Boat rental to navigate on the Canal du Midi, at the heart of the Lauragais
Crisboat - Expert in river boat rental for over 20 years
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Highlights of the Canal du Midi between Toulouse and Bram
To navigate on the Canal du Midi, there are various routes available. You can either go towards Carcassonne for a cruise focused on History, towards Beziers to discover this beautiful area and its lovely villages, or towards the Camargue for a cruise at the heart of a wonderful natural reserve. But now, let’s talk about Castelnaudary and its area!
This area is an invitation for relaxation and discovery. In this sunny land, south of Toulouse, we suggest a refreshing trip by boat amongst the medieval vestiges. Let’s go for 80km of waterways. In this area, there are 4 departure bases: Negra, Port-Lauragais, Castelnaudary and Bram.
Cities and villages to discover during your cruise
Hiring a licence-free boat on the Canal du Midi
The area around Castlenaudary is the one that has the largest amount of locks. But don’t worry about it, lock keepers are here to operate them. It is the ideal navigation area for beginners who want to familiarize with locks. Several departure bases are available there: Négra, Port-Lauragais, Castelnaudary and Bram. Note that every river cruise will start in the afternoon and before boarding, you will have a one hour training to get used to the boat and its steering.
- Near Toulouse and Carcassonne
- Ideal for wine and food lovers
- Easy cruise for beginners
The locks are automatic or electric and manned by lock keepers. The locks are closed the 1st of may .
The ladder of locks at Fonsérannes (near Béziers) is very busy during the high season. Frontignan Bridge opens twice a day, in the morning and mid-afternoon.
The one-way or the navigation towards the Carmargue while crossing the Etang de Thau can be canceled or interrupted if the climatic conditions, in particular the wind, do not allow to pass the Etang de Thau. This does not prevent you from sailing while waiting for the reopening of the pond to navigation.
You can moor anywhere along the banks on the Canal du Midi and in the Camargue.
The Castelnaudary region - our suggested cruises
Here is the list of possible cruises in the Castelnaudary area
From €392 / pers
Week of the 4/30/27 to 5/7/27
- Max. people : 5
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 2
From €422 / pers
Week of the 5/4/27 to 5/11/27
- Max. people : 6
- Cabins : 3
- Bathroom & Toilet : 3
From €563 / pers
Week of the 5/4/27 to 5/11/27
- Max. people : 4
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 2
From €367 / pers
Week of the 5/4/27 to 5/11/27
- Max. people : 4
- Cabins : 1
- Bathroom & Toilet : 1
From €340 / pers
Week of the 5/3/27 to 5/10/27
- Max. people : 7
- Cabins : 3
- Bathroom & Toilet : 3
From €266 / pers
Week of the 5/6/27 to 5/13/27
- Max. people : 6
- Cabins : 2
- Bathroom & Toilet : 2
Customer testimonials
4.7/5
(based on 142 ratings)
"Relaxing and different from other types of holidays."
"Very enjoyable cruise."
"We loved it. It was everything and more than we could have expected."
"A pleasant experience, the Canal du Midi is really lovely."
"Excellent."
"A peaceful cruise. We learned how to organise ourselves efficiently when going through the locks."
"Relaxing."
"Really great."
"We really enjoyed the scenery, the interactions with the lock keepers, the stops in the towns and villages, and so on. We really enjoyed the scenery, the interactions with the lock keepers, the stops in the towns and villages, and so on."
"Locks were very difficult in the high wind."
"Une expérience extraordinaire, aussi agréable que fatigante."
"Amazing, enjoyable, exhausting."
"Very nice experience."
"Very good."
"Enjoyable, but you need four people to go through the locks."
"Overall, a positive experience, even though it was cut short due to thunderstorms."
"A great experience and a wonderful introduction to a lesser-known activity."
"Very beautiful experience."
"A wonderful experience."
"We had a wonderful experience as a family. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend both CrisBoat and the canal mid to other families and friends."
"Great, but there were a lot of locks at the beginning."
"Original."
"We were very pleased, with a wonderful variety of scenery along the cana"
"A wonderful experience. It would be even better if there were more intermediate mooring points with pontoons and water facilities along the canal."
"The Canal du Midi is a wonderful adventure."
"A different kind of holiday, where you truly slow down and enjoy life at a gentler pace."
"A unique experience with unforgettable moments – we'd happily do it again."
"Comfortable, with plenty of shared living space."
"Pretty."
"Most enjoyable."
"Très bien, paisible, l'occasion de passer un agréable séjour en famille."
"Very enjoyable and peaceful – a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with the family."
"Beautiful scenery."
"A wonderful relaxing break."
"Good, though a little short given the number of locks for beginners, but we received excellent guidance from the instructor."
"We were looking for a family getaway on a houseboat, and it was fantastic."
"A pleasant route for a first-time experience, with varied scenery."
"An enjoyable cruise that gave us the opportunity to meet friendly people, including lock keepers and fellow boaters on other vessels."
"ery satisfied, despite a technical issue with the batteries that caused the refrigerator to stop working."
"An enjoyable cruise along the canal towards Toulouse, with only one regret: not being able to continue on to Carcassonne."
"Great weather, very friendly lock keepers, and a welcoming team (boat handover, advice, etc.) that was very professional and friendly."
"Relaxing and fun — a really great time."
"Relaxing."
"Pleasant experience, the weather was good and there were few boats around."
"Peace, quiet, wonderful surroundings, a very comfortable and spacious boat – we can’t wait to do it again!"
"Beautiful landscapes and friendly lock keepers."
"Ideal, peaceful, easy to handle."
"Enjoyable but quite demanding, with many locks to go through."
"Very good."
"Great."
"A wonderful holiday through the beautiful landscape of southern France!"
"More activities than expected."
"A very pleasant and relaxing experience."
"It was a great trip! Varied landscape, perfect for ‘slowing down’."
"A breath of fresh air."
"Magnificent Canal du Midi."
"Very diversified and the Canal du Midi has a great deal to offer."
"Very beautiful scenery. Not much shade on the boat."
"Nothing to say, everything was perfect."
"Good."
"Séjour intéressant, une vraie aventure avec de la culture, de la gastronomie française et du bon vin, des balades à vélo, les passages d'écluses : des vacances très actives !"
"An interesting break, a real adventure with culture, French gastronomy and good wine, bike rides and lock crossings: a very active holiday!"
"Très agréable."
"Nice landscapes, relaxing, lots of locks, it was a bit hard sometimes jusyt the two of us."
"Vraiment beau et agréable."
"Really beautiful and pleasant."
"Beautiful moment."
"Very good.Lacks a few stakes for mooring on the canal outside the lock and port pontoons."
"Very good."
"Very relaxing."
"A change of scenery. A change of pace. A change of scenery. A great change of pace."
"A great stay that brought our family closer together."
"Wonderful for family bonding, especially at lock crossings."
"Pleasant, not too crowded in October."
"Few interesting stops except Carcassonne."
"Nous avons adoré mais il y a trop d'écluses."
"Peaceful."
"An excellent first trip on a river boat."
"Very pleasant. When there were operating problems, the technicians were very quick to respond, found solutions and were very helpful and friendly."
"Top, we loved it, everything was well prepared !"
"Amazing region."
"Great!"
"A great experience, but for the next cruise, we'll choose a route with fewer locks to enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of the canal even more."
"A perfect cruise in fine weather."
"Magnificent, peaceful but physical with the locks ; a wonderful experience."
"Brilliant!"
"Amazing !!"
"A wonderful experience; beautiful scenery."
"Good overall."
"A great week on a well-maintained boat."
"Satisfied ; friendly lockkeepers."
"Advance preparation is necessary to plan the route. However, the passage through the locks is very unpredictable and the time is determined by the number of boats."
"A special kind of holiday."
"New route for us, wonderful scenery."
"Nice experience, good level of comfort."
"Nice cruise, not too many people and that's nice. The April weather unfortunately cooled the climate, but did not spoil our pleasure."
"It was a gastronomic, cultural and sporty experience."
"We forget the time... and that's what we were looking for"
"The cruise was very enjoyable."
"Absolutely wonderful, but we chose an itinerary that was too long compared to the duration of our stay, which prevented us from visiting some great places."
"auto-translation :''Great discovery / Comfortable boat''"
"auto-translation :''Pleasant but still physical for the passage of the locks''"
"auto-translation :''Relaxing cruise''"
"auto-translation :''Do it again!''"
"auto-translation :''Pleasant. Quiet and restful.''"
"auto-translation :''Nice course''"
"auto-translation :''A relaxing and exotic experience''"
"auto-translation :''Original, pleasant''"
"auto-translation :''It was really cool. The setting is very relaxing. Luckily we had plenty of sunshine.''"
"auto-translation :''Nice experience''"
"auto-translation :''A moment of pleasure shared in family, another rhythm, serenity and good reception of the lock keepers throughout the course.''"
"auto-translation :''Change of scenery''"
"auto-translation :''Experience that appealed to all 6 passengers''"
"auto-translation :''We were lucky because the weather was very nice,''"
"auto-translation :''Quite pleasant and was what I had imagined but too many locks on the route.''"
"auto-translation :''In line with our expectations''"
"auto-translation :''Superb, friendly meetings with the lock keepers''"
"auto-translation :''Super nature and rewarding experience''"
"auto-translation :''It seemed too short because I found it great.''"
"auto-translation :''Nice, relaxing but active''"
"It was lovely and peaceful."
"auto-translation :''Cruise very nice''"
"auto-translation :''Cruise restful and exotic but unfortunately many boaters do not respect the safety rules of navigation (speed, order of passage at the locks, dangerous overtaking curve)''"
"Was even better than I expected it to be. Great mix of relaxing, excitement and adventure."
"Wonderful cruise , to enjoy the nature and travel along the country side with beautiful landscape"
"auto-translation :''Very satisfied because few people on the channel in this period''"
"auto-translation :''Very pleasant and exotic''"
"auto-translation :''Very pleasant cruise along the Canal du Midi in the shade of plane trees''"
"auto-translation :''Very beautiful river cruise, restful''"
"auto-translation :''Beautiful experience, beautiful encounters and beautiful sites.''"
"auto-translation :''Somail route to Port Lauragais very interesting with beautiful stops''"
"Enjoyable"
"auto-translation :''Canal du Midi quiet … relaxing cruise''"
"auto-translation :''Very pleased with this cruise on the Canal du Midi''"
"Excellent river cruise on the Canal du Midi"
"auto-translation :"Very satisfied""
"auto-translation :"Very good""
"auto-translation :"Very good""
"auto-translation :"Good memories""
"auto-translation :"Very nice""
"auto-translation :"Well, good choice of river cruise""
Travelling with CrisBoat
Crisboat has more than 90% of the French fleet of self drive river boats. Entrust us with your desires and your availabilities and we will shape your holidays on the water. Located in the heart of the Vienne, Crisboat is the leader in self driver river boat rental in France. Discover our team, made up of 6 experts ready to take up the challenge to design the cruise that will meet your expectations.
Satisfaction: 4,5 / 5
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"Very good, as we travelled outside the peak season, so there were fewer boats, which made passing through the 30 locks much easier!"