The Canal du Rhône au Rhin, built between 1784 and 1833, is a magnificently scenic route through the Jura, with wooded cliffs and blueish ranges of hills in the background. The two historic towns, Dole and Besançon, both have spectacular settings. It is used by large numbers of boats heading south from Germany and Switzerland to the Mediterranean, but it is also a cruising waterway in its own right, especially in the picturesque valley of the Doubs. Commercial traffic in 38.50m barges is very slight. The long-standing project to open up a new large-scale waterway on the line of the canal, providing a continuous route for Rhine shipping from the North Sea to the Mediterranean, has been abandoned.
The canal links the Saône at Saint-Symphorien, 4km upstream of the junction with the Canal de Bourgogne at Saint-Jean-de-Losne, to the upper Rhine (in fact the Ottmarsheim reach of the Grand Canal d’Alsace) at Niffer (PK 185). The length of the canal is 237km.
Tunnel de Thoraise
This 185 metre tunnel was opened in 1810. It is lined with the bare hewn rock. It has a towpath down one side and is one way only. As it is short it does not need traffic lights. An art installation was made earlier in the 21st century: a waterfall at each end which stopped as boats entered and large fairy lights along the roof. None of these delights are working these days.
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| South west portal |
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| One of the waterfall arches |
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| North east portal |
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| North east portal |
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| North east portal |
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| North east portal |
Tunnel de Tarragnoz
This 388 metre tunnel is also known as the tunnel de Citadel as it goes under the ancient citadel of Besançon. It is traffic light controlled and has flood gates before the north east portal and a lock at the south west portal.
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| North east portal |
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| South west portal |
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| South west portal |
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