Canal du Midi
GPS-app available
4-day family cycle trip along the Canal du Midi
No starting on Thursday
Short daily distances for those who want to cycle the Canal du Midi with children or at a relax pace.
Be careful : the towpath being still a muddy track on several portions (between Bram and Carcassonne), it is sometimes a bit bumpy to ride and narrow path.
Reference
M0403
- Itinerant trip
- 4 days
- Very easy
- From April 15th to October 15th
- Minimum age 7 years old
GPS-app availableFrom
Prices
425€ / pers.
- Itinerary
- Accommodation
- Bikes, luggage and documents
- a touring bike adjusted to your size or a tandem
- equipped : front rack pack with an integrated file compartment, saddlebag, helmet (on demand), reflective vest, repairing toolkit with patches etc.
- We transport your luggage from one accommodation to the next using a private vehicle.
- Your luggage is directly delivered in your accommodation before you arrive.
- We provide a saddlebag for the things you shall need during the day.(included in your bike rental).
- We advise to take an extra set of clothes with you if you expect to arrive before 5p.m. at your accommodation.
- a roadbook with maps that we drew at the easiest scale to follow on a bike
- a roadbook with step-by-step description giving the direction to follow at each intersection and highlighting the points of interest
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- Practical information
- By plane: many airlines fly to Toulouse. A regular shuttle is going to the city center every 20 min. It takes 20 to 45 min to get to the city center depending on traffic.
- By train: because of the geography, trains going to Toulouse are not high speed. As a conseguence, it is quite a long train ride to get there: 5h30 from Paris, 4h from Marseille, 4h30 from Lyon and 2h from Bordeaux. To plan your trip, https://www.sncf-connect.com/.
- Reviews
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Download
the trip description
This family cycle trip takes you along the Canal du Midi from Toulouse to Carcassonne. You ride at your own pace from lock to lock and discover the ingenious construction structures built by Paul Riquet. The daily distances are short, allowing you to bike slowly and rest when you arrive at your daily stop. You leave Toulouse on a cycle path along the canal and keep on cycling through the Lauragais area via Montesquieu-Lauragais, Avignonet-Lauragais and the Narouze splitting line before reaching Castelnaudary. You then head to the village on Saint-Papoul on low-traffic country roads before finding again the canal, that you follow till Carcassonne. You will be rewarded with the stunning views of the medieval walls !
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Bikes
On your arrival day, we provide you with:
We also provide you with the appropriate equipment for your children : baby seat, bike trailer or trailer bike depending on their age and size.
On your arrival day, we provide you with:
We also provide you with the appropriate equipment for your children : baby seat, bike trailer or trailer bike depending on their age and size.
Electric bikes are also available for adults (+1m55).
You can of course also bring your own bikes, in this case a reduction will be applied (see the Tarif tab)
Luggage
For this trip, bikes are equipped with 2 waterproof saddle bags with a capacity of 10 to 20L each to transport your luggage. Do not forget to put your items in a soft travel bag to be able that you can roll it up in your saddle bags.
For more comfort, you can choose to add luggage transport in your booking:
(see rate in "Prices")
Our word of advice : as we know from experience, we strongly recommend you to avoid wearing a backpack during your cycling trip.
Travel documents
A cycling holiday is the best way to explore a region and discover its culture, landscapes and local traditions.
Your tour is self-guided to give you the freedom to ride at your own pace. You will be provided all the information you need to enjoy the itinerary and its points of interests.
Our documentation contains a very detailed description of the itinerary. No matter how you usually navigate, you will find your way thanks to our comprehensive guidance material including:
Example of a map and of a step-by-step description
For this short trip your travel documents will be sent electronically.
Our GPS App
For this trip, you can also use our smartphone app featuring GPS guidance (without extra fee).
You will find in the app all the information given in the map and step-by-step roadbooks. You will be located on the itinerary with the GPS device of your phone. The route and directions to
follow will be both viewable on the screen of your phone and announced aloud. As you ride along the itinerary, you will be given information about visits, restaurants, services and
useful alerts on the way.
-> You need to have a smartphone and download Le Velo Voyageur app on your Apple or Android store before the trip. All details concerning the downloading and the use of the application will
be given after we have confirmed the booking and the balance is paid. Once the trip is downloaded, the GPS guidance can be used off-line.
Main features:
To get to the departure point:
Parking
If you are driving to Toulouse, you need to know that secured car parks in the city center of Toulouse are very expensive.
To find a parking spot : www.parkopedia.com
To get back to the starting point:
Trains take you back to your starting point if you wish. Regional direct trains (duration about 1 hr) are riding regularly. These trains take bikes without surcharge. You can buy your ticket on
the spot.
To plan your journey : https://www.sncf-connect.com/.
Meeting time:
The bicycles are to be picked up at the rental agency. We recommend you to arrive at around 10am to enjoy your day fully without rushing and be able to do the visits on the way. We advise to
book an extra night before in Toulouse if your travel plans make you arrive later.
If you chose luggage transport, you must arrive before 9.30am to drop off your luggage. Bikes pick up point and luggage drop off point are located close to the train station
(Saint-Agne) and will be given in your travel documents.
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Memory of the trip
16 bike travelers reviews
4.81 / 5
4.81 / 5
“ Super voyage ”
On the 2024-10-18
by
Hélène
Tres bien organisé et guidé. L'itineraire fait plusieurs détours par les villages en haut des collines et la campagne environnante, toujours par des routes adaptées au vélo en famille. Même si les étapes sont courtes le vent de face peut rendre l'itineraire assez long! (vent d'autan)
“ Un tres beau sejour en famille, hors saison ”
On the 2024-04-20
by
Fréd
Étapes homogènes et equilibrées
Une 3e etape qui a permis de varier un peu les paysages et les revetements
“ presque parfait ;) sinon comme d'habitude séjour enchanté et enchanteur ”
On the 2023-08-26
by
lucile
voir recap du sejour
“ Canal du Midi ”
On the 2023-07-10
by
Michael
We loved our bike ride along the Canal du Midi. The bikes and accommodation were great for our family of four (2 adults, 2 children aged 13 and 11) and the luggage service worked well. The bike path is nice and shady.
“ 4 jours sur le canal du midi à la Toussaint avec enfants de 9 et 11 ans ”
On the 2020-10-31
by
Julia
Tout le monde a adoré notre escapade de 4 jours le long du canal du midi. Les étapes sont d'une bonne longueur, les vélos de très bonne qualité, et tout a très bien été organisé par le Vélo Voyageur. Il y a quelques passages boueux un peu difficiles en cas de pluie le deuxième et quatrième jour, qui permettent aussi d'avoir de bons souvenirs!
“ Agréable et dépaysant ”
On the 2019-08-14
by
Xavier
Très bon séjour de 4 jours au bord du canal du midi, nous avons appris de nombreuses choses sur le canal et nous avons pu apprécier les paysages et les passages d’écluses au rythme du vélo. Les chambres d'hôtes qui nous ont été proposées furent aussi de très bonnes surprises.
“ Séjour inoubliable ”
On the 2018-09-24
by
Ludovic
Un séjour à vélo que nous n'oublierons pas !
Merci pour l'organisation et l'accompagnement irréprochables de l'équipe du "Vélo".
Le matériel (neuf) qui nous a été confié était parfaitement adapté à notre périple. Nous avons particulièrement apprécié les hébergements et l'accueil qui nous a été réservé à chaque endroit.
Cela nous a fait le plus grand bien, merci !
“ Hortense LFDQ ”
On the 2018-09-05
by
Hortense
TRES SATISFAITS // Nous avons effectué le trip Toulouse -> Carcassonne avec notre fille de 1 an qui était dans une petite remorque. Le vélo voyageur nous a accompagné dans le choix du parcours et de l'équipement afin que nous puissions trouver un voyage adapté. Nous avions pris l'option transport de bagages qui était très fluide et les maisons d'hôtes étaient très agréables. Nous recommandons fortement ce voyage pour une famille avec des enfants en bas âge. Par contre il y a une partie de la piste cyclable qui est assez mauvaise, nous avons du pédaler doucement pour éviter que notre fille subisse trop les chocs (en cas de mauvais temps, il doit être difficile de pédaler sur cette partie de la piste).
“ au fil du canal ”
On the 2018-08-30
by
ANITA
Nous avons effectué un voyage itinérant de 4 jours de Toulouse à Carcaçonne le long du canal du midi.
Deux personnes sur les 3 n'étaient pas des cyclistes réguliers.
Le rythme était parfait et la tranquilité des chemins de halage très appréciables, avec peu de monde (mois d'août) et des étapes chez des hôtes très accueillants.
L'organisation de notre parcours par Vélo Voyageur a été à la hauteur de nos attentes et nous envisageons d'autres voyages.
“ super expérience ”
On the 2018-08-25
by
Muriel
Des chambres d'hôtes super à découvrir
“ Delightful First Time Family Bike Trip ”
On the 2018-08-22
by
Emily
My husband, 10 year old daughter and I did the Canal du Midi trip in August 2018 and thoroughly enjoyed it. This was our first time to do a cycling trip and we really appreciated the organization of Le Velo Voyageur.
The bikes were good with ample storage in the saddle bags, and a solid rack you could strap other things to (we strapped our picnic blanket on top). The baggage delivery service was perfect. The luggage always arrived in great condition and was waiting for us each day.
Le Velo Voyageur planned a nice route with a good variety of hotels and bed & breakfasts and restaurant dinners. The owners of all the places were very nice, helpful, and a pleasure to meet. I don't think I would have come across those bed & breakfasts on my own. La Bastide Negra and Domaine Saint Jolie were delightful places to stay. Comfortable beds, beautiful houses, lovely scenery, delicious food, and interesting guests.
The roadbook was excellent, very precise directions. The locks along the canal were fascinating to see in action, and the ride itself along the canal is almost entirely shaded.
A bit of practical advice here. We stayed two nights in Toulouse before the start of the trip. This made getting over jet lag easier since we came from the US on an overseas / overnight flight. On the last day of the trip we decided to train to Paris after we arrived in Carcassonne so were a bit rushed although we managed to bike a little around Carcassonne. I would definitely recommend not leaving Carcassonne until later in the day or ideally the next morning. Dropping off the bikes, picking up luggage at a hotel, then finding a place to change for the train was less than ideal. Next time we will stay longer in Carcassonne and plan a place to change if we don't have a hotel. I should note that, for us, Carcassonne wasn't a very easy city to bike through (very narrow roads, lots of pedestrian traffic) but it was a very interesting city to walk around.
I highly recommend this trip!
“ une rando au top ! ”
On the 2018-07-14
by
NADINE
1ère expérience à vélo -avec assistante électrique- pour nous, (59 ans) qui ne sommes pas des sportifs entrainés. Fin juin sur le canal du midi : très calme, ombragé, au frais : l'occasion de redécouvrir nos campagnes, en arrivant par les petits chemins. Excellent pour s'aérer les neurones, en sortant des accès bitumés. Une grande liberté de rythme, liberté de sortir du circuit.
Ce type de tourisme moyennement sportif, avec ce confort d'organisation et d'hébergement, permet de décompresser la journée, au calme, en pleine nature, de rencontrer des hôtes chaleureux et d'autres touristes de passage. Attention à certains endroits, la piste ressemble à un parcours de VTT.
Nous sommes prêts à récidiver !!
“ Canal du midi, printemps 2018 ”
On the 2018-05-20
by
Xavier
Magnifique séjour, très bien organisé, à recommander. La qualité des vélos et le parcours ont contribué au caractère agréable du parcours.
“ excellent! ”
On the 2017-07-26
by
Bigfoot
This is our second trip with le Vélo voyageur, and again the location of the lodgings were perfect, and at every location we found many details to be remembered with pleasure: the people, the food, the swimming pools, gardens... It was very agreeable to cycle along the Canal du Midi without worrying about the luggage, having time to enjoy, and getting to know remarkable places.
“ Super le canal du midi ”
On the 2017-07-23
by
Karin
Une expérience à vivre avec le calme et la découverte et de belles rencontres tout au long du canal. Des vacances au calme et au rythme que l on souhaite accessible à tous.
“ Canal du midi "cross" ”
On the 2016-05-20
by
CECILE
4 jours vraiment sympas entre écluses, platanes centenaires, canards et héron, et.. chemins de hallage "sportifs". En effet, après la pluie, c'est l'aventure! boue, dérapage et flaques qui mouillent... on rigole! plus ou moins... Mais très bons souvenirs !
