Canal du Midi

You probably read the post title and thought, "what the heck is this, and why are you making a blog post about it?" First of all, the Canal du Midi is a 241km long canal in the south of France. Starting near Agde (from the Etang de Thau), it winds its way across the country until it ends in Tolouse. It provides a great place for canal walks, boat rides, and watching boats travel through the canal locks. However, some parts of the canal are more industrial and less beautiful, so this post will detail where to spend your time. (Plus, some parts have trees growing on the banks and others don't. If you're planning to go to the Canal du Midi, read this post unless you want to get fried in the sun.)

There are many nice walks on the canal, but I'm going to write about the areas close to the city of Beziers. One thing you'll probably want to see are the Canal locks. (The locks used to lower or lift boats by closing gates on the canal. Not your locker lock.) These are one of the most impressive sets on the Canal du Midi, and if you’re in the Languedoc region and have some free time, I’d recommend going there.

 First of all, some interesting locks can be found near Beziers. This will become easier if you look it up on Google Maps, but regardless of which direction you’re coming from, you’ll want to get onto the Avenue de Port Notre Dame, and then turn onto the Quai du Port Notre Dame. There are many rural country roads around here that can get you to the locks, but there’s no garuntee you won’t get stranded in the beautiful French countryside. These roads are narrow and not well marked. Stick to main streets.
 If you made it to the locks, (close to Les Halles Centrales) find a parking spot along the canal and walk uphill (there are lots of stairs). The locks don't have guard-rails, so if you bring young kids, watch them closely...Being in the canal is not very fun when you don't have a boat.

The locks are opened...Don't fall in!

They have decent food here, so if you didn't bring any, get something to eat and sit on the edge of the canal. The nine canal locks are quite impressive, but become much more interesting when you see them in action...

This is a video I took of a boat waiting to travel to the next lock. 

As you can see, the locks are awesome and impressive when in use. However, if you're getting tired of watching the canal and actually want to go IN it, walk up the river until you get past the locks. There, you'll find some boat rental companies. If you don't have a boat permit, your options are a little more limited (they're not renting you a gigantic barge just so you can crash it into the banks).
When our family went here, we rented one of these small electric boats.

Pros and Cons of Renting a Small Electric Boat
Pros: 
• Relatively inexpensive (I think it was 20-25 euros per hour). Compared to other companies, this is pretty good pricing.
• These are great fun to drive, and we let my brother Stefan do a 360 with it.
• Even with Stefan over-steering the boat and crashing it into the banks, these boats are practically indestructible and you don't have to worry about messing them up.
• You don't need a boat-driving permit to use one.
• Easier to manoeuvre than giant party barges and such.
Cons:
• These boats are S-L-O-W (5 km/hr). I wouldn't recommend renting the boats for more than an hour and a half, because after a while it will get kind of boring. Make sure you bring a picnic or something else to do on the boat, and you'll have a lovely time cruising down the canal.
• Warning: This boat is not for people with low self-esteem. We got passed at least twenty times on our canal ride, and twice by people in row boats.
• Kids 10 and under will also be strapped into embarrassing puffy life jackets.

In my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons, and if you want to try this, I would recommend it. Its a beautiful, relaxing way to tour the canal.

If driving a boat isn't enough exercise for you, try a canal walk. This is a seasonal activity, and I would definitely recommend doing it in the summer. In the right places, it is beautiful, tree-covered, and a great way to kick off a morning in France. However, some spots on the canal are industrial, mainly used for boat maintenance, not shaded, and generally not fun to walk along. This map shows the tree-covered area between Béziers and Colombiers.

Getting There:
From the canal locks, head northeast on the Chemin Rural 123, then turn right onto the Rue Alain Bashung. At the roundabout, take the first exit onto the Rue de Narbonne (D609). Then, (have I lost you yet?) take the next roundabout onto the Voie Communale 13. Follow it until you get to a bridge, then park. This will make more sense if you have an actual map in front of you.
Find the trail right next to the riverbank (it's much nicer than walking along the road). Follow the trail towards Colombiers for a calm, quiet walk. Depending on how long you want to walk, you can even go past the Traverse de Colombiers, but the trees become more dispersed after that.

Sunlight on the Canal makes for great photos.

This isn't jetpacking or anything, and it's not for everyone. While some people enjoy the serenity of a morning on the Canal du Midi, others will be bored within minutes. It just depends on what you like to do. In my opinion, it's at least worth a look on a good day, even if you don't walk for an hour.
Final advice? Avoid areas without trees, winters, and days that aren't sunny and warm, and you'll be set for an enjoyable canal walk.

I hope this guide gives you some ways to enjoy your time on the Canal du Midi in the South of France, whether it's seeing the locks, a ride on a boat, or a walk along the banks. (Sorry, that was really cheesy.)