Cycling Canal du Midi
FIND your perfect trip!
Find your perfect
cycle trip!
Canal du Midi - from Toulouse to Sète
Canal du Midi - from Toulouse to Sète
hybrid :
e-bike :
Duration :
7 days
Comfort :
period:
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
Code:
FRSB660
Wine Riverside Gastronomy
From € 690
Canal du Midi - from Toulouse to Sète
More Inspiring Photos

Following the footsteps of Paul Riquet

Print

Bike Tour: Canal du Midi - from Toulouse to Sète - 7 days

From Toulouse you follow the footsteps of the famous French "Canal architect" Paul Riquet. A relaxed, well marked track takes you through the agricultural area of Lauragais and the vineyards of Minervois. The ingeniously constructed winding "Canal du Midi", included in Unesco’s heritage, is your umbrageous guide.

There is a lot to be enjoyed on the way along this large scale ‘water work’: antique boats, dozens of oval shaped locks of various sizes, age old villages, gastronomic surprises and beautiful towns like Carcassonne. The end of the trip is the azure blue sea, in the charming town of Sète.

More than 75% of all the stages along the canals are on nice cycle paths. However, since several years, the quality of some of the paths in the more southern area are sub-optimal. Some of the used towing paths along the canal are dirt paths and these are not always very even and sometimes slippery after / during rain. 

Canal des Deux Mers - from Bordeaux to Sète - 12 days

Do you want to cover in 12 days the complete route from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean? Combine the routes "Canal du Midi" and "Canal de la Garonne".

read more >>
FRSB660 - Canal du Midi
Route
Day 1: Arrival in Toulouse
Day 2: Toulouse - Castelnaudary
Day 3: Castelnaudary - Carcassonne
Day 4: Carcassonne - Homps/Olonzac
Day 5: Homps - Béziers
Day 6: Béziers - Sète
Day 7: Departure from Sète

Day 1:    Arrival in Toulouse

You individually travel to the ‘pink’ Toulouse, cosmopolitan and cultural town where red bricks are a characteristic feature. Visit the lively centre with its many fine restaurants. Discover monumental treasures, like the Place du Capitol, St. Sernin’s Cathedral and the Couvent des Jacobins, a beautiful 13th century Dominican Monastery.

 

Day 2:    Toulouse - Castelnaudary
64 km

Leave town via the Paul Riquet bridge and cycle along the Canal du Midi with its characteristic barges. You enter the pastel coloured country of Lauragais. Take a break in Avignonet, the centre of the battles during the Albegenic crusades with lots of medieval remains, statues of crusaders and enormous churches. At the foot of the Montagne Noir you find the highest point in the canal. This is the Narouze watershed between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. You go down to Castelnaudary, maybe to have a real authentic cassoulet later on.

Challenge: 64.3km, 467m ascent, 433m descent

 

Day 3:    Castelnaudary - Carcassonne
43 km

Surrounded by the Montagne Noir in the east and the Pyrenees in the south west you cycle , via an original, thousand- year-old tow path to the river harbour of Bram. Bricks make way for stones, cornfields turn into vineyards. You pass age old villages and waterworks like Béteil and the Lalande lock that show Paul Riquet’s ingenuity. Also stop at the Cugarel mill, the Villepinte dam and the Rebenty aqueduct. Finally you reach Carcassonne, consisting of a medieval upper town and the Bastide St. Jean situated lower.

Challenge: 43km, 258m ascent, 294m descent

 

Day 4:    Carcassonne - Homps/Olonzac
42 km

After fabulous Carcassonne go back to the peaceful quiet of the ‘Canal’ surrounded by imposing planes. Admire the bridge at Orbiel, the overflow of canal water at Argendouble and the 12th century church in the port of Trèbes. The very doors of this church, supported by 320 oak consoles, are worth a visit. If possible stop in the Gallic village near Marseillette and take a walk to Capendu with its Roman chapel. Through undulating vineyards you reach your destination.

Challenge: 42.5km, 247m ascent, 336m descent

 

Day 5:    Homps - Béziers
63 km

After the lock of Argens you follow the winding path along the hillside to Le Somail. Take a break here in the old library. After that you cycle along the Canal de la Robine to Capestang with its collegiate church, already visible from afar. From the tower you see the sea and the 14th century castle nearby . ‘En route’ again you pass the Gallo-Roman remains: the village Poilhes la Romaine and the Oppidum d’Ensérune. Also admire the Malpas tunnel and the 9 locks of Foncérannes. They are evidence of the brilliance of the architect Paul Riquet, whose native village, the historic Béziers, is your destination today.

Challenge: 63.2km, 508m ascent, 494m descent

 

Day 6:    Béziers - Sète
50 km

Although the sea isn’t visible yet you can smell it. The landscape gets flatter and forms a mosaic of dunes, swamps and wide lagoons. It’s the habitat of the egrets that strut among horses and cattle. In this coastal region, looking like the Camargue, you pass the unique ‘Pont Bache du Libron’ and the round lock of Agde. In Agde with its ‘dark cathedral’ you cross the Hérault in the direction of the Thau lagoon. At the lighthouse in Onglous the Canal du Midi ends. In Marseillan you finally cycle along the beach to Sète and maybe you get a glimpse of the traditional water joust ‘Les Joutes.’

Challenge: 50.4km, 302m ascent, 364m descent

 

Day 7:    Departure from Sète

Breakfast marks the end of your trip in the pleasant town of Sète, the biggest French fishing port in the Mediterranean Sea, also well known for its beautiful beaches. This authentic town, full of pastel coloured houses with wrought iron balconies, is crossed by several connecting canals and the Thau Basin. In the harbour you find an abundance of fish restaurants. Everything as fresh as can be! A visit to the large covered market is really worth-wile. Here you can buy anything that has to do with food and drink and the products are displayed wonderfully. 

 

Accommodation

All accommodations are carefully selected because of their location, atmosphere and/or unique services. 
We choose comfortable 2*/3* hotels or B&Bs where all rooms have private en-suite bathroom and every morning breakfast are included. 
For this trip you can choose between Comfort and Comfort +.
The accommodations for a Comfort+ trip, will be in 3*/4 * hotels wherever possible (supplement applied).

Hotel Royal Wilson ** (Toulouse)
Hotel du Canal*** (Castelnaudary)
Hotel du Pont vieux*** (Carcassonne)
B&B Le jardin d'Homps (Homps)
Hotel des Poètes** (Béziers)
Hotel l'Orque Bleue*** (Sète)
Bike rental

The bike rental includes the drop-off fee for the bike’s return

BERGAMONT Horizon 4

The bikes come with pannier, handlebar bag, spare tube, tools, pump, helmet and lock

Bergamont Horizon 4

BERGAMONT E-Horizon Tour 400 Wave

The bikes come with pannier, handlebar bag, spare tube, tools, pump, helmet and lock

Bergamont E-bike

Our rental bikes come with pannier, handlebar bag, spare tube, tools, pump, helmet and lock

Practical info

6 Nights included

2/3 Star Hotels or 3/4 Star Hotels (supplement applied)

Tourist tax included

Breakfast included, Halfboard optional on request

Maps and tourist information on all the places of interest

24/7 Bilingual Emergency hotline

Luggage transport to your next accommodations. Luggage accepted per person: 1 suitcase or travel bag (20 kg maximum)

For time tables and further information check the website of SNCF or rome2rio for all French National trains (SNCF).

We strongly advise you to download the sncf mobile app prior to departure.

If you want to travel on a train with your bike, you can find more information via this link.

Parking informations on request

We will supply the directions of this trip with a personalized code which gives you access to our travel App.

 

Arrival info

The closest airports to the Canal de Garonne are Toulouse (TLS) and Montpellier (MPL)

From Paris, you can take the TGV (high speed train) to Bordeaux (approx. 2h15). From Bordeaux, you can take a TER Train to Toulouse (approx. 2h05). On the end of your trip you can take a train from Montpellier (direct trains back to Toulouse, the journey takes 2 to 3 hours). 

For timetables and further information check the website of SNCF or rome2rio for all French National trains (SNCF).

From Paris to Toulouse (approx. 6h - 680 km/423 mi). Acces to driving routes see the website ViaMichelin.

Reviews

24-08-2022

Beautiful journey along the Canal du Midi. The Guibo app in combination with Google maps made navigation easy. The bikes from Le Petit Cyclo were excellent for the purpose, and came with waterproof panniers. We travelled in August when it was quite warm, but not unbearable. Riding early in the day was best. Many lovely stops along the way. Not too hilly. Good variety of small towns and larger cities. Very Satisfied!

K.B.

17-07-2020

In July 2020 we made a bicycle tour along the Canal du Midi. Fantastic, the route was very clear, the rented bikes were of good quality. After a tiring ride, it was very nice that our luggage was already brought to our hotel. To be repeated.

Comfort Comfort +
Similar Trips:
In order for this website to function properly we use cookies. Read our cookie policy.
extraSmallDevice
smallDevice
mediumDevice
largeDevice