The Canal du Midi: Voyage from Commerce to Leisure

The idea of constructing a canal that would connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea had been a vision for centuries. Construction got underway in the year 1667 and would last for four years, with the first boats using the Canal du Midi in May 1681.

In its nascent epochs, the Canal du Midi stood as a bulwark of industry with its waters coursing with vessels laden with the fruits of commerce. It was a bustling artery of trade, where watercraft heavy with cargo threaded through its veins—a veritable atlas of commerce.

The once-industrial canvas of the Canal du Midi has undergone a renaissance. Navigate now through its 150 nautical miles and you'd hardly recognise the historical conduit of yesteryear. Transformed it has, into a sanctuary for those who ply the waters for leisure and pleasure.

Gone are the brimming freighters, replaced by tourist vessels, floating eateries, and the splendour of hotel barges. With more footfalls than even the illustrious Seine, this waterway now hosts over 10,000 passages annually, as it has traded cargoes for cocktails, shipments for sunshine.