The line is OpenStreetMap's mapping of the route (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), via Waymarked Trails, with heights from a 30 m terrain model. Check the current official route before a long trip: diversions and permitted paths change. See the source.
The route
From the Gironde estuary at Royan to the Mediterranean at Sète, the Canal des 2 Mers à vélo crosses south-west France by Blaye and Bordeaux, the Roger Lapébie greenway, the Canal de Garonne to Toulouse, and the Canal du Midi by Castelnaudary, Carcassonne and Béziers. The towpaths, lined with plane trees along much of the Midi, keep most of it flat and traffic-free, though parts of the Canal du Midi towpath are rough and unsurfaced.
Stages
A suggested split into 10 days of about 67 km (42 mi). Each day ends at the town or village on the way nearest to an equal share of the distance, or at a hotel or hostel where there is none. These are not the official stages: check where you can stay before you book.
- Day 1 Royan to Braud-et-Saint-Louis 74 km · 74 km from the start
- Day 2 Braud-et-Saint-Louis to Carbon-Blanc 69 km · 143 km from the start
- Day 3 Carbon-Blanc to Sauveterre-de-Guyenne 65 km · 207 km from the start
- Day 4 Sauveterre-de-Guyenne to Villeton 56 km · 263 km from the start
- Day 5 Villeton to Golfech 64 km · 328 km from the start
- Day 6 Golfech to Saint-Jory 70 km · 398 km from the start
- Day 7 Saint-Jory to Le Ségala 69 km · 467 km from the start
- Day 8 Le Ségala to Trèbes 64 km · 531 km from the start
- Day 9 Trèbes to Poilhes 77 km · 607 km from the start
- Day 10 Poilhes to Sète 65 km · 672 km from the start
Start and finish
Start: near Royan, Charente-Maritime. 45.60141, -0.99991
Finish: near Sète, Hérault. 43.39495, 3.69477
Places to stay
Rooms in the towns and villages along the way:
- Royan, Charente-Maritime · The start Booking.com → Expedia →
- Braud-et-Saint-Louis, Gironde · After day 1 Booking.com → Expedia →
- Carbon-Blanc, Gironde · After day 2 Booking.com → Expedia →
- Sauveterre-de-Guyenne, Gironde · After day 3 Booking.com → Expedia →
- Villeton, Lot-et-Garonne · After day 4 Booking.com → Expedia →
- Golfech, Tarn-et-Garonne · After day 5 Booking.com → Expedia →
- Saint-Jory, Haute-Garonne · After day 6 Booking.com → Expedia →
- Le Ségala, Aude · After day 7 Booking.com → Expedia →
- Trèbes, Aude · After day 8 Booking.com → Expedia →
- Poilhes, Hérault · After day 9 Booking.com → Expedia →
- Sète, Hérault · The finish Booking.com → Expedia →
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Roads and paths change, and surfaces vary with the weather. The line comes from the source named under the map and the heights from a terrain model, so treat the figures as a guide. Check for diversions before you go, ride to what you find, and give way to walkers and horses.
