From Bordeaux to Sète along the Canal of 2 seas

Arrival time is free during the reception hours of your accommodation.

The old city center of Bordeaux is a pedestrian area and ideal for a walk.

Discover the quays of the Garonne, the medieval streets and the magnificent white stone buildings. Take some time to stroll through the streets, admire the Quinconces and Comédie squares, climb the Pey Berland tower or visit the Aquitaine museum.

You leave Bordeaux along the Garonne river on a beautiful bicycle path. Little by little, nature is gaining ground on the city. From Latresne, you leave the river to cycle on an old railway track. The old converted train stations are scattered along the route and invite you to stop. Do not miss to make some detours, in particular to see the bastide of Créon, the old abbey of La Sauve and the church of Sauveterre-de-Guyenne. After Sauveterre, the itinerary crosses the vineyards and becomes more hilly.

You cycle a few kilometers through the hills before reaching the medieval town of La Réole on the banks of the Garonne. You then cycle with ease along the dykes and quickly reach the Canal Latéral à la Garonne which will be your guiding light for the next days. A cycle path follows the canal majestically. You can take a detour across the plain to the village of Couthures-sur-Garonne, where you will learn all about the life on the river before reaching the charming village of Mas d'Agenais and its remarkable collegiate church.

You continue peacefully along the canal. You pass some locks and see small marinas in each village. Don't miss the visit of the bastide of Damazan with its colorful facades or the one of Sérignac-sur-Garonne with its slate bell tower. At the end of the stage, the cycle track leads to a superb canal bridge that crosses the Garonne at the gates of Agen. You are then two pedal strokes away from the city center where you will feel the sweetness of life in the South-West.

You get back to the canal and leave Agen by cycling along the winding hillsides. The bastide of Valence d'Agen - built by the English - offers you a pleasant break along the canal. You then continue to the rhythm of the charming lock houses. For those who are ready to leave the quietness of the canal, the fortified village of Auvillar, classified as one of the most beautiful villages in France, is worth the effort to climb up there. Otherwise you can continue on the banks of the canal until Moissac, a must-see for its splendid abbey and its cloister.

You continue along the canal through the plains to Castelsarrasin. The route deviates for a while on small country roads to the abbey of Belleperche, built on the banks of the Garonne. You then follow the canal to the small port of Montech. There you branch off onto another canal to reach Montauban, whose old pink city gracefully overlooks the Tarn.

You go back a few steps to join the Canal lateral à la Garonne which will lead you swiftly through the suburbs of Toulouse. You will arrive at the confluence of the Garonne Canal and the Canal du Midi and continue to the city center. Visit the famous Place du Capitole and admire the architectural masterpieces such as the Romanesque Basilica of Saint-Sernin, the Jacobins Church or the Renaissance Hotel of Assézat.

You leave Toulouse on a cycle route along the Canal du Midi and leave the city in peace and quiet, lulled by the gentle lapping of the water. You will reach the first villages of the Lauragais region, whose bell towers dot the landscape, especially in Montesquieu-Lauragais. You cross a rich agricultural plain surrounded by hills and developed for centuries thanks to the canal.

Short after Gardouch we suggest to leave the banks of the canal to cycle on a beautiful ridge road offering magnificent panoramas. You will arrive at the village of Avignonet-Lauragais, the Mecca of Catharism, before passing through Port Lauragais and the site of the water divide between the Atlantic and Mediterranean, the highest point along the Canal. You then head for Castelnaudary, which will welcome you with its pretty little port and its tasty cassoulets. After that, you continue on the countryside to the charming abbey of Saint-Papoul before returning to the canal at Bram.

Today you stay on the towpath of the canal to Carcassonne. You will cross the new town and arrive on the banks of the Aude, where the impressive walls of the medieval city stand out. Take time to visit this fortress admirably restored by Viollet-le-Duc.

The towpath sometimes turns into a muddy track until you reach Carcassonne. We suggest a pleasant detour on country roads passing through the villages of Alzonne and Sainte-Eulalie, recommended in case of rain.

Shortly after Carcassonne, the route of the canal leads you to the Minervois. In La Redorte, don't miss the "épanchoir de l'Argent-Double" designed by Vauban, built to evacuate the excess water during floods or to empty the canal. The charming wine villages follow one another, each with its own small port. Homps offers you the possibility of a more animated stop before continuing to one of the next villages where you stop.

The Canal du Midi and the Canal de la Robine accompany you at the beginning of this stage. You will then leave the Canal du Midi and follow quiet country roads through Ouveillan. You'll find a winding canal before reaching the lively port of Capestang, where you can stop to visit the collegiate church of Saint-Etienne which dominates the village with its 45m high gothic bell tower. You then keep the canal as a guideline, pass the Malpas tunnel and admire the cascade of the 9 locks of Fonsérannes and finally the view of Béziers, where you end your day's itinerary.

Today, you stay along the canal lined with a bicycle path and then with very rolling paths. You reach Adge without effort, the time to appreciate the birdlife of the Estagnol marshes, the quietness of the Cassafières harbor, or the remarkable works that are the Libron locks and the Saint-Joseph bridge. After Adge, you follow the Hérault river and then slip among the reed beds of the Bagnas lagoons, a strong moment of nature. Then, at the end of the channel, a pause at the Onglous lighthouse, a bit like your "end of the world", because it is here that the Canal du Midi ends in the salty waters of the Thau lagoon. But the adventure is not quite over yet, as a comfortable bicycle path will guide you to Sète along the Mediterranean beaches, a thousand opportunities to take a well-deserved bath !

Let yourself be seduced by the gentle bustle of the port of Sète, built by Louis XIV to provide the Canal du Midi with an outlet to the sea. The charm of this maritime city has inspired many artists.

End of services after breakfast. You leave during the day or extend your stay as you wish.