Canal du Midi in France

France is a beautiful and picturesque country. The metropolitan territory of France is located in Western Europe. The wonderful country of France shares borders with Luxembourg, Belgium, Monaco, Germany, Italy, Andorra, Spain and Switzerland. Canal du Midi in France is definitely one of the most prominent and sought after tourist spots in the country. The Canal du Midi is a 240 Kms long picturesque canal, situated in the south of France. The Garonne River and the Étang de Thau on the Mediterranean is connected by the Canal du Midi of France.

The Canal du Midi in France covers a long distance, running from the city of Toulouse down to the Mediterranean port of Sete. The purpose of building the canal was to create a shortcut between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. This was done so that the long sea voyage around Spain and Barbary pirates could be avoided. To avoid this one month of sailing the canal was created. The Canal du Midi at France possesses 103 locks. These locks serve to climb and descend a total of 190 meters. There are 328 structures in the Canal. The structures include not only the locks but also a number of dams, bridges and a tunnel. The design of the Canal du Midi in France included the first canal passage ever built through a tunnel (the Malpas Tunnel). The eye catching Canal du Midi of France passes through a passage. The passage is 173 meters long and is located under a hill at Enserune. The Canal du Midi also involved the creation of the first artificial reservoir. The reservoir was used for feeding a canal waterway.

Tourist Attractions in France
Canal du Midi	Cathedral of Amiens
Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe	Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay
Decorated Grottoes of the Vézère Valley	Palace and Park of Fontainebleau
Place Stanislas	Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans
Scandola Nature Reserve	Triumphal Arch of Orange
Vézelay, Church and Hill

It is said that the Canal was the biggest project of the day in the 17th century. Till date the Canal du Midi in France is considered as a marvelous engineering achievement. The Canal is still the most popular and well known pleasure waterway in Europe.