Fontinettes boat elevator (Arques, France)

December 10, 20251198 Views Pas-de-Calais, Pays de Saint-Omer 5 min read

Photos – Info – Weather – Tips – Geo Info – Starry sky [- Tides]

General information about Fontinettes boat lifts

This unique industrial heritage from 1887 was restored to its former glory and has fairly recently (sometime in 2023 only) been opened to the general public. There you can see how back then boats were hoisted or lowered 13 meters to quickly compensate for the level difference on the Neufossé Canal (Dutch translation: "Nieuwegracht"). Previously, as many as 5 locks were needed to do the same thing. And that, of course, was ... a lot of wasted time. There are two loading barges each capable of lifting and lowering boats via a hydraulic system. Now there is a new lock complex (the "Ecluse de Fontinettes") a little further up the canal which has made this boat elevator unnecessary since 1967. Since 1984, the entire complex has been open to the public.

The boat elevator was classified as a monument historique in 2014.

In one of the loading bays is an old ship and you can visit it. There you will get explanations about life on board and, more specifically, how children experienced it. There is also a projection room set up in the cargo hold of the boat. A common French term for such a long, narrow barge, often about 38-80 meters long, is "Peniche." This term is also used in Belgium and the Netherlands.

This tourist site has ample parking (including for buses) and there is a picnic area.

Note: the boat elevator is no longer in operation. So in that respect you are visiting a static entity. When the boat elevator was still in operation, about 15,000 visitors a year came, now about 5,000 .

To conclude, "Fontinettes" is not itself a French word with a dictionary definition, it probably etymologically implies a place with small springs or fountains.

Visitor tips Fontinettes boat lift

General tips:
1) if you are looking for other nearby attractions, consult our Tourist map of Top.Vlaanderen.
2) You can consult our overview lists: by category ( e.g. timeline, size, ...) or by region
3) You can also always consult tourist services: see our overview of tourist services

Geographical information

Address: Rue de l'Ascenseur, Arken, Hauts-de-France, France
Geographical coordinates:
– Google Maps: Latitude = 50.7317571 – Longitude = 2.30098
– Open Street Maps: Latitude = 50.731753 – Longitude = 2.303689
– Altitude h = 10 m
Location of Fontinettes boat lift on:
Tourist map of Top.Vlaanderen – Google Maps – OpenStreetMap.
Route to Fontinettes boat lift: Route via Google Maps

Meteo

Current Weather Daily Weather Hourly Weather Weather Map

Arques, France

10:33, 01/17/2026

7°C

Low: 8° High: 10°

Feels like 5°C°| cloudy

Sunrise 08:44

Sunset 17:16

Humidity 94 %

Pressure 1016 mb

Wind 9 Km/h SSE

Wind Gust 18 Km/h

UV Index 0

Precipitation 0 mm

Clouds 98%

Rain Chance 0%

Visibility 10 km

Day	Condition	Temperature	Precipitation	Rain Chance	Wind	Humidity	Pressure
Today 22:00	cloudy	8° \| 10°°C	0 mm	0%	10 Km/h	95 %	1019 mb
Tomorrow 22:00	cloudy	5° \| 10°°C	0 mm	0%	10 Km/h	92 %	1020 mb
Mon Jan 26 10:00 p.m.	slightly cloudy	3° \| 10°°C	0 mm	0%	12 Km/h	92 %	1019 mb
Tue Jan 26 10:00 p.m.	partly cloudy	5° \| 11°°C	0 mm	0%	13 Km/h	93 %	1019 mb
Wed Jan 26 10:00 p.m.	light rain	3° \| 8°°C	0.2 mm	20%	28 Km/h	92 %	1011 mb

1 to 8 of 0 results

Hour	Condition	Temperature	Rain Chance	Wind	Humidity	Pressure
Today 13:00	cloudy	8° \| 10°°C	0%	10 Km/h	91 %	1016 mb
Today 16:00	cloudy	9° \| 10°°C	0%	8 Km/h	88 %	1017 mb
Today 19:00	cloudy	9° \| 9°°C	0%	8 Km/h	94 %	1018 mb
Today 22:00	cloudy	8° \| 8°°C	0%	8 Km/h	95 %	1019 mb
Tomorrow 01:00	cloudy	7° \| 7°°C	0%	10 Km/h	91 %	1020 mb
Tomorrow 04:00	cloudy	8° \| 8°°C	0%	10 Km/h	91 %	1019 mb
Tomorrow 07:00	cloudy	7° \| 7°°C	0%	9 Km/h	92 %	1019 mb
Tomorrow 10:00	cloudy	7° \| 7°°C	0%	9 Km/h	91 %	1019 mb

1 to 8 of 0 results

Starry sky above Fontinettes boat lift


  
    ⭐ In-The-Sky — Zonsondergang (FOV 90°, Zuiden)✨ In-The-Sky — Nu (FOV 90°, Zuiden)🔭 Stellarium — Nu (FOV 90°, Noorden)

Internet information from and about Fontinettes' Bootlift

Visitor numbers: 4,000 to 5,000 per year (now that the lift is no longer in operation); previously, this figure was around 15,000 per year.
Location on Google Maps.
Internet media for this boat lift: Website – Facebook – Instagram – Wikipedia (NL – FR – EN)
Internet media aboutthe Derivier AA: Wikipedia (NL – FR – EN)
Internet media about the Nieuwegracht: Wikipedia (NL –FR – EN)

Tourist Office“Pays de St. Omer – Office de Tourisme et des Congrès”
Administrative – Website – Facebook – Instagram

Our photos of Fontinettes' boat lift

Onze foto’s, video’s, … zijn allen (c) 2004-2026, Top.Vlaanderen, België. Ze mogen niet “zomaar” worden overgenomen of gebruikt. Ze zijn evenwel licentieerbaar. Wil U uw eigen toeristische attractie, B&B, vakantiewoning… laten fotograferen door ons, dat kan ook. Neem hiervoor contact met ons op via ons Contactformulier .

Photos from the visit on July 22, 2025:

Click on any of the photos below to launch the photo carousel....

The boat elevator is located on the Neufossé Canal.

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