3-Night Canal du Midi Itinerary: Port Cassafières via Poilhes Return

Port Cassafières > Villeneuve-lès-Béziers

5pm – 6:20pm

Approx. 1 hr 20mins | 3 locks

Make your way to your first overnight mooring in Villeneuve-lès-Béziers, just over a 1hr cruise away. This easygoing stretch of canal is perfect for getting into the swing of things, with three simple locks along the way. Moor up and settle in for your first night on board immediately after passing through Arièges Lock to enjoy dinner just a few meters from your boat.

Note: If you don’t make it through Arièges Lock before closing time, simply moor up before the lock and enjoy a short stroll along the canal to dinner.

Dinner at L’Ecluse, Villeneuve-les-Béziers

7pm – 9pm

The chef at L’Ecluse cooks traditional French cuisine, made with fresh and local produce, including oysters from nearby Bouzigues. The 7hr slow-cooked lamb is the speciality, and the dessert platters are worth saving room for. For bookings: +33 4 67 62 11 02 | restaurant-ecluse-beziers.fr

Villeneuve-les-Béziers > Béziers

9am – 10:10am

Approx. 1hr 10mins | 2 locks

Moor up in Maison Batelière marina before a morning of exploration in Béziers.

Explore Béziers

10:30am – 12:30am

It’s time to make your way into historic Béziers – from the marina, it’s just a 25-minute walk or 10-minute cycle into the heart of the city. It’s the capital of Languedoc’s wine industry and birthplace of Pierre-Paul Riquet, who was responsible for building the Canal du Midi. Like all cities with a long history, Béziers is best discovered by ambling through its medieval streets, its bright squares and its leafy parks. 

Visit the majestic St. Nazaire Cathedral, located on a rocky mount which affords a magnificent panorama across the city and its five bridges, before enjoying lunch nearby. You’ll find all the necessary shops and plenty of restaurants in Béziers.

Explore more of Béziers

2pm – 3pm

Admire the sculptures and paintings dating from the 15th century to present day at the Museum of Fine Arts, including Rubens and Delacroix productions, or stroll through the Plateau des Poètes garden and discover the works of a local sculptor.

Béziers > Fonseranes Locks

3:20pm – 4pm

Approx. 40mins | 2 locks

Keep on cruising past Béziers and as you exit Orb Lock, you will cross over the River Orb on the Orb Aqueduct – the largest aqueduct on the Canal du Midi with seven main arches measuring a total of 240m long, 28m wide and 12m high.

Ascend the Fonseranes Locks

4pm – 5:30pm

Approx. 1hr 30mins | 7 locks

One of Pierre-Paul Riquet’s greatest engineering achievements, the Fonseranes Locks are among the Canal du Midi’s most iconic sights. This impressive staircase of locks was originally built with eight chambers, allowing boats to climb 21.5 metres over a distance of 300 metres. Today, six chambers remain in operation, continuing to offer boaters an unforgettable cruising experience.

There are set times for passing through the lock flight, so it’s important to arrive in good time. Boats ascending the locks can usually pass between 10am – 11:45am (until 12:15pm during peak season) and again between 4pm – 5:15pm (until 6:45pm in peak season). Missing your allocated slot may mean waiting until later in the day, or even overnight, for the next available passage.

The journey through the staircase takes around an hour and is fully managed by the lock keepers, who expertly coordinate multiple boats through each chamber. Your role is simply to steer carefully into the locks and keep the boat steady using your mooring lines.

After you’re in the first lock, it is easier to send one or two crew members lock-side with the lines (when it is safe to do so) and keep them there for the duration. Take your time, enjoy the atmosphere and don’t feel rushed – passing through Fonseranes is all part of the adventure, and one of the highlights of cruising the Canal du Midi.

Fonseranes Locks > Poilhes

5:30pm – 6:55pm

Approx. 1hr 25mins | 0 locks

After passing through the Fonseranes Locks, you’ll enter one of the Canal du Midi’s longest uninterrupted stretches of cruising. Known as the ‘big pound’, this peaceful section continues for 54km with no locks until just before Argens-Minervois.

Along the way, you’ll pass through the remarkable Malpas Tunnel, which cuts beneath the hill of Ensérune. Secretly excavated by Pierre-Paul Riquet, the tunnel was considered an extraordinary engineering feat for its time. Work was originally halted after unstable sandstone was discovered, but determined to keep the canal project alive, Riquet continued digging in secret and completed the tunnel in just eight days. Measuring 173m long, 6m wide and 8.5m high, it became the very first navigable canal tunnel in Europe.

Note: There’s no room for passing other boats, so check that passage is clear first, and sound your horn before entering.

Dinner at Les Platanes, Poilhes

7:30pm – 9:30pm

Moor right outside this highly-rated little restaurant. Les Platanes is situated in at a leafy crossroads just a stone’s throw from the canal. Sit on their cute kerb-side terrace, enjoy delicious French and Mediterranean cuisine and a receive a warm welcome from its New Zealand owners: +33 4 67 93 38 41

Alternatively, after a busy day of boating and navigating the Fonseranes Locks, why not spend the evening on board your boat. Prepare your own meal and maybe fire up the barbecue if your boat has one (or if you’ve added one to your booking).

Poilhes > Colombiers

9am – 9:40am

Approx. 40mins | 0 locks

Note: As you’ll need to be back at our base for an early handover tomorrow, we recommend setting off by 9am today to ensure you arrive back the evening before. Spend your final night relaxing on board in our marina and enjoy a leisurely end to your boating vacation.

Explore Colombiers

9:50am – 10:50am

The small, pretty town of Colombiers is a lively place with a supermarket, pharmacy and newsagents right at the port. After a 300m stroll into the village, you’ll find a lovely patisserie, more restaurants and a pretty church.

Colombiers > Fonseranes Locks

11am – 11:45pm

Approx. 45mins | 0 locks

Descend the Fonseranes Locks

1:05pm – 2:35pm

Approx. 1hr 30mins | 7 locks

Boats descending the Fonseranes Locks can usually pass between 1:05pm and 3:20pm. We recommend setting off as close to 1pm as possible to help avoid longer waiting times during busy periods.

Fonseranes Locks > Port Cassafières

3pm – 6:10pm

Approx. 3hrs 10 mins | 5 locks

This is the final stretch of your journey, so sit back, relax and enjoy a gentle three-hour cruise back to Port Cassafières.

Explore Portiragnes Plages

6:30pm – 7:30pm

Walk down to east end of Plage de la Redoute (20minutes) and then enjoy a pre-dinner stroll along the sand. You can’t see any buildings from the beach so it feels wonderfully remote and wild. When you reach the Maui Plage Snack bar – exit the beach to find a cluster of restaurants to enjoy dinner at.