Villages
Canal du Midi villages around Béziers
Colombiers, Poilhes, Capestang, Nissan-lez-Ensérune: what sets apart the villages along the Canal du Midi west of Béziers.
Dug in the 17th century under the direction of Pierre-Paul Riquet and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, the Canal du Midi links Toulouse to the Étang de Thau. West of Béziers it winds between vineyards and hills, past a string of villages where life is organised around the water.
Béziers and the Fonseranes locks
On the edge of town, the nine Fonseranes locks form a water staircase that draws walkers and boaters alike. Close by, an aqueduct carries the canal over the river Orb. Living in one of the neighbouring villages keeps Béziers, its shops and its railway station a few minutes away.
Colombiers and the Malpas tunnel
Colombiers has a small port popular with passing boats, with café terraces by the water. A little further on, the canal passes through the hill in the Malpas tunnel, described as the first tunnel dug for a navigable canal. Above it lie the Ensérune hill fort and the viewpoint over the Étang de Montady, drained in the 13th century and divided into fields that fan out from the centre.
Nissan-lez-Ensérune
A few kilometres from the canal, Nissan-lez-Ensérune is a lively village with shops and schools. The commune is home to the hill fort, one of the major archaeological sites in the region, and stays close to the sea: the beaches at Valras and Vendres are about twenty minutes away by car.
Poilhes and Capestang
Poilhes stretches along the canal between the hill and the vineyards, in very quiet surroundings. Capestang, a larger village, can be spotted from afar by its collegiate church of Saint-Étienne and keeps the castle of the archbishops of Narbonne. Its port and shops make it a sought-after place to live.
Before buying by the canal
The plane trees that lined the canal have been hit since the 2000s by canker stain, a disease that means they must be felled; new species are being planted along the banks. For a house near the water, read the risk statement supplied with the surveys carefully and visit in different seasons.
