What towns cross the Canal du Midi?
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, the Canal du Midi is a mecca for river tourism. Every year, many holidaymakers sail there on board a barge without a licence. It must be said that it is quite impressive, both in terms of its length - 241 km - and its engineering structures. Indeed, it has several hundred infrastructures, some of which are superb pieces of architecture. Locks, bridges, aqueducts, dams... these constructions contribute to the charm of the Canal du Midi. Moreover, many of them were built by Vauban. And along its 241 km length, this navigable waterway crosses different departments and communes, thus leaving a varied choice of stopovers for boaters. From well-known towns to more discreet or picturesque villages, there is something for everyone!
A waterway from Toulouse to the Mediterranean Sea
The Canal du Midi has its source in Toulouse. A real technical feat, it links the pink city and the Garonne to the Mediterranean Sea. A rather long waterway, which has long been used for river and merchant transport. Today, it is mainly dedicated to tourism and leisure, and welcomes thousands of unlicensed barges every year. Several departure bases are available, including Bram, Port-Lauragais, Castelnaudary, Le Somail, Agde and Carcassonne. But these are not the only towns crossed by the Canal du Midi. This is also the case of Ayguesvives where the canal bridge spans the "Ru Amadou" stream, of Montgiscard and its washhouse, of Négra and its aqueduct, of Revel and its bastide, and of Trèbes and its 3-basin lock.
Sailing on a barge, you can also admire La Redorte, which has a beautiful structure, the "épanchoir de l'Argent Double"; Colombiers, which is the ideal village to take a break before passing the locks of Fonseranes; and Béziers, which is the birthplace of the designer of the Canal du Midi, Pierre-Paul Riquet. A visit is therefore essential!
A canal crossing different departments to discover by barge
Towns and villages follow one another along this structure. The landscapes are varied and you pass from one department to another without necessarily realising it. Among those crossed are the Haute-Garonne, the Aude and the Hérault. And by sailing on board a barge without a licence, you have time to discover them, to contemplate the monuments from the water. It is a peaceful means of transport, accessible to all and very pleasant, with a little atypical side because you live on the water. And it is the occasion to see how a lock works, to pass several of them, those of Fonseranes for example, which are the most famous and also the most spectacular. In addition, the communes along the route of the Canal du Midi offer various sporting activities (cycling, walking along the banks, rowing, etc.), cultural activities - festivals, exhibitions, monuments to visit, for example - which boaters can take advantage of during their stopovers. Not forgetting the restaurants where you can sample the local gastronomy, and the markets where you can buy local produce. So if you are interested in this destination, don't wait any longer to check out the rental barges available on our site!
