The best traffic-free bike rides around Portiragnes

It is difficult to imagine that two waterways cross here without ever mixing. At the Libron works, the Canal du Midi meets a small coastal river capable of turning into a torrent during storms. As they are almost at the same level, it is impossible to build a classic bridge: in the 19th century, an ingenious system of mobile canals was devised that alternately guides the Libron over the canal, while allowing boats to pass underneath. A true open-air hydraulic mechanism.

Here, the landscape tells the story of the sea, the river, and human history. Formerly a space for salt pans and then cultivation, the Bagnas became a nature reserve in 1983. Between ponds, reeds, and salt marshes, this vast wetland between Agde and Marseillan is today one of the major refuges for migratory birds on the Mediterranean coast.

It is hard to believe that this cathedral is built from the same volcanic rock as the nearby Mont Saint-Loup. Its black basalt, from eruptions that occurred about 900,000 years ago, gives it a unique appearance in France: depending on the light, it sometimes resembles a medieval fortress, other times a "lava block" that has emerged in the middle of the old town of Agde.

The single lock of Portiragnes opens onto the Agde reach downstream. This is a typical area of the landscapes of the Languedoc coastal strip. Indeed, from this lock onwards, the canal surface is at an altitude of only 1 meter above sea level. It runs alongside wetlands of former salt ponds (la grande Maïre), where a rich fauna and flora are found (bulls, horses, waders, amphibians, reeds...) and some pine groves. These places are conducive to the establishment of numerous campsites.

The single lock of Portiragnes opens onto the Agde reach downstream. It is a typical area of the landscapes of the Languedoc coastal strip. Indeed, from this lock, the surface of the canal is at an altitude of only 1 meter above sea level. It runs alongside wetlands of former salt ponds (la grande Maïre), where we find rich fauna and flora (bulls, horses, waders, amphibians, reeds...) and some pine groves. These places are conducive to the establishment of numerous campsites.

Open access paths to discover Bagnas Due to the significant issues related to the preservation of animal and plant species and the maintenance of the integrity of the natural environments of the site, access to the reserve is prohibited outside of guided tours. It is however possible to use certain paths that cross the reserve: the road to Maraval and the south bank of the Canal du midi. These paths pass through the site and are therefore only accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. A first approach to the site is also possible from the observation area of the pond, on the side of the road between Marseillan plage and Marseillan ville.

The Bagnas lock is the last single-chamber lock on the Canal du Midi before Sète, at the end of the canal. Built around 1676, it is located 235.2 km from Toulouse at an altitude of 2 m, between the Étang de Thau to the east and the Hérault river then the Prades lock to the west. It is located in the commune of Agde in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region.

Saint-Etienne Cathedral, built between 848 and 872, is one of the most beautiful fortified Romanesque buildings on the Languedoc coast. Built with local volcanic stone, this church, which has all the appearance of a medieval fortress, will take you back in time. It has a 35-meter-high keep structured with battlements and machicolations.