9 ECLUSES DE FONSERANES

This spectacular water staircase, a major work of the Canal du Midi, is Pierre-Paul Riquet's gift to his native city. The Octuple (8 locks, 9 basins in a row) built from 1676 to 1680, crosses a difference in level of 21.50 m over a length of 300 m. The redesigned and modernized site reopened to the public on July 1, 2017. The people of Biterrois have found their favorite place to walk... for 350 years!
Traditional buildings such as the Coche d'eau -now the Maison du Site, with a Tourist Office, a screening room for an exceptional film, a store and a panoramic restaurant- and the lock keeper's house still remain... This ensemble makes the Fonseranes locks the 3rd most visited tourist site in Languedoc-Roussillon, after the Pont du Gard and the Cité de Carcassonne.

Classification & labels

• Classé aux monuments historiques
• Patrimoine mondial UNESCO
• Vignobles et Découvertes

• Average length of individual visit: 180 min
• Average duration of the group visit: 180 min

Tour languages

• French
• German
• English
• Spanish

Equipments

• Picnic area
• Bar
• Car park
• Restaurant
• public toilets

Services

• WiFi Access
• Shop
• Temporary exhibition