Picturesque canal du Midi in France

Gibraltar Strait between Europe and Africa is not the only waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea. In a thousand kilometers to the north, there is another way to the Atlantic Ocean, which few people know.

Unintelligence Water Canal Du Midi connects the famous French city Bordeaux with the Mediterranean Sète port.

Canal du Midi is also called the "channel of the two seas". It runs through the territory of Southern France and is one of the most ambitious creations of civilian construction of the 17th century.

The channel is conventionally divided into two parts – the distance from the Mediterranean port Sète to the city of Toulouse (240 km) and the distance from Toulouse to Castets-en-Dorthe (193 km).

The main reason for the construction of the channel was the constant danger from the pirates during the crossing of merchant ships through the Gibraltar Strait.

Channel was used by small ships until 1980. Various goods were transported on it – from wine and wheat, to military equipment.

Today, the du Midi canal is used primarily for recreation by boats and other water vehicles. Many guidebooks call this channel to the main tourist attraction of the south of France.

Along the entire channel extends a cycling route, which passes through the picturesque countryside, past vineyards and sunflowers, and through delicious little villages and small local cafes.

In 1996, the canal and its entire buffer zone in 2000 kV.km were announced by UNESCO World Heritage Site.