Canal du Midi

No self-catering holiday in Languedoc is complete without seeing the Canal du Midi – a beautiful tree-lined Canal which links the Atlantic with the Mediterranean and which has miles of flat walks along the shady tow paths. Explore it on rollerblades, on horseback, by bike, by barge or simply on foot. Whichever you choose, it will be an ideal way to discover one of the longest canals in France.

An historic feat, the Canal du Midi was an immense and incredible project for its time, connecting the Mediterranean sea to the Atlantic Ocean. It spans across 240 km (150 miles), weaving its way between Sète and Toulouse where it meets the Garonne river. Its engineer, Pierre Paul Riquet, who was born in Béziers, took almost 20 years to design and build this jewel in the French heritage, now classed as a UNESCO world heritage site.

If you return to Beziers and take the road to St. Pons at the second exit you can head towards the ‘Neuf Ecluses’, nine locks in a row on the Canal de Midi in Béziers. Follow the signs around the one way system.

You can walk to the bridge which carries the Canal over the river, viewing the Cathedral in Beziers from down below.