​​​ Lost Paradises Travels - Europe  

FRANCE - Occitanie - Languedoc - Béziers

Fonséranes Locks

Béziers sits atop a rocky spur overlooking the great plain of the Hérault département and is famous for its Romanesque cathedral (13th century) and also for bullfighting. The old town, bordered on three sides by the Orb river and a canal, deserves a visit.

The Canal du Midi, built in the 17th century and still considered an engineering marvel, is now used for pleasure boating between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean; between Bordeaux and Sète, throught Béziers. In 1999, the Canal du Midi was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The nine locks of Fonseranes are an absolute masterpiece of architecture of the Canal du Midi.