Make your way from Bordeaux airport to your centrally located hotel. The rest of the day is yours to explore this interesting port city with Roman origins. Take a stroll through the atmospheric old town and don’t miss the charming public gardens on the banks of the Garonne River. Our tip is to invest in the 229 step climb to the Pey Berland bell tower adjacent to Saint-Andre’s cathedral – the view is definitely worth the effort.

Your first day’s cycling starts with a pleasant ride alongside the Garonne River. After a while you leave the river and head eastwards, following a beautiful Voie Verte cycle path through ever-changing scenery ranging from expansive vineyards to cool, shady forests and open farmland. You’ll also pass through some tiny wine-villages along the way as well as the old walled-town of Creon. You’ll stop for the night in a charming guesthouse along the route.

Dinner included this evening

The day starts with some idyllic cycling along quiet rural lanes through wooded areas and vineyards. After a while you’ll join the Canal de Garonne and begin to follow it as it wends its way south-eastwards. The canal-side cycle path is wonderful, leading you through the dappled sunlight of the sentry-like plane trees. Your will stay the night in the Meilhan area.

Dinner included this evening

Today’s route leads you along the lush Garonne Valley. You’ll pass many orchards and, in the summer months, vivid fields of sunflowers and other crops as you make your way through the rural landscape on the canal-side cycle path. Every now and then you’ll pass through tiny canal-side villages, usually with their own locks and often pretty waterside bistros. Make a point of stopping in the charming villages of Le Mas d’Agenais and Damazan for a stroll around its quaint, cobbled streets. Your stop for the night in the charming village of Sérignac sur Garonne.

Today you can look forward to a beautiful and easy ride with many points of interest along the way. The Agen Aqueduct is both impressive and beautiful, consisting of 23 stone arches that carry the canal across the Garonne River. It was opened in 1849 and is quite narrow meaning barges have to wait their turn at either end. Agen itself is a lovely old town and definitely worthy of a wander around and a coffee break. The Canal continuously flirts with the Garonne River and at times you will be cycling along the narrow strip of land that separates the two. Saint Nicholas de Grave marks the confluence of the Garonne and Tarn Rivers and the resulting lake is a well-known bird sanctuary. You can also add on a detour to visit the very beautiful village of Auvillar, which is well worth the climb. You spend the night in a central hotel on the banks of the River Tarn in the lovely old town of Moissac.

Your last day following the Canal de Garonne is a very pleasant one. Pretty, rural villages line the route as you follow the canal south through open countryside towards Toulouse. In the town of Montech you can stop to admire the unique water-slope, an ingenious, some would say overly-complicated, lock-replacement system that moves a wedge of water, complete with barge, up or downhill. After some more idyllic riding in the shade of the canal-side plane trees you arrive in the city of Toulouse. Known as the ‘pink-city’ due to the abundance of rosy-red brick buildings Toulouse is steeped in history and has one of the largest Roman churches in Europe. Alternatively, you could take the tour of the Airbus Factory on the outskirts of town and/or visit Cité de l’Espace, an excellent and informative space museum. Enjoy a celebratory meal on the town’s bustling square before retiring to your centrally located hotel for a good night’s sleep.

After breakfast it’s time to checkout and head for home or your next adventure.