Michelle van der Kroft
Cycling the Canal du Midi France
Geographe Cruise and Travel - Busselton, WA
🚴♀️ Cycling the Canal du Midi: A Journey Through Southern France
In June 2022, we embarked on an unforgettable self-guided cycling journey along the historic Canal du Midi, covering 240 km over 7 days with the help of trusty e-bikes—thankfully, as daily distances averaged around 50 km! We completed our adventure just before a heatwave hit Europe and celebrated by dipping our feet in the Mediterranean at the charming port town of Sète.
The Canal du Midi, a 17th-century engineering marvel by Pierre-Paul Riquet, connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean via the Garonne Canal. Cycling its length is the perfect way to appreciate the canal’s beauty, history, and culture—passing vineyards, medieval towns, and vibrant local life.
We began in Toulouse, a lively city well worth an extra day to explore. From there, our route took us through Castelnaudary, Carcassonne, Homps, Béziers, and finally Sète, with comfortable boutique accommodations and luggage transferred daily. Highlights included:
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Carcassonne’s fairytale walled city
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Béziers’ impressive 9-lock staircase
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Casual café stops and local boulangeries
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Diverse terrain—from smooth canalside paths to rugged trails
The ride had its challenges—especially on rougher track sections—but the changing scenery, charming villages, and delicious regional food made every kilometre worthwhile. The experience was both active and enriching, blending nature, culture, and personal achievement.
Interested in a holiday like this? I can help tailor an itinerary that’s just right for your pace and preferences. Pair it with a small-ship cruise or luxury stay to make it the trip of a lifetime.
My Personal Travel Experience
One of many locks along the way, one of 91 in total!
A cafe stop along the canal
Carcassonne a highlight of the journey
One of the charming towns to pass through with cute art markets to explore
Some of variety of tracks travelled
Made it to the Mediterranean sea!
Our charming hotel in Homps for the night
The charming port town of Sete (many cruise ships visit this port also!)
View from our hotel balcony in Sete.
Arriving at Carcassonne, incredible!
Enjoying a morning coffee stop
A cute little village to divert into for a visit along the way
One of the many boulangeries along the way to refuel!
Another stop along the canal
Read About My Travel Experiences
My Accreditation & Awards
🌟 Accreditations and Industry Recognition
With over 35 years’ experience in the travel industry, I bring trusted expertise, global insight, and a strong record of excellence.
CLIA Australasia – Certified Master Cruise Consultant
The highest industry accreditation, recognising deep cruise knowledge and ongoing professional development.
Princess Cruises – Commodore Accreditation
Advanced certification for expert-level knowledge of Princess Cruises.
AFTA – Certified Travel Manager
A mark of professionalism and integrity, endorsed by the Australian Federation of Travel Agents.
I’ve travelled to 50+ countries, cruised with or inspected 20+ cruise lines, and received multiple awards for outstanding sales performance.
Travel Advisors listed on Find A Travel Expert are:
- Affiliates of Your Travel & Cruise Pty Ltd, operating since 2003.
- Your Travel & Cruise is a member of ATAS, CLIA and the Magellan Travel group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Helloworld Travel.
My Reviews
Michelle has been my travel agent since 2011
Pre covid she organised 8 self guided cycle trips for my husband and I to Europe, plus what we did before and after our cycling.
In 2024/25 she has fully organised a trip for myself to Europe which will include a guided walk
She is very personable, knowledgeable and thorough. Everything is well planned and the trips have gone smoothly. Her recommendations for accommodation have been perfect. Everything is booked and prepared early and updates are received as soon as possible
I highly recommend Michelle to give you a thoroughly well planned and organised trip
We have been using Michelle’s 1st class services for organizing our holidays for more than 15 years.
Michelle always comes up with great suggestions for holidays and we have enjoyed fantastic cycling and walking tours as well as river and ocean cruises and a wonderful Sth African safari holiday. We have always had trouble free trips and Michelle has often been able to secure great deals and discounts for us and our friends, all with great efficiency.
Very happy to recommend Michelle to organize your next holiday.
My wife & I have had the pleasure of meeting Michelle van der Kroft many years ago when she became our Travel Consultant & we still make sure to this very day that all our travel plans are left in the Professional & Experienced hands of Michelle who has over 35 years in the travel industry.
Michelle has so much knowledge, always friendly, pleasant & willing to assist you in your travel plans to give you the best outcome by listening to your requests that are suitable for your needs.
We pride ourselves on having such a BRILLIANT Travel Consultant in Local, Intra State, Interstate & all kinds of Overseas Travel.
Thanks for all your assistance Michelle & we have travelled in Peace over the years knowing you have worked hard to make ALL our trips/travel plans wonderful experiences, trouble free with lots of very happy memories.
You are the BEST as you do care so much about your clients.
Michelle was absolutely amazing with helping me and my partner figure out all of our Europe travels. She took away all of the stress of planning and finding places to stay so we could focus on the fun side of things. We had the best trip and couldn’t have done it without her!