Languedoc Cruise

Carcassonne to the Summit of the Canal du Midi passing through Castelnaudary

Sunday Guests are met by Earl, the Captain and owner at 1200 at an arrange meeting point. Transferred to Colibri moored by Carcassonne. Warm welcome on board with a glass of bubbles and then a brief safety talk and outline of your week ahead. Relax and enjoying lunch, the first meal of your cruise. After lunch we will leave our mooring and cruise to a perfect location for our first overnight stop and dinner.

Monday Guided tour of the Cite of Carcassonne, to take in the fascinating medieval city, a wonderful journey into history. In the afternoon we cruise through a tight and twisty section of the canal to a tranquil mooring for the evening near Bram and dinner aboard.

Tuesday In the morning, we visit the town of Limoux, and a local winery, providing an insight into the wines and not forgetting tastings including the Crémants and Blanquettes of Limoux the oldest sparkling wines in the world made since 1531. We cruise a very pretty stretch of the canal today, stopping for the evening beneath the trees near Saint-Martin-Lalande.

Wednesday We visit the medieval market town of Mirepoix with half-timbered houses and a beautiful square. On the way back to Colibri we visit an ancient church made in the rocks, an amazing site. We cruise in the afternoon through a series of locks, into the Grand Basin of Castelnaudary, the home town of Cassoulet, a local dish.

Thursday Morning visit to Ravel, renowned for its covered market, furniture making and the Lac de Saint-Ferréol, taking in the new Museum du Canal du Midi and gardens. The museum beautifully shows the vision and working used to create and operate the Canal du Midi, with delightful gardens. We cruise the final leg of our journey to the Seuil de Naurouze located on the highest stretch of the Canal, a 194 metres (650ft) above sea level. This is the watershed between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. One can take a stroll and visit the obélisque to Pierre Paul Riquet, the builder of the canal set in a beautiful park. Farewell dinner aboard.

Friday Leisurely breakfast, and transfer around to nominated drop of point. Our itineraries are a guideline and our excursions can be adjusted to your interests. There are many sites, abbeys, Cathar castles, wineries and markets we can visit. We would be delighted to tailor should our proposed excursions to enhance your cruise.

Narbonne to Carcassonne – sample itinerary

Alternative sample itinerary. This is a lovely itinerary, best cruised in the quieter months, early or late in the season to avoid high levels of traffic.

Sunday Guests are met by Earl, the Captain and owner at 1200 at an arrange meeting point. Transferred to Colibri moored in the village Le Somail. Warm welcome on board with a glass of bubbles and then a brief safety talk and outline of your week ahead. Relax and enjoying lunch, the first meal of your cruise. After lunch we cruise along the « Grand Bief » to a perfect location for our first overnight stop and dinner. The Grand Bief is a remarkable engineering feat, a stretch of canal 54.2 km long without a lock, from Beziers to Argens-Minervois, passing by villages and vineyards as it winds through the country side. We will moor in a tranquil spot for dinner tonight.

Monday Today we visit the Abbey Sainte-Marie de Fontfroide. It is located in a beautiful tranquil setting and with its garden of 3000 rosebushes and Italian garden it is a wonderful place to visit. On the way back we can pop in and see the Oulibo olive oil press, where locals can take their olives for pressing. After lunch Colibri will make her way along the final section of the Grande Bief and entering the locks and starting the climb towards Carcassonne. We will head towards Homps and enjoy dinner aboard.

Tuesday We visit Narbonne, with its beautiful cathedral, bustling colourful market and historic Roman sites. Not to mention some lovely shops. This afternoons cruise sees Fiona and I get busy, as we have five sets of locks making ten basins to climb to our evening mooring in the village of Marseillette.

Wednesday Our excursion today is to the Cathar fort and hill top village of Minerve, a stunning location with a museum that tells of its history. Everyone loves this beautiful village. It’s a picture perfect postcard village from the south of France, without the crowds. On your return to Colibri you will enjoy a splendid lunch before we continue upstream, through the village of Trebes towards Villedubert our secluded mooring for dinner and the night.

Thursday This morning our excursion will be of the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne, to take in the fascinating medieval city, a wonderful journey into history. We cruise this afternoon up through a series of locks and through Carcassonne for our final evenings dinner aboard.

Friday After a leisurely breakfast and time to pack, Earl will transfer you to the nominated drop of point. We offer a sample itinerary and we can do as much or as little as you like, it is your holiday and our pleasure to tailor the cruise to your wishes.

Barge cruise info

About Canal du Midi

The Canal du Midi is a 240 km long canal in Southern France from Toulouse to the Mediterranean. Originally named the Canal Royal in Languedoc and renamed by French revolutionaries to Canal du Midi in 1789, the canal is considered one of the greatest construction works of the 17th century.