Canal du Midi

The Canal du Midi is a historic 17th-century canal in southern France, linking Toulouse with the Mediterranean. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Canal du Midi is a historic 17th-century canal in southern France, in the Occitanie region, in the departments of Hérault, Aude, and Haute-Garonne, as well as Tarn for a section of its water supply system.

The canal links Toulouse with the Mediterranean near Sète, forming part of the Canal des Deux Mers, which connects the Atlantic and Mediterranean waterways. Built between 1666 and 1681 under Pierre-Paul Riquet, it is widely regarded as one of the great engineering achievements of its era and was originally known as the Canal Royal en Languedoc.

The canal is about 240 km long and includes a complex system of locks, aqueducts, bridges, reservoirs, and other structures designed to solve the challenge of supplying water across its summit level. Its water supply depends on works associated with the Montagne Noire, including the reservoir at Bassin de Saint-Ferréol, which made the canal’s construction possible.

Today, the Canal du Midi is valued less for commercial transport than for leisure boating, cycling, and riverside travel, while also serving as a major heritage route through Occitania. In 1996, UNESCO recognised it as a World Heritage Site for its outstanding engineering and artistic design.

While the itinerary is mainly for boats, a bike path runs parallel to the canal, and there are bike rental services in many villages.

• To access the western end of the itinerary, see Toulouse#Get in
• To access the central part of the itinerary, see Carcassonne#Get in
• To access the eastern end of the itinerary, see Sète#Get in
• The A61 road follows the canal from Toulouse to Narbonne, the A9 from Narbonne to Etang de Thau.

• 43.6044441.4433331 Toulouse
• 43.6107451.4173172 Port de l'Embouchure, Toulouse

• 43.4184161.6410373 Lock of Négra is a single chamber lock on the Canal du Midi near the village of Villefranche-de-Lauragais in Languedoc, France. There is a small chapel at the lock and also a small red-brick aqueduct which carries the canal over the Thésauque, a tributary of the Hers. There is a picnic site.
• 43.3915921.6918494 Écluse de Gardouch there is a port (Quai de Riquet) and a picnic area, also cafeterias and restaurant.
• 43.386131.708815 Aqueduc des Voûtes. is a small but notable canal bridge on the Canal du Midi, near Gardouch and Renneville. Built in the late 1680s, it was designed under Vauban to carry the canal over the Hers-Mort. Its two arches and flood weirs reflect careful water management and later restoration.
• 43.363131.773326 Écluse d'Emborrel, dock with toilettes and water fountain.
• 43.35331.801767 Port Lauragais a port with services. Created in 1979 from a former gravel pit, it offers moorings, boat hire, cycling access, a visitor centre, and food services, making it a convenient base for exploring the canal. Can be accessed from A61 service area Port Lauragais.
• 43.350631.818658 Seuil de Naurouze-Continental divide is the highest point of the Canal du Midi and the canal’s watershed, where water from the Montagne Noire is divided between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Located near Montferrand, it marks the engineering heart of the canal and is centered on the historic bief de partage.
• 43.320951.913579 Écluse de la Planque . There is a hotel La Bonne Planque, 1339, Chemin de la Planque,11400 Mas-Saintes-Puelles, ☏ +33 4 11 66 92 31, labonneplanque11@gmail.com.  (updated Aug 2026)
• 43.3139221.94853910 Castelnaudary-Quai Thomas Jefferson is a canal-side stop in Castelnaudary, best known for its pleasant moorings and easy access to the town center. It serves as a practical base for visiting Castelnaudary’s waterfront, historic streets, and nearby Canal du Midi features. Castelnaudary’s main sights are clustered around the Canal du Midi and the old town. The Grand Bassin and Saint-Roch locks are essential stops, while the Moulin de Cugarel, Saint-Michel collegiate church, and the medieval streets add heritage, views, and local character. Cassoulet is the town’s signature attraction.
• 43.312681.9569811 Castelnaudary-Port de Plaisance port in the Grand Basin with boat services.
• 43.297511.9941512 Écluse Triple du Vivier it has a hotel: Moulin de Vivier, 62 Chemin du Soleil, Minoterie, 11400 Saint-Martin-Lalande, ☏ +33 4 68 23 03 66, contact@moulinduvivier.com.  (updated Aug 2026)
• 43.2550962.12701613 Bram Port with services in the village of Bram
• 43.233312.2311714 Villesèquelande picnic area
• 43.217382.3504115 Port de Carcassonne is a port with services in the city of Carcassonne where you have to visit the medieval city.
• 43.2375892.37321116 Pont-canal du Fresquel where the canal crosses the Fresquel river.
• 43.209932.4444417 Port de Trèbes with services in the village of Trèbes
• 43.204652.5450318 Marseillette picnic area
• 43.25032.6671919 Épanchoir de l'Argent Double . drain to the river l'Argent Double build at end of 17th century.
• 43.268342.7156920 Port Minervois with services in the village of Homps
• 43.240222.7683221 Port Occitanie with services in the village of Argens-Minervoise
• 43.265432.9042722 Le Somail village of Le Somail, Saint-Nazaire-d'Aude with restaurants, hotels and picnic area.
• 43.282662.9165523 Port-la-Robine with restaurant
• 43.283442.9219824 Canal de la robine junction canal de la Rovine goes to Narbonne and Port la nouvelle.
• 43.313652.9180725 Argeliers village and picnic area
• 43.316792.9770226 Ouveillan hotel Le relais de pigasse, RD 5 Route de Carcassonne, 11590 Ouveillan, ☏ +33 4 67 24 51 06, contact@relaisdepigasse.fr. Hotel and restaurant (updated Aug 2026)
• 43.33153.0430327 Port de Capestang , village, port, picnic area
• 43.307953.0787728 Poilhes Village

• 43.306973.1260829 Tunnel de Malpas tunnel with tourist info, oicnic area and toilettes.
• 43.313853.1426530 Port de Colombiers port and Village
• 43.3305313.19945631 Écluses de Fonseranes Lock system near Beziers
• 43.334283.2184832 Port de Béziers port with services in the city of Béziers.
• 43.317153.2817633 Villeneuve-lès-Béziers dock docking area in the village of Villeneuve-lès-Béziers.
• 43.3047613.32928534 Écluse de Portiragnes Lock and docking area in the village of Portiragnes.
• 43.291553.3712835 Port Cassafières port with services.
• 43.319893.4637636 Port d'Agde port with services near the city of Agde
• 43.337353.5371537 Base nautique Les Glénans
• 43.413.62416738 Étang de Thau lake at the end of canal du midi
• 43.4044443.69666739 Sète is a city at the other side of etang de Thau with access to the sea, and a big sea port.

Most of the boats you can rent do not require a boat license, so anybody can drive it with a half an hour training, mostly teaching some basic driving rules and the lock crossing procedure.

Beware of cargo boats. They are heavy and can't turn easily, so get out of his way.

See the articles of the endpoint of your journey.

Other waterway itineraries include:

• Marne–Rhine Canal-East
• Main-Danube Canal – links the Danube with the Main, a tributary of the Rhine, and thus the North Sea to the Black Sea
• Göta Kanal – across southern Sweden, as passenger or on own keel

Or if you want to follow a waterway by land away from the tow paths:

• Rheinsteig – a 320-km hiking trail along the Rhine River
• Rheinburgenweg – similarly along the Rhine, 200 km
• Belgian coast by tram – by land, but not on foot