France has the longest waterway network in Europe outside Russia, with a total of 8800km of navigable rivers and canals. The waterways evolved in three main stages (excluding here the main rivers, which have always offered a degree of navigability in their natural state): Stage 1 - Original construction beginning with the Briare and Midi canals in the 17th century and continuing into the 19th century, with variable dimensions, but mostly designed for vessels carrying less than 150 tonnes. Stage 2 - The first modernisation, to 300-tonne canal standards, voted by the National Assembly in 1879 at the initiative of Charles de Freycinet, Minister of Public Works. This extensive plan involved construction of new canals and upgrading of the main existing routes to minimum lock dimensions 38.50 by 5.20m, for a navigable draught of 1.80m and bridge clearance of 3.70m. New alignments were built on some canals with elimination of locks, lowering of summit levels, new locks and aqueducts. Stage 3 - The current modernisation to the European Class IV (or V) standards, since 1953. Roughly a fifth of the total length of the network has thus been upgraded, essentially the main rivers and the Dunkerque-Escaut Waterway, with new alignments and new high-capacity locks…

Information about the network : http://www.vnf.fr