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Stay in Béziers

See the Tourist Guide on the left hand menu for details of hotels and restaurants in Béziers, along with campsite holiday options in the surrounding area.

Don't miss

  • "Niches et balcons" exhibition in Béziers

    From 23/02/2010 To 18/04/2010

    From 23 February to 18 April visit the exhibition called " Niches et balcons de Béziers" (niches and balconies of Béziers) at the Musée du Biterrois (museum of the Béziers region).

    More

For canal boat holidays in France, the Canal du Midi is hard to beat. Tree lined and serene, it is one of the most impressive French canals, linking the Mediterranean with the Atlantic.

There are plenty of opportunities around Béziers for canal trips. And if you're looking for a boat holiday, look no further. Béziers is the ideal base for boat holidays, barge holidays and narrow boat hire. See the 'Activities' section for details of boat hire companies.


 Pierre Paul Riquet
The statue of Paul Riquet takes pride of place at the entrance to the Allées which bear his name. Pierre-Paul Riquet, born in Béziers in 1604, was the equivalent of a present-day tax inspector in the region of Languedoc. In 1662, he presented the King with a project for the creation of a canal to link the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, via the Garonne. This was an old concept, but, since the Roman period, nobody had been able to carry it out, being unable to solve the problem of how to provide a permanent supply of water to the canal. Paul Riquet found the key and in 1666, Louis XIV entrusted him with the building of the canal, which also led to the crossing of the Etang de Thau and the creation of the port of Sète.

Pierre-Paul Riquet invested his own fortune in the building of the Canal. He died on 1st October 1680, exhausted by the scale of the task he had undertaken, although only 1.6km of canal still remained to be dug before reaching the Etang de Thau… His son took over the works and the Canal was inaugurated barely one year later. 

Pierre-Paul Riquet was ennobled by Louis XIV in 1674. He became Baron Bonrepos (the Canton of Verfeil, Haute-Garonne) and his remains lie beneath a marble slab in Saint Etienne Cathedral in Toulouse.


 The Canal du Midi: vital statistics
Length: 240km (from Toulouse to the entrance of the Etang de Thau)
Width: 20m at the surface, 11m at the bottom
Depth: 2m
Average slope: 58m between Toulouse and the Seuil de Naurouze, 110m, between Naurouze and Sète
Total number of locks: 63
Total number of buildings: 350 (including 130 bridges)
Volume of earthworks: 7 million m3 of earth moved by hand
Duration of works: 14 years



The 9 Locks of Fonseranes

This is the most important construction on the Canal du Midi, lying below the city of Béziers. It comprises eight ovoid water basins and nine locks, which make it possible to obtain a slope of 21.50m, for a total length of more than 300m. The splendour of the site and the technical prowess which it represents in terms of civil engineering, continue to attract visitors from far and wide and make this a highlight on any Canal du Midi holiday.

Traditional buildings and attractions, such as the horse-drawn barge, the stables and the lockkeeper’s house are still visible…

The Fonseranes Locks are the 3rd most visited tourist site in Languedoc-Roussillon, after the Pont du Gard and the City of Carcassonne.

There is a locks festival on the site during June, when you can enjoy canal trips, historic re-enactments, exhibitions and a range of other attractions.


The Canal bridge

Built immediately downstream from Fonseranes, it entered into service in 1858. Lined with an alley of majestic cypress trees – different from the canal which is lined with plane trees along almost its entire length – the bridge crosses the Orb; boats pass over the river. This “boat bridge” facilitates sailing for barges and reduces difficulties arising from the Orb’s irregular supply of water.

Measuring 12m high, 28m wide and 240m long, since its inception, the Canal bridge is also equipped with a gallery which runs below it in order to facilitate inspections of the stonework.


Upstream and downstream of the Canal du Midi…


From the end of the 17th century, many years before the Canal du Midi was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1996, it was already known as the “Wonder of Europe”. Many construction works are dotted along its length, including one, lying just a few kilometres upstream from Béziers, which, along with Fonseranes Locks, was an outstanding technical achievement for the period: the Malpas Tunnel, measuring 173m long, was dug below the Colline de Montady in six days by several hundred workers. It is the first tunnel ever to have been dug for a canal.