Until the Tancarville bridge opened in 1959, the only way across the Seine between Rouen and Le Havre was by ferry, Normandy's tourist board recalls. The Sahurs – La Bouille crossing still works that way. It is one of eight ferries that the Seine-Maritime department runs between Canteleu and Quillebeuf-sur-Seine, and the 2026–2027 timetable gives sailings from early morning to 22:00 every day except 1 May.
Monday to Friday, the earliest departure is from La Bouille at 06:30, and from Sahurs at 06:35. At weekends and on public holidays the day starts later, at 07:00 from La Bouille and 07:15 from Sahurs. Evenings are the same all week: the last departure from La Bouille is at 21:50 and from Sahurs at 22:00.
There is nothing to pay. What is worth a glance before you set off is the Inforoute 76 map, where the department flags any stoppage of the La Bouille ferry, even one lasting only a couple of hours.
Weekday and weekend sailings from each bank
Monday to Friday (not public holidays)
| From Sahurs ferry slipway | From La Bouille ferry slipway, Route du Bac (D67) |
|---|---|
| 06:35 | 06:30 |
| 06:50 | 06:40 |
| 07:10 | 07:00 |
| 07:25 | 07:20 |
| 07:35 | 07:30 |
| 07:45 | 07:40 |
| 07:55 | 07:50 |
| 08:05 | 08:00 |
| 08:15 | 08:10 |
| 08:25 | 08:20 |
| 08:35 | 08:30 |
| 08:45 | 08:40 |
| 08:55 | 08:50 |
| 09:30 | 09:25 |
| 09:50 | 09:40 |
| 10:10 | 10:00 |
| 10:30 | 10:20 |
| 10:50 | 10:40 |
| 11:10 | 11:00 |
| 11:30 | 11:20 |
| 11:50 | 11:40 |
| 12:10 | 12:00 |
| 12:30 | 12:20 |
| 12:50 | 12:40 |
| 13:10 | 13:00 |
| 13:30 | 13:20 |
| 13:50 | 13:40 |
| 14:10 | 14:00 |
| 14:30 | 14:20 |
| 14:50 | 14:40 |
| 15:10 | 15:00 |
| 15:30 | 15:20 |
| 16:10 | 16:00 |
| 16:30 | 16:20 |
| 16:50 | 16:40 |
| 17:10 | 17:00 |
| 17:30 | 17:20 |
| 17:50 | 17:40 |
| 18:10 | 18:00 |
| 18:30 | 18:20 |
| 18:50 | 18:40 |
| 19:10 | 19:00 |
| 19:30 | 19:20 |
| 19:50 | 19:40 |
| 20:05 | 20:00 |
| 20:40 | 20:35 |
| 21:10 | 21:00 |
| 21:40 | 21:30 |
| 22:00 | 21:50 |
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays (no service on 1 May)
| From Sahurs ferry slipway | From La Bouille ferry slipway, Route du Bac (D67) |
|---|---|
| 07:15 | 07:00 |
| 07:35 | 07:30 |
| 07:45 | 07:40 |
| 07:55 | 07:50 |
| 08:05 | 08:00 |
| 08:15 | 08:10 |
| 08:25 | 08:20 |
| 08:35 | 08:30 |
| 08:45 | 08:40 |
| 08:55 | 08:50 |
| 09:30 | 09:25 |
| 09:50 | 09:40 |
| 10:10 | 10:00 |
| 10:30 | 10:20 |
| 10:50 | 10:40 |
| 11:10 | 11:00 |
| 11:30 | 11:20 |
| 11:50 | 11:40 |
| 12:10 | 12:00 |
| 12:30 | 12:20 |
| 12:50 | 12:40 |
| 13:10 | 13:00 |
| 13:30 | 13:20 |
| 13:50 | 13:40 |
| 14:10 | 14:00 |
| 14:30 | 14:20 |
| 14:50 | 14:40 |
| 15:10 | 15:00 |
| 15:30 | 15:20 |
| 16:10 | 16:00 |
| 16:30 | 16:20 |
| 16:50 | 16:40 |
| 17:10 | 17:00 |
| 17:30 | 17:20 |
| 17:50 | 17:40 |
| 18:10 | 18:00 |
| 18:30 | 18:20 |
| 18:50 | 18:40 |
| 19:10 | 19:00 |
| 19:30 | 19:20 |
| 19:50 | 19:40 |
| 20:05 | 20:00 |
| 20:40 | 20:35 |
| 21:10 | 21:00 |
| 21:40 | 21:30 |
| 22:00 | 21:50 |
Seine-Maritime department timetable booklet 2026–2027, no start or end date published · checked 29 October 2026 Département de la Seine-Maritime – Horaires des bacs 2026-2027 (PDF, pages 8–9) · 2026-10-29
No ticket for cars, bikes or walkers
You do not need a ticket, cash or a card. Normandie Tourisme, the regional tourist board, says the Seine ferries of Seine-Maritime are free and open to cars, motorbikes, bicycles and foot passengers, so a hire car crosses at no cost too.
| Foot passenger | Free |
| Bicycle and rider | Free |
| Motorbike | Free |
| Car | Free |
All eight Seine-Maritime ferries are free, according to Normandy's tourist board · checked 29 October 2026 Normandie Tourisme – Les bacs sur la Seine · 2026-10-29
Village slipways on opposite banks
Sahurs is on the right bank, at the far end of a loop of the Seine downstream from Rouen. La Bouille faces it from the left bank, a compact village at the foot of its cliffs, with about ten places to eat according to the tourist board.
Sahurs ferry slipway
Sahurs is the quiet, rural bank: the village stretches for six kilometres along the river, according to its council. The slipway was rebuilt further upstream in 1940, when the bend was widened for shipping. Bus line 9 of the Rouen network, Astuce, links Sahurs with Rouen and Canteleu.
La Bouille ferry slipway, Route du Bac (D67)
The slipway at La Bouille sits where the Route du Bac, the D67, meets the river, below the cliffs that close in the village. A bus stop of the same name is close by on OpenStreetMap, which is also where these coordinates come from. Line G runs from La Bouille to Elbeuf, with a change at Les Essarts for line F9 into Rouen, says the village council.
Where the ferry sits in the Seine's loops
On the department's map of its eight ferries, Sahurs – La Bouille is the third crossing below Rouen, after Dieppedalle and Val-de-la-Haye and before Duclair. The A13 motorway between Paris and Caen passes just south of La Bouille; Sahurs council reckons the ferry puts the Maison Brûlée junction about five minutes away. Neither the department nor the tourist board gives a crossing time or a distance.
Planning a trip across at La Bouille
- Check Inforoute 76 first
The department's traffic site shows each ferry's status under Bacs et ponts. A technical fault can take the La Bouille ferry out of service for a few hours, so check the page before you set off.
- When the status is updated
Inforoute 76 says it is updated on working days between 06:00 and 20:00, so a Sunday-morning problem may show late. Free email alerts for the ferries can be set up on the site.
- 1 May
The one day of the year with no ferry, according to both the tourist board and La Bouille council.
- Cyclists
Bikes ride on free. The tourist board suggests the Seine à Vélo cycle route as one of the outings around the ferries.
- Luggage
The department publishes no luggage rules for its ferries, and the crossing itself is free.
- Bad weather
Services can be disrupted when the weather is poor, the tourist board warns.
Impressionist painters and a new boat in 2022
La Bouille council recalls that the Rouen School painter Albert Lebourg (1849–1928) spent several summers in the village and liked to paint its ferries and steamers. The present boat is far younger: the department inaugurated a new vessel, Bac 26, on this crossing on 6 July 2022, built for 60 passengers and 12 vehicles, according to the regional news site Tendance Ouest. That report quoted 1,300 vehicles a day on weekdays; the department's 2026 documents do not repeat the figure.
If you are heading into Rouen, the nearest Seine ferry to the city is the Dieppedalle – Grand-Quevilly crossing, which keeps the same free terms but has no Sunday or bank-holiday service.
Crossing between Sahurs and La Bouille: visitors' questions
How much is the ferry from Sahurs to La Bouille?
Nothing. Normandie Tourisme says the Seine ferries of Seine-Maritime are free for foot passengers, cyclists, motorbikes and cars.
Can I take my hire car on it?
Yes. Cars and motorbikes cross free of charge. If you are driving a motorhome, ask the crew before boarding.
Does it run on Sundays?
Yes, on the weekend and holiday timetable, which starts at 07:00 from La Bouille. It does not run on 1 May.
Which is the final crossing back to Sahurs?
21:50 from La Bouille, on every day the ferry runs. The last one the other way leaves Sahurs at 22:00.
Why is there no boat from Sahurs between 08:55 and 09:30?
The booklet marks that slot, and two others in the afternoon and evening, as service interrompu. The department does not say why.
How do I know if the ferry has stopped?
Look up "Bac de La Bouille" on the Inforoute 76 map or in the department's 76 Pocket app. Each entry shows when its status last changed.
How long does the crossing take?
The department does not publish a crossing time, so none is given here.