Listed a Grand Site de France, since 1996, the Canal du Midi has also been recognised as World Heritage by Unesco, which described it as “one of the most extraordinary examples of civil engineering of the modern age which paved the way to the industrial revolution”. It constitutes not only a real technical achievement but also a work of art, given that the canal's creators were able to incorporate the structure into the very varied landscapes through which it runs.

The Canal du Midi, home to many interesting sites and open from March to November, has become a key destination in river tourism. Becoming increasingly popular from the 1960s onwards, hordes of tourists have now been visiting the Canal since the 1980s. It runs through major towns and cities such as Toulouse, Castelnaudary, Carcassonne, Trèbes, Béziers, Narbonne, Sète, and Agde, among others.

Linking the Atlantic and the Mediterranean

As of the Antiquity, many plans to cut the Canal linking the Mediterranean to the Atlantic were developed. In 1662, the suggestion of Pierre-Paul Riquet, the salt tax collector in Languedoc, caught the attention of Louis XIV, who saw it as the opportunity to mark his reign with a timeless work of art.

The royal decree of October 1666 authorised the construction of the canal. Many workers were employed (up to 12,000!) and the labour was organised in great detail, enabling the canal to be opened up to navigation on 15^th May 1682 and just a year later to merchant traffic.

An exceptional work of art and a technical feat

The great technical feat of the Canal du Midi was achieved by Pierre-Paul Riquet and involved transporting the water from the Black Mountain down to the foot of the Naurouze (189 m), the highest point in the course. In order to take into consideration the water flow and volume, Riquet constructed a model that included locks, tunnels and outfalls, before finally deciding upon the definitive route the canal would take.

The assistance provided by Vauban

In 1686, in order to deal with risks of flooding, the famous architect Vauban built the Cammazes tunnel in order to extend the rivulet from the Black Mountain. He also strengthened the Saint-Férréol dam as this was too small when it flooded, constructed numerous structures that would enable the water level to be regulated, and built 49 aqueducts and canal bridges.

A year later, a further series of structures was added, including the Canal de Garonne which provided a link with Bordeaux while avoiding the severe flooding of the Garonne, the Canal de la Robine in Narbonne, which connected the river Aude to the Mediterranean sea (and the Canal de Jonction which joins the river Aude to the Canal du Midi), and the Canal de Brienne, which links the Garonne to the Canal de Midi.

42,000 plane trees line the canal

The 42,000 plane trees that line the Canal du Midi were originally planted to reduce the collapse of the canal's banks and to stabilise them. The alignment of these trees, each spaced 7 to 8 metres apart, forms a colonnade, creating a “magnificent landscape monument”. The plane trees filter the light and protect sailors from the heat during those hot summer months in the South of France.

To find out more

The Canal du Midi on the Unesco website

The Intercommunal Tourist Office of the Canal du Midi

Learn about the landscape and recognise its value on the website of the Standing Committee on the environment and sustainable development