Canal du Midi

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.

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".

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. 

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. 

You ride 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. 

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.

After breakfast individual departure or extension of your trip.