List of rivers of France facts for kids

A map showing the main rivers of France.

France is a country in Europe with many important rivers. These rivers flow into different seas and oceans, like the North Sea, the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. Some rivers are called fleuves because they flow directly into the sea or a large lake. These are shown in bold in this list. Other rivers are called rivières because they flow into another river.

This article lists the main rivers in France. It also mentions some rivers that don't flow through France themselves but have smaller rivers (called tributaries) that start in France. These are shown in italics. We're only looking at rivers longer than 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) or those with longer tributaries.

If you want to see an alphabetical list, you can check out the Rivers of France category.

Rivers by Sea or Ocean

North Sea

These rivers flow towards the North Sea. We'll start from the northeast (near the Netherlands) and move towards the southwest (near Calais).

• Rhine/Rhin
  • The Rhine is a very important river in Europe. Its main part flows into the sea in the Netherlands.
  • Moselle (joins the Rhine in Germany)
    • Saar/Sarre (joins the Moselle near Germany)
    • Sauer/Sûre (joins the Moselle in Luxembourg, has French tributaries)
    • Meurthe (joins the Moselle in France)
  • Ill (joins the Rhine near La Wantzenau)
• Meuse
  • This river also flows into the North Sea in the Netherlands.
  • Chiers (joins the Meuse in France)
  • Sambre (joins the Meuse in Belgium)
• Scheldt/Escaut
  • This river flows into the North Sea in the Netherlands.
  • Lys (joins the Scheldt in Belgium)
  • Scarpe (joins the Scheldt in France)
• Yser (flows into the sea in Belgium)
• Aa (flows into the sea in Gravelines)

English Channel

These rivers flow into the English Channel. We'll go from east (near Calais) to west (near Brest).

• Canche (flows into the sea in Étaples)
• Authie (flows into the sea near Berck)
• Somme (flows into the sea near Abbeville)
  • Avre (joins the Somme in Amiens)
• Bresle (flows into the sea in Le Tréport)
• Seine
  • The Seine is one of France's most famous rivers, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre.
  • Risle (joins the Seine in Berville-sur-Mer)
  • Eure (joins the Seine in Pont-de-l'Arche)
  • Oise (joins the Seine west of Paris)
    • Aisne (joins the Oise in Compiègne)
  • Marne (joins the Seine southeast of Paris)
    • Grand Morin (joins the Marne near Meaux)
    • Ourcq (joins the Marne near Lizy-sur-Ourcq)
  • Yonne (joins the Seine in Montereau-Fault-Yonne)
• Touques (flows into the sea in Deauville)
• Orne (flows into the sea in Ouistreham)
• Vire (flows into the sea near Isigny-sur-Mer)
• Couesnon (flows into the sea near Mont-Saint-Michel)
• Rance (flows into the sea in Saint-Malo)

Atlantic Ocean

These rivers flow into the Atlantic Ocean. We'll go from north (near Brest) to south (towards Spain).

• Aulne (flows into the sea in Logonna-Daoulas)
• Odet (flows into the sea near Quimper)
• Laïta (flows into the sea in Guidel)
• Blavet (flows into the sea in Lorient)
• Vilaine (flows into the sea in Pénestin)
  • Oust (joins the Vilaine in Redon)
  • Ille (joins the Vilaine in Rennes)
• Loire
  • The Loire is the longest river entirely in France. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean in Saint-Nazaire.
  • Sèvre Nantaise (joins the Loire in Nantes)
  • Maine (joins the Loire near Angers)
    • Mayenne (joins the Maine near Angers)
    • Sarthe (joins the Maine near Angers)
      • Loir (joins the Sarthe north of Angers)
  • Thouet (joins the Loire in Saumur)
  • Vienne (joins the Loire in Candes-Saint-Martin)
    • Creuse (joins the Vienne north of Châtellerault)
  • Indre (joins the Loire in Avoine)
  • Cher (joins the Loire in Villandry)
  • Allier (joins the Loire near Nevers)
  • Arroux (joins the Loire in Digoin)
• Sèvre Niortaise (flows into the sea in Marans)
• Charente (flows into the sea near Rochefort)
  • Boutonne (joins the Charente in Cabariot)
• Dordogne
  • This river flows into the Gironde estuary, which then flows into the Atlantic.
  • Isle (joins the Dordogne in Libourne)
    • Dronne (joins the Isle in Coutras)
  • Vézère (joins the Dordogne near Le Bugue)
• Garonne
  • The Garonne also flows into the Gironde estuary.
  • Lot (joins the Garonne near Aiguillon)
  • Baïse (joins the Garonne near Aiguillon)
  • Tarn (joins the Garonne near Castelsarrasin)
    • Aveyron (joins the Tarn near Montauban)
  • Ariège (joins the Garonne in Toulouse)
• Adour (flows into the sea near Bayonne)
  • Nive (joins the Adour in Bayonne)
  • Gaves réunis (joins the Adour near Peyrehorade)
    • Gave de Pau (joins the Gaves réunis in Peyrehorade)
    • Gave d'Oloron (joins the Gaves réunis in Peyrehorade)
• Bidasoa (flows into the sea in Hendaye, on the border with Spain)

Mediterranean Sea

These rivers flow into the Mediterranean Sea. We'll go from west (towards Spain) to east (towards Italy).

• Ebro/Èbre (flows into the sea in Spain, has French tributaries)
  • Segre (joins the Ebro in Spain)
• Tech (flows into the sea near Argelès-sur-Mer)
• Têt (flows into the sea near Perpignan)
• Aude (flows into the sea near Narbonne)
• Orb (flows into the sea in Valras-Plage)
• Hérault (flows into the sea near Agde)
• Rhône
  • The Rhône is a major European river that flows into the Mediterranean Sea in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône.
  • Gard or Gardon (joins the Rhône in Beaucaire)
  • Durance (joins the Rhône in Avignon)
    • Verdon (joins the Durance in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance)
  • Ardèche (joins the Rhône in Pont-Saint-Esprit)
  • Isère (joins the Rhône near Valence)
    • Drac (joins the Isère in Grenoble)
  • Saône (joins the Rhône in Lyon)
    • Doubs (joins the Saône in Verdun-sur-le-Doubs)
  • Ain (joins the Rhône near Pont-de-Chéruy)
  • Arve (joins the Rhône in Geneva, Switzerland)
• Argens (flows into the sea in Fréjus)
• Var (flows into the sea in Saint-Laurent-du-Var)
• Roya (flows into the sea in Ventimiglia, Italy)

Rivers in Corsica

Here are some rivers on the island of Corsica, listed counterclockwise from the north.

• Golo (flows into the sea near Bastia)
• Tavignano (flows into the sea in Aléria)
• Taravo (flows into the sea near Propriano)

Po basin (Adriatic Sea)

This river flows into the Adriatic Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean.

• Po/Pô (flows into the sea near Venice, Italy, has French tributaries)
  • Dora Riparia/Doire Ripaire (joins the Po in Italy)

French Guiana

French Guiana is a part of France in South America. It has its own list of rivers.

Longest Rivers in France

This table shows the longest rivers that flow through France. The lengths are only for the parts of the rivers that are within French territory.

^a This means we're only counting the part of the river that is inside France, not its total length across other countries.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Ríos de Francia para niños

• Geography of France
• List of waterways
• List of lakes of France
• List of canals in France