For the broader travel overview: Eure.
