Plan your visit
Lac du Der-Chantecoq is one of France’s great natural sites — bring good shoes and a camera. Locate it on the map, book a room nearby in a click, or add it to your travel list to build your itinerary.
About Lac du Der-Chantecoq
One of the largest man-made lakes in Europe, the Lac du Der-Chantecoq was created to tame the floods of the Marne — and became, almost by accident, a world-class wildlife spectacle. Every autumn and winter, tens of thousands of common cranes stop here on their migration, filling the dawn and dusk skies with wheeling flocks and wild trumpeting calls that draw birdwatchers from across Europe. Around the vast shore lie sandy beaches, sailing harbours, cycle paths and the quaint half-timbered churches of the Champagne region. In summer the mood shifts to swimming, windsurfing and lakeside picnics. Whether you come for the great crane gathering or simply for the open water and huge skies, Der is a landscape built on a giant scale.