Canal du Midi

Cycle along the beautiful Canal du Midi

Welcome to France! This cycling holiday along the Canal du Midi offers a fascinating journey through south-west France, from Toulouse to the Mediterranean. The Canal du Midi has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996 and this jewel of southern French history offers an opportunity to step back in time and relive the region’s history. On your journey along the canal, you can visit historic monuments and towns, and discover the gastronomic delights the area offers.
A masterpiece of the architect Pierre-Paul Riquet, the Canal du Midi was completed in 1681 with a total length of 240 km, between Toulouse and Marseille. From Toulouse, the Canal du Midi joins the Garonne River before continuing towards the Atlantic Ocean. Finally it joins the Rhône River at Sète and then the Mediterranean Sea.

Highlights

  • The calm and tranquil pace of the Canal du Midi
  • The surroundings with beautiful vineyards, farms and fields
  • The best of the south-west region: Carcassonne, Castelnaudary & Toulouse

Quick facts

Travel duration: 8 days/ 7 nights
Travel period: 12/4 - 14/10 with any arrival day
Grade:
Easy. Average 25-50 km/ 150-400 m per day. Day by day trip grading, see "program" on each trip.
2
Accommodations:
Trip type: Self guided cycling holidays
Price example: From €740
Meals: Breakfast

Prices per person in EUR

This trip is available from April 1 – October 15, with any arrival date.

8 days/ 7 nights From €740 Book your trip

Period TRP - Triple Room Double Room - shared bed Twin Room - separate beds SGL - Single Room
2026-04-12 2026-05-31 €740 €860 €860 €1,390
2026-06-01 2026-09-30 €780 €900 €900 €1,490
2026-10-01 2026-10-14 €740 €860 €860 €1,330
Book your trip
Prices quoted are per person and include:
  • Accommodation 7 nights
  • Breakfast at the hotel
  • Luggage transport for hotel changes
  • Mobile app in English that includes:
    • Digital maps for navigation
    • Day by day tour descriptions
    • Practical information
  • 24-hour emergency hotline for urgent matters
* Single room rates
  • Single room rates apply when travelling in the company of others. If you are travelling on your own, in most cases there is an additional charge, due to more expensive luggage transport. Please contact us for prices.
Not included
  • Flight to/from the destination
  • Transfer to/from the Airport
Optional extras
  • Bike rental: 200 Euro, choose between 7-speed and 24-speed hybrid bike with front shock absorbers and hand brakes. The bikes are equipped with repair kit, a bike bag (side bag), mobile phone holder, bike lock, light.
  • Electric bicycle: 300 Euro, including repair kit, a bicycle bag (side bag), mobile phone holder, bicycle lock, lights.
  • Bike helmet can be booked free of charge. Please make a note of the helmet and size in the booking form.

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival in Toulouse

You will arrive at the hotel in Toulouse. Take the opportunity to visit this culturally rich city, also known as La Ville Rose. The city is full of life with many small cosy restaurants and cafés. You will receive your rental bike at 7pm and then take a first tour of the surroundings.

Day 2 Cycling from Toulouse to Castelnaudary - 60 km

From Toulouse, you’ll enter the rich Lauragais countryside, an area known for well-being and good food. You’ll discover a bright landscape, pink brick villages and charming farms. At the foot of the Montagne Noire (Black Mountain), take time to visit the Seuil de Naurouze, the watershed discovered by the architect Pierre-Paul Riquet, when he designed the canal. Water falling on the western side of this point flows to the Atlantic and on the eastern side to the Mediterranean.
60 km.

Day 3 Cycling from Castelnaudary to Carcassone – 41 km

Today’s ride starts in Castelnaudary, where you can enjoy the tranquillity of the surrounding countryside, before arriving in Carcassonne at midday, with plenty of time to visit this stunning medieval city. Along the route today you’ll see the Moulin de Cugarel, the Grand Bassin de Villepinte, the harbour of Bram and the aqueduct of Rebenty.
41 km.

Day 4 Cycling from Carcassone to Homps/Olonzac – 41 km/ 43 km

From now on, you will pedal between vineyards and villages typical of the South of France. In the small, historic harbour of Homps, you will be able to taste some of the best wines of the region. Homps is ideally located between the terroirs of Minervois, to the north, and Corbieres to the south. Accommodation in Homps or Olonzac.
41 km/ 43 km

Day 5 Cycling from Homps/ Olonzac to Capestang – 43 km

After Homps, a series of engineering achievements can be seen on the Canal du Midi. Here, man has had to use great ingenuity to build the canal through difficult terrain. The canal meanders more and more and the surrounding landscape is lined with vineyards and olive groves. You will arrive in the village of Solail, where you can take the opportunity to visit its antique bookshop, before continuing the cycle to Capestang. Overnight in Caspestang, a beautiful 14th century village.
43 km.

Day 6 Cycling from Capestang to Agde - 42 km

Little by little you approach the sea and La pointe des Onglous, where the Canal du Midi joins the lagoon of the étang de Thau, an absolutely magical place. We recommend getting off your bike for a while and wandering around this beautiful area, and if you’re lucky you might even see flamingos. Be sure to savour the area’s famous oysters and mussels, caught directly from nearby Bouzigues. The day ends in the centre of Agde, a beautiful little town along the French coast.
42 km.

Day 7 Cycling from Agde to Sète - 35 km

Today, your journey continues to the beautiful beaches of Sète. Here, you can enjoy a very pleasant cycle path between the étang de Thau lagoon and the Mediterranean Sea. Along the way, we recommend a break from cycling and a refreshing dip in the sea! The cycling tour ends in Sète, with its historic port, which is unusually located right in the city centre. This is where you will spend the last evening of your trip.
35 km

Day 8 Departure day

We at EverTrek hope you have had a great trip!
We hope to see you again.

Accommodations

During this trip you will stay in comfortable B&Bs and 2-star hotels including breakfast.

8 days/ 7 nights

NightPlaceAccommodation
Night 1ToulouseHotel **/ B&B
Night 2CastelnaudryHotel **/ B&B
Night 3CarcassonneHotel **/ B&B
Night 4Homps/ OlonzacHotel **/ B&B
Night 5CapestangHotel **/ B&B
Night 6AgdeHotel **/ B&B
Night 7 SèteHotel **/ B&B

Route map

Getting to the destination

Plane

The nearest Airport to fly to is Toulouse Airport (TLS). You can also fly to Paris Airport (CDG) and from there take the train to Toulouse.
However, an alternative that involves a slightly longer ground journey is to fly to Marseille Airport (MRS).

Transfer

Private transfers to/from Toulouse or Bézeir Airport can be booked. Please contact us for prices.

Local transports

For local transport, see SNCF.

Our travelers’ reviews

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Reviews

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1 - 5
Review for canal-du-midi
5/5
Warm and lovely cycling tour
Posted by on
We are very satisfied with our trip. We received quick help from the service team when one of the bikes got a flat tire. Very nice accommodations and welcoming hosts.
Review for canal-du-midi
4/5
Fun cycling along the canal
Posted by on
Easy cycling, although the signage was sometimes poor. The accommodation in Olonzac was a gem! When we cycled it was warm, so it was good to bring plenty of water.
Review for canal-du-midi
4/5
Nice cycling
Posted by on
More difficult cycling than we had anticipated. Rutted, sometimes muddy and bumpy, but in charming surroundings. Hard to find the canal on the first day. It would have been helpful to receive the information well in advance of departure instead of getting it at the hotel the night before. Fantastic views and overall good hotels. The one in Olonzac was fantastic, Béziers clearly worse. We had suitable bikes but would have preferred the bike bags to be the same size on both bikes. Overall, a very pleasant trip where we encountered only friendly people and enjoyed the wonderful environment.
Review for canal-du-midi
4/5
Lovely canal cycling
Posted by on
A wonderful trip with overall good accommodations! The Bed & Breakfast lodgings were very charming and nice. The hotel in Béziers was the only downside, but we understand that it is planned to be replaced with something else. Mostly good cycling paths, though some sections were of poorer quality. Well marked, except when the path was temporarily closed — then it was difficult to find the way. We were a group of four people and only received one guidebook. We would have liked one more so we could better prepare for the next day.
Review for canal-du-midi
4/5
A lovely tour
Posted by on
When we arrived at the hotel in Toulouse, we were a bit worried about the limited maps. It turned out to be no problem at all – just follow the canal, on either the right or left side. We did use Google Maps to locate the accommodations. The cycling was easy-going, even though some sections were simple paths. The bikes were ok, with quick service when issues arose (in my case, trouble with the gears). We really appreciated the homely accommodations along the way — places we never would have found on our own.

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