This French Waterway Is A Boating Haven To Fairytale Fortresses, Charming Villages, And World-Class Vineyards

Within the south of France, a 150-mile canal stretches all the best way from Toulouse, the pink-hued, charming French paradise, to the Mediterranean. The Canal du Midi, because it’s named, is a feat of engineering from the seventeenth century, constructed as a part of a undertaking to create a commerce route connecting the Atlantic and Mediterranean throughout France. It is also an admirable work of aesthetic imaginative and prescient, rigorously designed to enhance the panorama with swish stone bridges and picturesque locks. The mixture of the canal’s historical past, innovation, and sweetness has solidified it as a UNESCO World Heritage Web site.

Guests of each stripe will discover one thing to get pleasure from alongside the Canal du Midi, from wine tastings to medieval fortresses and iconic bridges. If you happen to cruise down the canal by boat, you possibly can go for something between a two-hour boat tour of a portion of the canal or a week-long journey on a resort barge. Boat rental firms are all alongside the canal, and you do not want a allow to drive one your self. You may additionally take your individual canoe or paddleboard, however you will must get off and stroll round locks, as smaller watercraft aren’t allowed in these. The canal is lined with towpaths that make for a dreamy route for walkers and cyclists, too. You may begin at any of the canal’s idyllic waypoints.

If you happen to’re flying into France, beginning in Toulouse is a handy choice for visiting the Canal du Midi — Toulouse-Blagnac Airport is about 10 miles from Port Saint-Sauveur, with public transport out there. As each the start line of the canal and the capital of Occitania, Toulouse offers you a way of the canal’s and the realm’s historical past. Cease on the Canal du Midi archives constructing at Port Saint-Etienne, which incorporates all the historic paperwork associated to the canal, all the best way again to the primary flirtation with the thought of constructing a canal right here in 1598.

Following the canal down from Toulouse to Castelnaudary is essentially the most peaceable stretch. There is not a lot to see between these checkpoints, however you do get to expertise essentially the most outstanding part of airplane bushes, planted with uncovered roots to fortify the banks. Castelnaudary is greatest recognized for the native cassoulet, a beloved pork and bean dish. Chez David is likely one of the most famed eating places in Castelnaudary that focuses on the meal.

At this level, you are within the corner of France that Rick Steves says is more authentic than its crowded neighbors. The following important cease from Castelnaudary heading south is the medieval, walled metropolis of Carcassonne, which is punctuated by a wonderful fort. The Canal du Midi passes by way of the Fresquel aqueduct on the level the place the canal intersects with the Fresquel River — it was this aqueduct that enabled the canal to cross Carcassonne.

If you wish to savor the regional wines alongside the Canal du Midi, make certain to cease on the village of Homps, south of Carcassonne. Lush vineyards roll out throughout the village. You’ll find among the greatest wines of the area (often called Minervois) on the Maison des Vins du Minervois, situated proper alongside the banks of the canal, on the Port d’Homps. If you happen to stroll about 20 minutes from right here, you will get to Jouarres Lake, a beautiful spot to go for a swim or calm down at a lakeside surrounded by vineyards and olive bushes.

From Homps, the canal passes by way of quite a few beautiful villages earlier than reaching the shoreline. One is Paraza, a reasonably, medieval website with galleries and the hilltop Château de Paraza. Pierre Paul Riquet, the canal’s engineer, stayed at this château whereas designing the canal. Additional alongside is Le Somail, greatest recognized for its stone, humpback bridge. As you move beneath it, you may discover a plaque bearing a well-recognized identify: Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson as soon as traveled the canal himself and stopped at Le Somail in 1787.

After traversing some extra cute villages and progressive canal options (together with a flight of six locks at Béziers), the canal reaches Sète, sometimes called southern France’s “Venice,” on the Mediterranean coast. Actually, Sète is stuffed with canals, and the town’s structure is dictated by them, with seafood eating places and colourful terraces lining the waterways. Cease by La Criée aux Poissons, a fish market in Sète’s outdated port, the place you will see fishermen and buyers haggling over the day by day catch. For these on bikes, the Lido greenway is a beautiful path that goes from Sète to Marseillan, skirting dunes and seashores.