You feel like doing the Canal du Midi by bike and you wonder how many days are necessary? There are multiple answers to this question. Indeed, many criteria have to be taken into account: your pace, your desires, the participation of the children, the distance you plan to cover, your cycling habits, the type of bikes and others. Don't panic! Here are Paulette's best advices.

What is my pace? What are my desires?

We invite you first to ask yourself a few questions to determine the ideal pace and route for your holiday:

• Do I want to visit the surroundings, villages, vineyards, castles? Or just go along the Canal to save time?
• Do I travel with children? or people who will have a slightly slower pace?
• Am I used to cycling?
• Do I want to do the Canal du Midi in its entirety or a portion of it?

     
What are the usual "portions" of the Canal du Midi?

The Canal du Midi by bike covers a total of 265 km, but it is possible to divide it into several stages that cyclists usually do.

1. Toulouse - Montesquieu Lauragais (33 kms)
2. Montesquieu Lauragais - Castelnaudary (32 kms)
3. Castelnaudary - Carcassonne (40 kms)
4. Carcassonne - Homps (42 kms)
5. Homps - Capestang (46 kms)
6. Capestang - Béziers (21 kms)
7. Béziers - Agde (27 kms)
8. Agde - Sète (24 kms)

For those who wish to reach Narbonne by the Canal de la Robine, here are the frequent steps:

1. Toulouse - Montesquieu Lauragais (33 kms)
2. Montesquieu Lauragais - Castelnaudary (32 kms)
3. Castelnaudary - Carcassonne (40 kms)
4. Carcassonne - Homps (42 kms)
5. Homps - Le Somail (20 kms)
6. Le Somail - Narbonne (20 kms)

And how many days do I plan to cycle the Canal du Midi?

Do you ride with friends, do you want to ride 4 - 5 hours a day, that is to say, drive well while taking the time to make stops? We advise you to take 4 or 5 days to make the Canal du Midi, therefore to make between 55 and 70 kms per day.

Are you traveling with children or people who want to take the time to visit all the surroundings? We advise you to take a little more time, between 6 and 8 days to cover the whole, from Toulouse to Sète, in order to make stages between 35 and 45 km per day.

If you are athletic and want to do the Canal du Midi in one go, you can do the Canal du Midi in three days, driving almost 90 km per day.

A type of route could be:

• Day 1: Toulouse - Carcassonne
• Day 2: Carcassonne - Capestang
• Day 3 Capestang - Sète

For more information do not hesitate to call us on 05 82 28 05 10.

And to reserve a bike, it's here.

Stay tuned for some new adventures with Paulette !

Check us out and share your memories on Facebook and Instagram with the #paulettebike. Don’t forget to tag us: @paulettebike!