3-night onward cruise on the Canal du Midi, fully crewed and you decide on the planning

Where will we cruise together 

Our cruise will bring you from Carcasonne to Béziers, two cities with an incredibly rich history, gastronomic diversity and activities to offer. In between the two, you will be cruising along with small villages, that have made their fame through the centuries for the know-hows and their particularities.

We will cruise in between 2 and 5 hours every morning, while the rest of the day will be spent as you intend it; activities, relaxing, visits, sports, etc.

How do we cruise together

Our gîte formula for 6 to 12 people gives you the privacy you want, you don't have to share with other passengers.

For 7 days / 6 nights of navigation, this specially adapted barge allows you the freedom to organize your stay as you choose.

Your barge glides along the canal every day, thanks to the crew who steer for you. You can participate in alongside them and assist in the different maneuvers.

Your navigation timetable is fixed in advance but can be modified in agreement with the crew.

We're old hands on the waterways and we can give you help on how best to organize your holiday to enjoy it to the full, avoiding the pitfalls that novices often encounter. Not forgetting all the tips that we can share with you!

Self-catering formula ;

All along the way, there are little markets and small, local grocery stores that are ideal for your daily shopping.

If you so wish we can plan an itinerary that includes a stopover in the evening near a restaurant.

*Note that this trip is available either for 3 nights/4 days,  6nights/7days or 12 nights/13 days. Do a normal inquiry and a Bookarivertripcom agent will contact you to discuss your cruise!

Day 1-Sunday: Arrival onboard at Carcassonne (Trèbes), discovering the town!

• After meeting at Carcasone, a town rich in history and patrimony, we will go the boat that is moored at Trèbes, 7 km from Carcassone. There, you will have the choice in between staying on board (we can organize drinks and food for you on request for an extra) or going to Carcassonne for the evening and chose a restaurant from a list we have.
• We will also recommend special places to visit and activities to do in Carcassonne for the rest of the day.

Day 2-Monday: Cruise from Carcassonne (Trèbes) to Puicheric

• In the morning, without some of you noticed, we will be on our way to our next destination, the charming town of Puicheric. It will be one of our longest laps, with about 5 hours cruise. During that time, you can sleep, relax on the deck, cook and eat, or even follow the barge on the sideways of the canal using one of the bikes we have available for you (no worries, we cruise in between 3 and 5 km/h along that route).
• Puichéric is a charming town Minervois with just over 1,000 inhabitants. With its history and its traditions, wine is the main activity. From a geographic standpoint, Puichéric is nicknamed the Venice of the Minervois. Indeed, no fewer than three rivers crisscross the territory of the municipality: the Canal du Midi, Aude and finally Rigole (which also crosses the pond to dry Marseillette), thus offering picturesque landscape. This town has all the shops you might need and two very good restaurants. 
• Visit Puichéric through his castle: The castle first Puichéric, probably dates from the 6th or 7th century. The rock Puichéric, an outcrop of excellent building stone had to immediately attract the attention of the conquering Visigoths (412).
• Some activities can be organized for you, such as canoe sessions, excursions to Caunes-Minervois, and more.

Day 3-Tuesday: Cruise from Puicheric to Homps

• Again, we will be cruising in the morning, but this time 3 and a half hours. This will bring us to our next destination, the village of Homps.
• Formerly a place of passage of tin in the third century before Christ, the village of Homps was one of the places of important steps of the old Roman road between the Corbières and the Minervois. Also a long-time high place of wine transport, it has always lived to the rhythm of its port and its boaters. The completion of the Canal du Midi at the end of the seventeenth century allowed him especially to experience an economic boom of great importance.
• Always a place of production of great wines such as Minervois (AOC), Languedoc (AOC) or Coteaux-de-Peyriac, the town of Homps also attracts visitors with its special charm, its landscapes, and its cultural heritage.
• There, we can also organize some activities for you, such as the visit of an original wooden canal barge that used to transport goods in the 18th and 19th centuries, and of the wine granary of Ventenac winemakers. You can also go to the village of Minerve, where you can find restaurants, shops, and cellars to buy some good wines.

Day 4-Wednesday: Cruise from Homps to Le Somail

• Today, we will cruise 4 and a half hours to reach Le Somail! During this cruise, you can ask us all the questions about navigation, life on riverboats, as we are professional passenger transporters for decades in the family.
• Before or after the cruise, we can help you in organizing an excursion to Narbonne's traditional market, or visit a winemaker for understanding the processes and have some wine! In Le Somail, we can visit a village of potters (Amphipolis) or the agricultural cooperative of the Oulibo at Cabezac. In both places, you will find many restaurants, shops, and supermarkets to get all the local products you might want.
• At the Le Somail hamlet, a legendary port of call on the Canal du Midi, several buildings can be found dating back to the era in which Pierre Paul Riquet undertook the construction of the Canal (17th Century): the Steersmen’s (‘nautoniers’) and Travellers’ Chapel, the stone bridge, the inn, the warehouses and the ice house (the only remaining ice house on the entire Canal).

Day 5-Thursday: Cruise from Le Somail to Capestang

• After our morning cruise (you start to be used to it now!), we will arrive at the town of Capestang, harbor to many houseboats and their owners, and very charming little village. There, many activities can be organized, such as the archeological visit of Oppidum, guided tour of Capestang and of its important sites, and rich diversity of shops with crafted products.
• The Collegiate Church Saint-Etienne (Historic Monument), a magnificent example of Southern Gothic (XIVth century), surprises by its airs of the cathedral and its incompletion.
• The castle (historical monument), vast residence, was the secondary residence of the archbishops of Narbonne. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, two of them built a magnificent ceremonial room for the reception, of which it preserves today besides very beautiful murals a magnificent painted ceiling illustrating around scenes of couples, caricatures or animals, the talent of the artists of the Middle Ages.

Day 6-Friday: Cruise from Capestang to Béziers

• Cruising today will take place in two laps;
• a first one going from Capestang to Colombiers, before stopping for some lunch and activities, and a second one going from Colombiers to Béziers.
• In Colombiers, you can take some time to quietly walk in the towns, discover the landscapes, and enjoy some drinks at the bars with view on the canal.The locality developed in ancient times when inhabitants of the nearby Ensérune Oppidum came to settle in the plain along the Domitia Way that connects Rome to the Iberian Peninsula via Gaul. Then a fortified castrum is built during the High Middle Ages, and Colombiers becomes a prosperous lordship. Its territory of 10 km⊃2; is enriched during the drying of the pond Montady in the thirteenth century. The development of viticulture and the creation of the Canal du Midi support the good economic health of the village.
• In the evening, you will have the occasion to enjoy the city of Bezier, and the amazing food it has to offer in its local restaurants! View from the top of the city is just stunning as you will see.

Day 7-Saturday: Day of departure, from Béziers

• Unfortunately, it's already our last day, and your day of departure, before we start our way back to Carcassonne with our new guests on board. But good news, we will leave you in Béziers, which has lots to offer!
• Throughout Languedoc, Béziers is known for two things in particular: wine and bullfighting. Undoubtedly the best time to visit this town, which sits atop a rocky spur overlooking the great plain of the Hérault département, is during the four-day long feria when you can combine both! Béziers is also perfectly situated for excursions into the Haut Languedoc, a rugged and untamed mountainous region of picturesque stone villages and cascading mountain streams. Although this is one of the smaller and poorer towns of the region, time here is rarely wasted and an amble through the old town, bordered on three sides by the Orb river and a canal, is extremely agreeable. It’s also worth noting that Béziers is off most tourist agendas, so if you’re looking for a taste of the real Languedoc, you could do worse than spend a night or two here.