Canal des Deux Mers Cycling Tour

Day 1: Arrival in Bordeaux
You will take your time to discover Bordeaux, a UNESCO World Heritage city. You will stroll along the Garonne docks and let yourself be won over by its quality of life, its green open spaces, its gastronomy and, of course, its wine.

Day 2: Bordeaux – Rauzan (50 km; +360 m)
Once you have crossed the Garonne, you will follow the Roger Lapébie cycle path, named after the French racing cyclist, through vineyards and forest. Laid on a former railway line, it will lead you into the heart of the Entre-deux-Mers. You will leave it to reach Rauzan, a medieval village watched over by its castle and keep.

Day 3: Rauzan – Marmande (65 km; +430 m)
You will return to the cycle path as far as Sauveterre-de-Guyenne, a fortified village from the 13th century. Small country roads will then carry you to La Réole, perched above the Garonne, where you will join the canal. You will follow it to Marmande, the tomato capital.

Day 4: Marmande – Agen (60 km; +170 m)
You will ride the canal all the way to Agen, with two stops worth making. In Le Mas-d'Agenais, the church of Saint-Vincent, a gem of the French Renaissance, holds a Christ on the Cross by Rembrandt. Damazan is a fortified village from the 13th century. You will enter Agen over one of the longest canal bridges.

Day 5: Agen – Moissac (50 km; +115 m)
The stage will run along the water, through Valence d'Agen, a medieval village with a rich cultural and natural heritage and a warm welcome for cyclists. You will arrive in Moissac, an essential stop on the Way of St James, where the former Benedictine abbey church, its cloister and its Romanesque tympanum await you.

Day 6: Moissac – Toulouse (65 km; +150 m)
You will enjoy the calm of the canal before reaching the lively Ville Rose. Villages follow one another at regular intervals, inviting you to stop for lunch or a break. You will enter Toulouse away from the traffic, along the Canal du Midi, and you will not want to miss the Place du Capitole, the Basilica of Saint-Sernin and the Jacobins monastery.

Day 7: Toulouse – Castelnaudary (61 km, variant to St Martin Lalande 68 km; +170 m, variant +330 m)
The Pink City, famous for its brick buildings, will open the way to the Canal du Midi. You will cross the Lauragais, a land of farms where ducks and geese live a peaceful life along the water, and a land of good living and gastronomy. Castelnaudary, famous for its cassoulet, will invite you to taste its local cuisine.

Day 8: Castelnaudary (or St Martin Lalande) – Carcassonne (40 km; +90 m, variant +130 m)
In the heart of Cathar country, you will find traces of the crusades all along the stage that guides you to Carcassonne. Its medieval walled city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most beautiful fortifications in Europe.

Day 9: Carcassonne – Homps or Olonzac (42 km; +80 m)
Between the Aude river and the canal, you will ride to the rhythm of the water, under pines and plane trees that keep the air fresh. Each village hides a treasure: do not miss the Orbiel canal bridge and the Argent-Double aqueduct.

Day 10: Homps or Olonzac – Béziers (63 km; +300 m)
You will pass through charming villages such as Paraza and Le Somail, then follow a winding stretch of canal lined with olive trees and vines to the lively port of Capestang. After the Malpas tunnel, you will admire the staircase of the nine Fonsérannes locks before reaching Béziers.

Day 11: Béziers – Sète (50 km; +130 m)
Heading for the Mediterranean, the canal will guide you towards Sète and its southern atmosphere. You will reach Agde, then the Étang de Thau, where the Canal du Midi ends, and you will ride into Sète along the Mediterranean beaches.

Day 12: Departure from Sète
After breakfast, you will leave Sète according to your travel plans.