Canal du Midi
From Toulouse to the Mediterranean Sea

Individual journey to Toulouse until late afternoon. 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. Life takes place in cafés and along the Garonne at the old harbour, the Toulousains meet on the Place St. George for tapas. There's plenty to see: the Basilica of St. Sernin, the Place du Capitole or the Augustin Museum. One overnight stay in Toulouse.
Castelnaudary is the largest port at the Canal du Midi, and even the largest wine freighters could turn around here. French people take long journeys to pay their culinary respects to the town of the hearty bean stew "Cassoulet".
Follow the Canal du Midi to Bram, then head towards the Pyrenees. On an old railway line converted for cyclists, the climb is moderate, you roll through railway tunnels, over viaducts and bridges to Mirepoix, an enchanting bastide from the Middle Ages.
Back through the Ariège countryside, a quiet and meditative agricultural landscape with rolling hills, to Carcassonne. There, the imposing Cité, the largest fortified city in Europe, awaits you; you are in the heart of the Cathars.
Montolieu is a wonderful city at the edge of the Montagnes Noires. There are 15 antique stores with over 200.000 books in this worth seeing city of book. The former royal textile manufacturing was declared to a National Monument in 2004. Further overnight in Carcarssonne.
Olonzac is the centre of the winegrowers in the Minervois, Homps was the shipping port. Vines everywhere, the Montagne Noire and the Corbière in sight, here you practise doing nothing on the canal. Overnight stay in Olonzac or Homps.
The destination of your journey today is Narbonne, you will change to the Canal, driving along the Canal de la Robine towards the Mediterranean Sea. Great buildings of the Middle Ages are the unfinished cathedral and the palace of the archbishops. Another highlight is the market hall "Les Halles", it was awarded as the most beautiful in France. One overnight stay in Narbonne.
You drive via Capestang to Béziers, passing the famous Canal Tunnel. Once a rich wine-growing metropolis, to which many magnificent buildings bear witness, Béziers is also the birthplace of Paul Riquet, the builder of the Canal du Midi. The archbishop's palace watches over the town, and the attraction on the canal are the
Neuf Écluses, the Nine Locks. One night in Béziers,
The further you cycle, the saltier the air becomes. The cycle path leads directly along the sea towards Sète, the largest French fishing town on the Mediterranean, also called "Little Venice of the Languedoc" because of its many canals. Here, an evening stroll can be excellently combined with a good meal; the town's origins are Italian - and so is its cuisine. One overnight stay in Sète.
Return journey
The tour ends after breakfast. Individual return journey.
The route
Moderate heavy! All routes are predominant planar or are located in an area, which is a little bit rippled. You will cycle on partly asphalted or sand- and pebble ways as well as on light traffic branch roads.

Season 1 13.04.2024 - 26.04.2024 22.09.2024 - 05.10.2024 | Season 2 27.04.2024 - 14.06.2024 15.09.2024 - 21.09.2024 | Season 3 15.06.2024 - 14.09.2024 | |
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Canal du Midi, 10 days, cat. Deluxe, FR-CMRST-10D | |||
Base price | 1,569.00 | 1,659.00 | 1,739.00 |
Surcharge single room | 399.00 | 399.00 | 399.00 |
Canal du Midi, 10 days, cat. X, FR-CMRST-10X | |||
Base price | 1,269.00 | 1,369.00 | 1,429.00 |
Surcharge single room | 339.00 | 339.00 | 339.00 |
Sustainability with Rückenwind!
Help us to achieve greater sustainability. If you choose to use the digital route book and forgo the printed version you will help us to reduce our environmental impact and we’ll give you a discount of 20 Euro per room as a thank you.
Season 1 Apr 13, 2024 - Apr 26, 2024 Sep 22, 2024 - Oct 5, 2024 | Season 2 Apr 27, 2024 - Jun 14, 2024 Sep 15, 2024 - Sep 21, 2024 | Season 3 Jun 15, 2024 - Sep 14, 2024 | |
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Toulouse | |||
Double room p. P. cat. deluxe | 88.00 | 88.00 | 88.00 |
Surcharge single room | 75.00 | 75.00 | 75.00 |
Sète | |||
Double room p. P. cat. A | 118.00 | 118.00 | 118.00 |
Surcharge single room | 104.00 | 104.00 | 104.00 |
Toulouse | |||
Double room p. P. cat.X | 82.00 | 82.00 | 82.00 |
Surcharge single room | 60.00 | 60.00 | 60.00 |
Sète | |||
Double room p. P. cat. B | 79.00 | 79.00 | 79.00 |
Surcharge single room | 63.00 | 63.00 | 63.00 |
Included:
- 9 Overnights in hotels of the booked category incl. breakfast
- Luggage transfer
- Personal welcome briefing (GE,EN)
- At best elaborated route with maps (GE,EN,FR)
- Detailed travel documents with maps 1x per room (GE,EN,FR)
- GPS-Tracks and Navigation-App
- For rental bikes, rental bike insurance
- 7-days-service-hotline
Not included:
- Arrival and departure
- Costs for parking
- City tax
- Transfers
- Optional sightseeings
- City maps
- Repairs of own bike
- Travel Insurances
- Costs of the private requirements
Arrival / Parking / Departure
How to get there
Good arrival via train or plane to Toulouse.
Airport: Toulouse, Montpellier or Béziers/Cap d´Agde.
Via train from Séte to Toulouse approx. € 40,-.
Bus transfer on Saturday or Monday from Sète € 125,- per person. For the return transport of your own bike we charge € 39,- extra. A reservation is required at the time of booking, a maximum of 6 people can be transported. Payment is made on the spot.
Parking
Cat. X:
Sufficient parking spaces in a car park near the start hotel, approx. € 15,- per day.
Cat. Deluxe:
Parking garage of the hotel, approx. € 15,- per night.