Still a marvel 300 years after its creation

The Canal du Midi is the 17th century engineering feat of Pierre-Paul Riquet. Defying the laws of nature, Riquet created a waterborne link between two great bodies of water: the Atlantic Ocean at Bordeaux and the Mediterranean at Sète. The project took 14 years to build (1667-1681), with a labour force of 12,000 men and women.

























A long and winding summit canal

With spectacular staircase locks to compensate for a 190-meter difference in altitude, the canal connects Sète on the Mediterranean coast to the Garonne River, which flows from Toulouse to Bordeaux on the Atlantic. Classified by UNESCO as a World Monument in 1996, the Canal du Midi was built during the reign of Louis XIV and is Europe's oldest operating canal.



Riquet's motto

“Il faut finir l'ouvrage ou mourir à la peine” (We must
finish the work or die at the task) was Riquet's motto.
Sadly, he did die just months before the canal was
inaugurated.



A step back in time

A voyage on the Clair de Lune on this historic and
fascinating waterway is like taking a step back into
Riquet's 17th century France. You'll be awed by his
science and the art of his canal structures at each lock
passing; charmed by the thousands of trees that line
the canal to shade its towpaths and hold its banks; and
pleased by the architectural harmony of the characteristic oval locks and buildings.



Incredible 17 th century innovations along the canal

You'll be astounded crossing the Répudre aqueduct, the first canal bridge built in France, and the second in the world; mesmerized going through the majestic, multiple staircase locks of Fonserannes; and amazed passing through the Tunnel de Malpas, the first navigable canal tunnel ever — and one which Riquet had secretly excavated using gun powder (another first), against the advice of the king's finance minister who thought it to be an insurmountable task.





















Glide along at no more than 5 miles per hour

You'll travel at about the same speed that 17 th century barges did when they were pulled along by men and horses on the towpath — and have time to admire the same beautiful scenery that Riquet knew: fertile plains, endless vineyards, fragrant lavender crops, silvery olive orchards, fields of lazy sunflowers and views of ancient castles and villages dating back to the middle ages, all framed by distant mountain ranges.