Cycling the Canal du Midi

This cycling tour is suitable for occasional riders. You'll spend much of the day on the saddle and you should have experience with this to enjoy your holiday.

Before your tour, we recommend cycling a couple of consecutive days, so you get used to riding back to back days and incorporating some hilly terrain into your routine. Be sure to take into account the daily distances and elevation changes outlined in your itinerary.

Cycling the Canal du Midi is mainly on dedicated unpaved cycle paths, with very occasional short stretches on busier roads. Terrain is largely easy-going, but you must stay vigilant on the canal path as some of it is either dented, covered in gravel, or has sections with exposed tree roots.

This tour is graded easy to moderate. Within the tour individual days may vary in difficulty - some might be a bit tougher or easier than the overall rating suggests.

Accommodation is a mix of B&Bs and hotels, all locally run and hand-picked for a warm welcome, traditional hospitality and good local food and drink. En-suite rooms are booked as standard. We'll always try to use the accommodation shown in your tour information, though occasionally, due to limited availability, we may need to book you into an alternative hotel of the same or better standard, in which case a supplement may apply.

Good spots for an extra night include Toulouse at the start of the tour, Homps partway along (handy for visiting the medieval village of Minerve), Carcassonne for its historic sights, and Sète at the end for some time by the Mediterranean.

Yes, solo travelers are very welcome. There will be a supplement because some costs, like transfers, aren't shared. Or if you'd like to book a single room, just ask. These are available for a supplement.

Breakfast is included each morning, generally a light continental spread. Lunch and dinner aren't included, so you're free to choose from the options around you - most days have suitable lunch stops in towns and villages along the way, where you can also pick up picnic provisions, and if there's no restaurant at your accommodation there will be options nearby for dinner. It's worth checking with your hotel in advance that dinner will be served, and in the smaller towns and villages it's a good idea to make a dinner reservation ahead of time, particularly on Sundays and in the shoulder months of March, April, late September and October.

You can start this tour on any day of the week from March to October. March is cooler and the weather can be more unpredictable, while April through early June and late September into October bring warm days and cool nights, making these months particularly pleasant for cycling and quieter than peak summer. Summer (June, July and August) can get hot, with the towpaths offering some natural shade from the trees. Note that on the section between Homps and Béziers, some tree felling has taken place due to a disease affecting the trees, so there's less shade here than elsewhere - worth bearing in mind if you're cycling in hot weather.

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg/44lbs per person.

If you'd like to bring an additional bag, this can sometimes be arranged at extra cost - just reach out to your Adventure Specialist before final payment.

It’s vital that you adhere to these limits. Heavier bags, or additional items might not be transferred, and you may be charged locally. Airlines may have different allowances, but our luggage handlers do not have the same capacity or equipment, and their health and safety is our priority.​

The route follows the official, waymarked Canal du Midi cycling network.

Navigation is straightforward using our app which has maps, tracks and daily route info. Simply download the information and tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone. Once on the trail you do not need signal for the app to work and follow your progress.

Toulouse Airport connects to the city centre by tram (T2) or the Tisseo shuttle bus, both running every 20 minutes, with the tram the quickest and cheapest option at around 35 minutes. Taxis are also available. If you're travelling from Paris, the direct TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Toulouse Matabiau takes about 4.5 hours, and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport has good onward train and shuttle bus connections into the city.

At the end of your tour in Sete, Montpellier Airport is about 20 minutes away by train (plus a shuttle bus from the city centre), Beziers Airport is a direct 25-minute train ride with connections across the UK and Europe, and you can also take a direct train back to Toulouse (about 2 hours) or on to Paris Gare de Lyon (about 4 hours).

You'll need your standard cycling gear. Bike hire comes with a pannier rack and bag, a pump, lock, a basic repair kit, and handlebar phone. On booking, our Tour Info will give you a complete packing list.

Since you'll have your bike with you, shortening or skipping sections may not be easy. For the best local advice on transport options for cyclists, please consult your accommodation provider or reach out to our local bike partner, where applicable.

We highly recommend that you have travel insurance when you book with Macs Adventure. Your policy should cover medical treatment (including repatriation and emergency evacuation by air ambulance or helicopter), injury, death, third-party liability, and trip cancellation

We hire bikes suited to the terrain, including e-bikes for a bit of extra assist, in a range of sizes - just let us know your height when booking so we can get your frame right. If you would like to bring your own bike then, in the majority of cases, this is not a problem – please contact us to talk it through. We encourage all cyclists to wear a helmet, and it is law in many countries across Europe. We recommend bringing your own helmet for hygiene and safety reasons, however on most tours you can hire one.

The following bikes are available for hire:

Included: Premium Trekking Bicycle. Brand: Bergamont/Scott. Model: Horizon 4.0, Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc brakes, Syncros Trekking saddle, BGM Comfort ergonomic grips, comfortable suspension seat post, rear rack, dynamo lights. Height range 145-210cm.

Upgrade to e-bike: Brand: Urban Bicycle. Motor: Bosch Performance Line 250W, 50Nm, 25km/h. Battery: Bosch Powerpack 500Wh. Range: 80-100km. Hydraulic disc brakes, ergonomic grips, comfortable suspension seat post, rear rack, dynamo lights. Height range 150-190cm.

Upgrade to gravel bike: Brand: Bergamont RD3. Shimano Claris 2x8 speed drivetrain and mechanical disc brakes. Lightweight rigid frame, luggage rack. Height range 155-175cm. Gravel bikes are only recommended for experienced cyclists who understand the riding position and have the fitness needed for this style of biking.

Tandem bikes aren't available on this tour. Brand and model may vary depending on availability, and the minimum age for e-bike hire is 16.

Please let us know your height (for bike sizing) and head circumference (if you'd like to hire a helmet) when you book.

Bike hire includes a helmet (though we recommend bringing your own), a repair kit and pump, a spare inner tube, a rear and front pannier, one lock, a water bottle holder, and a battery charger for e-bikes.