Houseboat on the Canal du Midi. Credit: Alamy It's summertime in southern France and we're cycling the towpath of a canal built more than a century before the bicycle was even invented.

The Canal du Midi traverses the Occitanie region and gives cyclists of all skill levels access to parts of France that are rich in lore, yet sometimes passed over by visitors.

The Canal du Midi, a 17th-century engineering marvel in southern France and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. By Aditi Rane. 18:00, Sun, Jan 12, 2025. Link copied Bookmark.

The Canal du Midi is a 150 mile long canal in southwestern France connecting the Garonne River to the Étang de Thau on the Mediterranean.