Couple that with side visits to Carcassonne, Minerve, and Narbonne and … Midi Canal, also called Languedoc Canal, French Canal du Midi or Canal du Languedoc, historic canal in the Languedoc region of France, a major link in the inland waterway system from the Bay of Biscay of the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. By closing the gates successively a boat can safely navigate through the section. The classical way is to navigate the canal by boat. We stayed in Carcassonne, and the next day we went to the Bassin de Saint-Ferréol, the main water reservoir of the Canal du Midi. But that would take several days, and I'm afraid it might be a bit boring after a while. We have made two Canal trips in France the latest during Aug/September this year. Finding myself in Toulouse and having only a couple of hours to spare in August of 2017, I figured I'd stop at a few random points along the canal and call it a reasonable visit. I decided to have a closer look at two separate places: Castelnaudary and Toulouse. The French can be proud. Its architect Pierre-Paul-Riquet was a tax collector from Béziers and presented his project to the minister Colbert and to the Versailles court: only the king Louis XIV believed in him because he thought that it was the ideal connection between the port of Séte, that was under construction, and the ocean. Through a Canal du Midi boat hire, you’ll see stunning cathedrals, grand châteaux, ancient ruins and medieval cities. The climate along the Canal Du Midi is Mediterranean. Cant' be beat. After a bit search in the web I identified some structures that seemed to be the most interesting, and thanks to my tom-tom it was easy to find them. It’s well worth spending at least one day sightseeing whilst you're here. Historic Béziers is one of the oldest cities in France. And for me as a Northern European, it is very nice to see that life has a different pace along the banks of the Canal. The magnificent 13th-century Church of the Jacobins is celebrated for its vaulted roof. Canal du Midi boat hire : go with the flow in the south of France, along this jewel of the waterways Your cruise in this famous waterways region, extended by the Canal Latéral à la Garonne, allows you to cover up to 500 km on your Pénichette ® or self-drive boat – with no license needed! The Canal du Midi is a 240 km long canal that in its time (late 17th century) was a great engineering achievement. We have seen the beautiful canal at Fonséranes, near Béziers, where are nine lifts that go over 25 m and are 315 m long, a port and a bridge, that makes the canal cross the river Orb. At Castelnaudary, I found an informative explanation of why the Canal is so important as an engineering feat and as a WHS. Browse this gallery and jump aboard for a leisurely excursion on this UNESCO-protected waterway. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, the Canal du Midi is an engineering masterpiece stretching 240 kilometres (150 miles) from Toulouse to Sète on the Mediterranean coast. Today, the construction is not very impressive, but in the 17th century the dam in Saint-Ferréol was the highest in the world. 12000 men worked here and Riquet became its architect and had to have many capacities. The canal there looks like any stream in an urban setting, nothing too exceptional. Although we love the experience, we were horrified to discover that boat effluent is being dumped in the waterway. (Photo: Carcassone sits on the Aude River, which is bordered by the Canal du Midi. Another option: by bicycle on the old towpath along the canal. Would be more appealing to me, but it would also take a few days to see a substantial part of the entire stretch. Enjoy wine tasting, cycling, and sightseeing at medieval villages. Three of us were on the canal for a week from corbieres to trebes and back with a side excursion by bus to medieval carcassonne. Unfortunately, this is not regulated and often we heard that people were told to just dump their toilet into the Canal.This is an UNESCO World Heritage site and as such, one would assume care of the Canal would be of prime importance. When it comes to barging in the South of France, the scenic Canal du Midi is a must. For anyone who is not sure whether they can cope with locks, try this route - only 14 to navigate and it's good fun. Video: Nokia N95 8GB. This is the largest open body of water within the canal, and also the site where its official opening took place. The Canal du Midi is a commercial waterway and is part of the Waterways of Mainland Europe. It was originally named ‘Canal Royal en Languedoc’ but then renamed the Canal du Midi in 1789 by the revolutionaries. Rising in the historic city of Toulouse, this is the country's most famous canal. Canal du Midi. Its citadel—Cité de Carcassonne—was founded during the Gallo-Roman period, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, the Canal du Midi spans the Orb River as an aqueduct (pictured) called the Pont-canal de l'Orb, claimed to be the first of its kind. Great Republic Day sale ends today, Experience productivity at its finest with the Vostro 5402. It is one of the technologically most significant canals in the world: it uses lock staircases, reservoirs, aqueducts, dams, bridges, and tunnels. On this stretch, boats and barges line one side of the waterway, while the north bank becomes a walking and biking path. We started at Beziers with the plan to reach Aigues Mortes and return - we eventually reached Carnon! The surrounding landscape was also taken into account: the canal was framed by trees and plantations. (Photo: Solid-looking and brooding, the 12th-century Agde Cathedral is built entirely out of black basalt and was designed to serve as a fortress as much as a church. From here, your voyage continues to Agde. It’s a whole different kind of cruise experience. Subsequently, if you don't have time for a boating cruise, making a short visit to a random point on the canal is entirely sufficient for "seeing" it. Since I was based in Carcassonne, I first enjoyed an afternoon walk by the juniper tree-lined canal with its bridges and locks near Carcassonne. There are over 80 working locks on the Canal du Midi from Toulouse to the Mediterranean. I also stopped at the Port-Lauragais Service Area on A61, which allows pedestrian access to the canal and has an exhibition pavilion dedicated to it. The Canal du Midi is rightly on the list of UNESCO World Heritage. The first stop was in the center of Toulouse, between Boulevard des Minimes and Boulevard Matabiau. For this voyage, we are traveling east from Toulouse and stopping at various points along the way to take in the views. The costs vary from €2-€20 per night. Passing through historic water locks you will discover charming medieval villages and ancient fortress cities. This was one of the great technical innovations by Pierre-Paul Riquet, the engineer of the canal. Halfway between Toulouse and Carcassonne, the huge basin at Castelnaudary is also an interesting sight, as it is the largest body of open water on the canal (about 7 hectares). Information about the 240km long Canal du Midi. This was not our understanding as we were told that the toilet mascerator separated solids from liquid and this was disposed of at port dumps. A few other places where we had a short stop: Malpas tunnel, the first navigable canal tunnel in Europe; Le Somail, a picturesque hamlet, once a stop for mail ships, some buildings, a chapel and an old stone bridge have been preserved; The Argent-Double Aqueduct, also an overflow to the Argent-Double river; a triple lock and the Orbiel Aqueduct in Trèbes. It’s forbidden to tie to a tree, so ground stakes must be used (you need to carry your own), but the reward is a huge amount of flexibility in terms of where to stop for the night. The Canal du Midi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it has a truly fascinating history. You can feel it. The Canal du Midi cuts through this sleepy town located near Carcassonne, which is certainly worth a diversion. The Canal Du Midi is surrounded by vineyards, fields of sunflowers and poppies. 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