Where is the Canal du Midi in France?

Canal du Midi, also called Midi Canal, also called Languedoc Canal or French Canal du Languedoc, historic canal in the Languedoc region of France, a major link in the inland waterway system from the Bay of Biscay of the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

What is the best part of the Canal du Midi?

Top 6 Places to Visit While Cruising on the Canal du Midi in the South of France

• Carcassonne. Carcassonne is a medieval fortified city set atop a hill overlooking the Aude River.
• Béziers. The hilltop town of Béziers is the wine capital of Languedoc.
• Minerve.
• Narbonne.
• Capestang.
• Le Somail.

Can you walk the Canal du Midi?

Suggested itinerary walking along the Midi Canal The entire stretch between Toulouse and Carcassonne can be covered comfortably in five days, or a section of it could be a good way to ease your muscles into a more difficult or strenuous walk.

Where does the Canal du Midi start and end?

The Canal du Midi is located in the south of France, in the departments of Hérault, Aude, and Haute-Garonne. Its course runs for 240 kilometres between Marseillan, at a place called Les Onglous, where the canal opens into the étang de Thau near Sète and Toulouse at Port de l’Embouchure.

Why is the Canal du Midi important?

This 360-km network of navigable waterways linking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic through 328 structures (locks, aqueducts, bridges, tunnels, etc.) is one of the most remarkable feats of civil engineering in modern times. Built between 1667 and 1694, it paved the way for the Industrial Revolution.

Who built the French Canal?

Under the rule of the famously ostentatious Sun King, Louis XIV, and the engineering designs of Pierre-Paul Riquet, 12,000 workers laboured for 15 years to construct the Canal du Midi.

Why was the Canal du Midi built?

Constructed between 1666 and 1681 to provide a water link between the Mediterranean Sea and the Garonne River (and thus to the Atlantic Ocean), the Canal du Midi exists today as a feat of incredible engineering and aesthetic genius, marked by its UNESCO World Heritage Site status.