Canal du Midi

In the evening welcome briefing and distribution of rental bike (if booked) in Sète.

You start your tour of today in the port and fishermen-town Sète, where the Canal du Midi flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The town is surrounded by water and its surname is “Venice des Languedoc“. The reasons for this surname are beneath the Canal du Midi countless additional waterways, which cross the town. Your cycling alongside the Canal du Midi leads you past masterpieces of engineering like the lock of Agde. It is the only round lock of the Canal du Midi and was built with volcanic rock. The basic measurements of the lock are 29.90 metres diameter and 5.20 metres depth. Cap d´Agde at the Mediterranean Sea is your destination today. The biggest European marina is part of the French town Agde and a paradise for water sportsmen like divers, surfers or sailors. But people, who just want to bath and to rest at the beach, get their money‘s worth too.

Pines shade your way to the mouth of the Hérault and further alongside the Canal du Midi to Béziers. The town can look back to a 2,700 years old history. And it is the birthplace of that man too, who was the father of the Canal du Midi: Pierre-Paul Riquet. The alley Paul-Riquet in the centre of the town is dedicated to him. Béziers is located scenic in a winegrowing region, where the grapes for an excellent wine grow. Maybe you allow yourself a glass?

Your cycling leads you past mighty buildings like the canal bridge across the river Orb and the flight of locks of Fonserannes. They are both some of the biggest sights of Béziers. In former times ships got over a height of 21.5 metres with eight lock basins on the length of 300 metres. You cycle through charming villages like Capestang on your way to Narbonne, which is flanked by vineyards. The former capital of the Romanesque antiquity was the first Roman colony outside of Italy. Sights like the relics of the street “Via Domitia“ or the houses-bridge with Roman origin “Pont des Marchands“ are evidences of this time. But later centuries too have left their marks in the town: for example the archbishop’s palace or the Gothic cathedral.

Enjoy on your way today from Narbonne to Homps one of the most scenic parts of your journey alongside the Canal de la Robine and the Canal du Midi. Villages, wine-growing estates and vineyards are located pictorially around the waterways. You reach Olonzac. You will have the chance to taste some good wines. (about 45 km)

Carcassonne is today one of the best preserved fortress towns in Europe and since 1997 part of the UNESCO World Heritage. The mightiest building of the town and one of the biggest fortresses in Europe is the fortress Cité Médiévale of Carcassonne with its 52 towers. You can experience the lively Carcassonne best in the downtown with its lively streets and the bastion Saint Louis. Here you have the chance to taste the Micheline, an herb liqueur of the region. Worth visiting is the house of memories, which tells you a lot of things about live and fate of the Cathari. Carcassonne was a centre of the Christian Faith Movement of the Carthari, which were banished from town in 1209. (about 42 km)

Carcassonne free disposal or a round trip to Montolieu. There are 15 antique stores with over 200.000 books in the worth seeing city of book “Montagnes Noires”. The former royal textile manufacturing was declared to a National Monument in 2004.

Castelnaudary ist the destination of your tour today. In former times it was the place of a lot of mills. Till today the Moulin de Cagurel from the 17th century on the pestilence hill testifies it. Splendid manors, built in the 17th century too, and beautiful half-timbered houses let this town become an architectural jewel. A popular culinary delicacy in Castelnaudary is the savoury bean stew Cassoulet, which came up during the Hundred Years‘ War. Pork or duck, bacon, garlic sausage and white beans are possible ingredients. (about 40 km)

You cycle further alongside the canal through nice villages like Avignonet-Lauragais and Villefranche-de-Lauragais and you reach Toulouse. Because of its buildings with reddish stones the inhabitants call Toulouse „ville rose“ too, the pink town. Take a little walk to see the important sacred buildings of Toulouse. One of it is the basilica St-Sernin de Toulouse, which is one of the most beautiful Romanesque sacred buildings in South France. Toulouse is an attractive mixture of architectural styles with lordly Renaissance houses and former industrial buildings, which were masterful rebuilt into culture temples.

This is the departure day. After breakfast individual departure.