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Sunday, Day 1 Carcassonne

Guests are met at the designated meeting point and escorted in the air-conditioned minibus to Rosa, moored in Carcassonne. After a Champagne Welcome there is time to have a visit of the fortified city of Carcassonne by mini bus. Dinner on board.

Monday, Day 2 Carcassonne to Bram

A fascinating morning tour of La Cité, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Dating back to the Gallo-Roman era, this is the most complete medieval, fortified city in existence today. With its 52 watchtowers, portcullis and extraordinary repertoire of defences that resisted the many armies that tried to storm this Camelot setting. We return to Rosa for lunch and a cruise among the vines, junipers and pine trees, listening to the sound of the cicadas. We reach the charming port of Bram and in the late afternoon visit this circular village. Dinner on board.

Tuesday, Day 3 Bram to Castelnaudary

A morning excursion to the sparkling wineries of the Limoux region, discovering and tasting its well known “blanquette”. The afternoon sees us climbing rapidly in triple and quadruple locks to Castelnaudary, and we enter its renowned Grand Bassin, with its one kilometer circumference, through one of the lowest bridges on the canal. This peaceful little port, once a Customs House on the road to Aquitaine in the gallo-roman period, is now famed as the “world capital of Cassoulet”. Dinner on board.

Wednesday, Day 4 Castelnaudary to the Col de Naurouze

Enjoy one of the most picturesque portions of the Canal as your barge climbs to the summit under the overhanging sycamore trees whose branches cross over the canal and meet overhead. It is here that Pierre-Paul Riquet, in the late 17th century created the ingenious system to supply water to the Canal du Midi from the waters of the Black Mountains. After lunch, we take an excursion up to the lake at St Ferreol which is the key element of Riquet’s system, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We end our excursion with a look at Durfort, a community of 270 inhabitants nestled in the hollows of the Sor valley near the foothills of the Montagne Noire, famous for its copper works, fabrication, restoration and creation of copper pans, as well as its Bastide Royale, founded by the King of France in 1342. This evening we dine at the Auberge des Collets Rouges, in Soreze.

Thursday, Day 5 Naurouze to Negra

A long cruising morning sees us descending through several locks to the little village of Negra, once a major stopping point between Toulouse and Carcassonne. From here we discover the countryside by bicycle or walk along the tow path. After lunch aboard we trace the tragic saga of the Cathars and discover villages such as Fanjeaux which perpetuates the memory of the passage of Saint Dominic, and the medieval bastide of Mirepoix with its surprising 14th century discoveries. Dinner on board.

Friday, Day 6 Negra

This morning we cruise among the green slopes of the Lauragais. Pastoral countryside, with sheep and cows grazing in green pastures alongside the canal are in amazing contrast to the Mediterranean vineyard landscapes at the beginning of the cruise. We reach our final destination, the elegant, cosmopolitan 'ville rose' of Toulouse. This southern city with Spanish accents and Italian facades has always been open to foreign influences. The splendid Capitol square and Cathedral set amid cobble stone streets, will enable you a good tour of the town where the shopping is excellent. Captain’s dinner on board.

Saturday, Day 7 Toulouse

After breakfast, guests disembark the barge and are transferred to the designated drop off point.

On alternate weeks the cruise will be in the reverse direction. This is a sample itinerary and is subject to change.