Cruising Canal du Midi
⬤ LeBoat ~ ⬤ France Afloat + Linssen (‘L’)
⬤ Locaboat + Linssen (‘L’) ~ ⬤ Nicols
The sun-drenched South of France – home of vineyards, sunflower fields and the world-famous, historic, Canal du Midi. A wonderful canal to cruise along, including one long section that is entirely lock-free.
The delightful Midi is very popular for July and August cruising, with possible waiting time at its unique oval locks – a great opportunity to appreciate this ancient waterway’s extraordinary engineering.
Picturesque Languedoc is France’s most productive wine region with many delicious ‘drink now’ varieties on sale, direct from the vineyards (free tastings welcomed) that border the waterway, for just a few euros per bottle. If at the end of the canal there is the great city of Toulouse (home to France’s space and aeronautics industries) , then half-way along there is the amazing medieval ‘city’ of Carcassonne, famed for its huge, fortified, hilltop castle – a favoured location for many heroic swashbuckling films.
Branching off the Canal du Midi near Capestang village (with a much-photographed low stone arch canal bridge) the Robine Canal, bordered by umbrella pine trees, connects with the Mediterranean, passing through the must-see town of Narbonne. And at Agde (founded by the Ancient Greeks in 500BC) it is possible to sail upstream from the unique round lock along 10km of the calm, clear and ‘secret’ River Herault.
Regional highlights
– [below] In the region: Minervois, Minerve, Canal du Midi, Beziers, Narbonne, Carcassonne –
A selection of boats in the region
[fw_sds page=”LandingResults” loc=”midi-languedoc” results_url=”https://dev.french-waterways.com/boating-holidays-vacations/hire-boating-holidays/find-self-drive-holiday/results/?loc=midi-languedoc” limit=”6″]Getting to The Midi
French international airports are at Toulouse, Bordeaux – and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. There are also European-flight airports at Carcassonne and Montpellier. TGV express train stations are located at Toulouse, Carcassonne, Narbonne and Montpellier; and many other towns in the region have railway connections.
