This is a quick video all about Athos in 2025. It shows some of Athos’ onboard facilities, including our big outdoor terrace with jacuzzi, hydraulic sun awning, and outdoor dining for 10.
If you’re still searching for your 2025 holiday – we’re right here!
We’ve still got some cruise dates available in Spring 2025: May 11-17, 18-24, June 1-7, and we’re taking bookings for 2026.
Check out our Price List, route and itinerary by scrolling down our Cruises Page , and then shoot us an Email to BOOK 🙂
You’ve hit the “Contact Us” button, you’ve confirmed your Canal du Midi cruise dates, you’ve booked! The next stage is travel-planning.
This post is to help you with your airline and travel searches. It lists the closest airports, train stations and useful websites that will help you get to Athos’ Canal du Midi cruise start and end point in Beziers. Athos can recommend a few regional hotels that meet her discerning standards. And please, don’t hesitate to ask Dannielle if you’d like her to pick up the phone and make a hotel or B&B booking on your behalf. Read on!
The largest French airport that connects internationally. To travel from Paris to Beziers, the most relaxing option is the direct and easy 4 hour high-speed train (TGV) into Beziers centre. Sunday TGVs go from: Paris Gare de Lyon 11:05 – 15:33 Beziers train station. There are also TGV’s that link Paris CDG Airport Train Terminal 09:58-15:32 Beziers *change trains at Montpellier. Alternatively, check whether your international airline offers the internal Air France connector from CDG into Montpellier.
hosts direct international flights from North America, and also connects by train with the main line into France in just under 2.5 hours. Sunday trains from Barcelona Sants (train station) go from 14:30 – 16:35 Beziers. Rental cars can also be hired at Barcelona airport, and by autoroute, it is an easy 2.5 hours by car to Beziers. Cars can be rented at Barcelona International Airport and dropped at Beziers Vias Airport or Beziers Train Station (Europcar, Hertz).
hosts direct flights from Montreal, and is also a major European hub for flight connections. There is a train terminal at the airport and a direct train connection to Beziers on Sundays: Airport 12:06 – 14:37 arr Beziers Station.
A major international hub, Toulouse also has a 20-minute free shuttle bus that takes passengers from the Arrivals terminal into the central train station. There are multiple times connecting to Beziers, including Sundays dep TLS 14:39- arr 16:07 Beziers.
Air France flights connect main European hubs to Montpellier. EasyJet also runs daily flights from London Gatwick to Montpellier. A 20-minute shuttle service connects from Montpellier Airport to Saint Roch Train station. Trains run regularly to Beziers and take 40 minutes. Athos suggests the Baudon de Mauny hotel in Montpellier in the event that you choose to stay a night, or the Hotel Le Guilhem.
Train times and tickets from all European cities can be found online 90 days in advance of the date of departure. Trainline is an easy to use website. Tickets can be purchased online 90 days in advance of the departure date. *Hint: if it is more than 90 days in advance and you’d like to check train times, simulate the schedule by picking a later date with the same days of the week for you’ll be wanting travel. Main lines typically keep the same schedule the year around, particularly on Saturdays and Sundays. Although our favourite (most user-friendly) train website is Trainline, the direct and official French website for trains is SNCF. In the event of discrepancy between the two sites, SCNF tends to be the most accurate and updated. For example, explanations like works on lines or strike information do not appear on Trainline)
If you choose to spend a night in the Beziers area pre-cruise, Athos Crew will collect you from your hotel on the Sunday of your cruise departure.
info@athosdumidi.com for help.
You’ve Googled it. You’ve talked to friends and family. We here at Athos make a wager that none of the ideas you’ve stumbled on are anywhere as original as “hotel barge cruising?”
Does your best holiday wish-list include any of the below?
The great bit about exclusive travel is having your own guide-ambassador at your disposal all week. Athos’ tour guide has been given accolades over the years.
“Mathew is a gifted Tour Guide and Teacher. He shows accountability for everything”.
Best holidays are synonymous with best food and best wine. Athos has vetted wines from the Corbieres, Minervois, Coteaux de Languedoc and other top wine-growing terroirs in the region
Athos’ crew know the food markets and they’ve put the Chef through her paces!
You can’t go wrong when the food and wine footwork have been done for you. If you have dietary preferences or allergies, Athos has it in hand. Just let us know in advance, and we’ll sort it out without cutting corners on the best southern French gourmet experience.
We recently stumbled on two bits of passenger feedback about onboard meals that made us chuckle:
…especially knowing what we do about Covid. We just loved travel-writer Jaime Ditaranto’s take on this subject. She spent a week onboard Athos in September 2018. Her video link and article say it all!
If it’s going to be enjoyable, the best holidays tend to involve comfortable climate. The Languedoc (or Occitanie as Southwestern France is recently ) is typically windy. The winters can howl (like today) but it means that in summer there is always a comfortable breeze. There is a reason that summers on the coastal South of France are an escape from the stifling heat of populated European cities.
Add to that, Athos is fully air-conditioned and heated. All cabins have individual air conditioning that you can leave on all night and all day. The main salon is also fully air-conditioned. The spacious upper deck has a fixed sun awning to protect cruising passengers from daytime rays.
The best holidays involve enjoyable destinations minus complication. When you go barging, there’s no switching hotels each night because your luxury hotel floats with you. Your goods and your bags stay in your cosy cabin, and your guide drives you to off-the-beaten path visits. This means that if you love a beach, you can get there…but you don’t have to spend all night and day surrounded by beach-goers and beach front. Have a look at Athos’ Best of Languedoc Itinerary and each day’s suggested activities between Argeliers and the Etang de Thau at Marseillan. If you click on our interactive map and let your mouse hover, a pointer will show each day’s mooring.
If you’d like to ask about availability for your best 2025 or 2026 holiday on Athos, or request more information send us an email.
Why? Well, those who don’t have to travel during peak times are wise to opt for the shoulder seasons. And they do.
Although the Canal du Midi area does experience showers in spring, they tend to be sporadic. And a sporadic shower is a fare trade off for those who wish to avoid summer heat and crowded travel, or worse, crowded destinations. Athos cruises the Canal du Midi which is deep in the countryside, and Athos takes private moorings, so crowds are never a worry. As for the busier tourist sites like Carcassonne, we try to encourage a “seize-the-day” schedule…followed by a long lunch with wine and a siesta while cruising. (It’s a steady plan).
Asparagus. Fresh, green, crisp, sweet. Best when bought by the side of the road, directly from a producer.
In spring, the Canal du Midi and surrounding countryside is covered in wildflowers. Those who are more versed in botanical studies will no doubt have a longer list than this one: sage flower, thyme, rosemary, poppy fields, snapdragons, Scotch broom, freesias, thistle, wild orchids, almond blossom, cherry blossom, Judas tree, irises.
Mild 20 degree days of sunshine, clean air and clear skies.
There are still a number of Spring cruise dates open to bookings: May 11-17 2025 and May 18-24 2025. Contact us by email and have a look at our 2025 Prices and Best of Languedoc Itinerary
Video content of Athos, cruising a typical day on the idyllic Canal du Midi.
This is a list of questions that future Athos passengers frequently ask us before their cruise. Questions are about travel information, mobility limitations, onboard equipment and what to bring. Read away, and by all means, send us an email if we’re missing anything important.
Marseille, Toulouse, Montpellier and Barcelona Airports are all within a few hours’ drive from Beziers. We recommend that you have a look at our information page “How to Get to Beziers to Join your Athos Cruise”. Train scheduling times, websites and airport information are all on this page.
We should add a ** to just how frequently this question arises. Here’s our best advice! We do not recommend that passengers turn up too early at the Beziers train station on the Sunday of arrival. There is no luggage storage at this station and limited seating and restaurant facilities. Trains should be booked to arrive between 15:30-16:30. We also don’t recommend trying to arrive in a restaurant after 14:00 for lunch. Many restaurants in France do not seat or serve lunch after 14:00.
Trains leaving Beziers on the Saturday departure morning can be booked between 08:00 and 11:00am. Please contact us before booking a departure that requires leaving the barge before 08:00am on the Saturday morning.
Athos happily welcomes families onboard who opt to charter the whole barge. On weeks with mixed passengers with individual cabin-bookings, our cruises and activities cater to interests like wine-tasting, history, art and culture. On weeks when families charter the entire boat, Athos is offers a mix of activities that are adult, teen and child-friendly. Read more about our Family Fun Charter here.
Athos recommends: Hotel Particulier, In Situ, La Villa Guy, Hotel la Prison in Béziers Centre. All have had recent renovations and are accessible to the town centre. All can be booked directly with the hotel either on their own website or by telephone. If you’d like Athos to ring on your behalf to book, please send us an email!
Yes! And this really is one of the most frequently asked questions pre-travel to Athos. Many travellers bring CPAP machines onboard the Athos. We have silent nighttime running generators for important machines like CPAPs and air-conditioning! CPAP’s can plug directly beside the beds. The Athos has 220v electrics throughout, so that machines will need only the European plug adaptor. The actual 220v-110v adaptor is usually part of the machine. There are multi-plug and multi-USB adaptors by each bedside so that your devices aren’t in a mangle. They also leave room for those who need a CPAP plug.
Most modern digital appliances have the 220v-110v built in. All you’ll need is the plug adaptor, which is a 2-prong round European standard plug. From there, you can use your regular USB to device cable. As above – each cabin has adaptors by each bedside. Your device cables need not be in a mess and you can still plug in a CPAP.
Yes, hairdryers are provided in each of Athos’ en suite bathrooms. We also carry an onboard cosmetics range by Etre Bio. They include: luxury organic shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and soap.
6 nights and 5 days. Athos meets passengers at 4pm on Sundays and finishes on the following Saturday morning by 10am.
The Canal du Midi is 241 km long, reaching from Bordeaux to the Mediterranean. Athos cruises a section of about 90 km over her cruise week. Athos beings at the Port of Argeliers and finishes at Marseillan Port on the Mediterranean Etang de Thau. Cruise direction alternates every other week.
This is entirely up to you and one of the questions that we ask on our Special Requirements form. The beds measure 190 cm x 80 cm as twin beds, or 190 cm x 160 cm as 1 queen bed. There is space of 60 cm between the two beds when configured as twin beds. Set up as 1 queen bed, there is the same 60 cm space down one side of the cabin, and space at the foot of the bed to get in and out. For people who get up frequently in the night or have mobility issues, two twin beds is a more user-friendly option.
Athos has a SAECO espresso machine onboard. Our hostesses are happy to step up as baristas over the course of your week. Decaf espresso, or French press are available. Passengers may also opt for traditional teas, or, herbal teas. Feel free to mention your preferences on the Special Requirements form that we’ll ask you to complete pre-cruise.
Yes. The Athos Chef and crew cater to a variety of dietary needs and restrictions. They are often congratulated for providing creative and tasty alternatives for gluten-free, meatless or low sodium meals. Again, we ask Athos passengers to let us know well in advance about their dietary needs. This helps us to stock alternate ingredients, and to make extra safeguards against cross contamination.
Athos Guide and crew make adaptations for passengers with mobility limitations. Athos onboard fittings include: a gang plank with rope hand-rails, 2 steps to the deck with side rails, 4 steps down to the salon with solid wood handrails. Also, a shower-stool and a small step for the slightly higher cabin beds can be requested. Equally, there is enough space in Athos minivans for a folding wheelchair. Where possible, Athos crew adapt and make wheelchair entry manageable.
Each evening, the Athos Guide discusses the next day’s shore-excursion plan with passengers. Based on that chat, they’ll make changes as needed. He knows the tour areas well and will find work-arounds to offer the best experience for everyone. The cobble streets in some Medieval towns like Carcassonne or the old centre of Narbonne are complicated for wheelchairs or for shaky footing. Occasionally, the guide walks shorter distances with part of the group, or suggests a café-break while others continue exploring on foot.
There are always crew members onboard and so it is ok to opt out of the visits and relax onboard. Most important, passengers are welcome to take each day and shore-visit according to their energy levels. Athos crew will make it as comfortable and workable for them as possible.
This is asked more times than you think! Rest assured, tall people, you’ll be alright on Athos.
Julian is 6ft’4 and lived onboard for many years. Without fail, he learned how to duck through the small wheelhouse doors. Fortunately, as a passenger, you are not required to go through the wheelhouse unless you want to.
The salon has plenty of head clearance, with a 9 ft ceiling. Cabins ceilings are slightly lower at 7ft. Doorways through cabins and corridor are standard at 6’8.
Do you have other questions that should feature on Athos’ FAQs board? Please, write to us and let us know!
We’ve been here, the Canal du Midi hotel-barge Athos has been ready to cruise, to wine, to laugh – the Canal du Midi remains our oyster! And yet, in 2020 Covid made travel plans too dangerous, too complicated, too frustrating for any of you to get here. We’re sorry about ALL of it.
Athos will restart her social media presence while we wait for Covid to calm, and the world to reunite in some small way via international travel. If Athos can provide a small word of hope, a nostalgic smile, a photo of Southern France magic, a glimpse of Canal du Midi sun, a fond memory of laughing with Athos crew… then we’ll have accomplished a small something positive in 2020.
Athos was built in 1964 as a commercial grain and wine barge. In 1982 it was converted into a luxury hotel barge. Athos was renovated again in 2007 and fully equipped with modern luxuries. As one of the few traditional Canal du Midi barges left on the canal, cruising on the Athos awakens the romance and history of the Canal du Midi and Southern France.
In August 2018, Athos owners had an amazing experience when her original blueprints found their way from the USA to France! If you’d like to know more about Athos’ history and origins, head over to our Blog to read Athos History: a Lovely Story and an Amazing Email Exchange.
A helpful Google map showing where Athos cruises on the Canal du Midi: Athos Cruise Route Map
Also useful is a link to Athos’ interactive map on the website, showing her Canal du Midi Cruise route. Click on the link above the image, making sure to hover over the village names. A little line will show where Athos minivans drive to shore visits each day:
Athos is not exactly a “mainstream” business. But because we are so entrenched in all things hotel-barging, I forget that hotel barging isn’t deeply known or understood world ’round. We have lived on Athos or nearby the Canal du Midi for over 20 years now. We are in close contact with others who also run hotel barge businesses both on the Canal du Midi and in other areas of France. I write multiple daily emails explaining the how, what and why of Athos and hotel barging. I point people at FAQ links, make suggestions about how to travel to Athos’ meeting point and answer a whole variety of questions…
Jonathan Sargent, Aug 3 (5 days ago) to me
Good afternoon,
I went to an estate sale here in the USA and purchased blueprints of the ‘Athos’ and I was curious if you could tell me more about waterline and the boats history. Thank you for your time.
Aug 4 (4 days ago) to Jonathan
Hello Jonathan –
How amazing! …I imagine this was Mimi’s estate? Mimi was one of the original financiers and shareholders of the Athos. She and her husband Pierre Noubel undertook the makeover and project which are now your blueprints. They then set Athos up as a canal-tourism business and brought over many well-heeled Americans who would never have undertaken to see the then-back-woods of Southwestern France and the Canal du Midi!
Athos still runs as a luxury hotel barge on the Canal du Midi, and has done since her makeover as per the blueprints in 1982 — slightly changed in cabin layout and certainly in decor, but in essence as your blueprints indicate. Julian was a Captain from 1988, just after Pierre Noubel sold the barge to new owners. From 2001-2004, Julian and I leased Athos, and then by 2004 bought Athos together, and winter of 2006 gave her a massive interior makeover. We are still running it as an active business.
Previously to 1982, Athos would probably have been destined for the North African boat scrapyards. We think this is what happened to her 3 sister ships: the D’Artagnan, Portos and the Aramis. All 4 Musketeers were built in 1965 in the Marne, specifically for the Canal du Midi to be used as freighters. Canal du Midi barges have very very low wheelhouses in order to fit through the extremely low 16thC bridges. (have a look at the arch drawn in over the narrow silouette in Image 4 of the Plans!) Many of these kind of freighters would have held grain, wine, sand, or fuel. We know Athos didn’t carry fuel, but we don’t know whether she was more concentrated on grain/wine or sand. Generally speaking, 1965-built barges had (give or take) a 25-year life span. They were welded steel hulls with flat bottoms, and a maximum depth of 1.3m…not the ultra-thick black iron riveted hulls of their earlier Dutch-built counterparts.
Alas, Athos’ lifespan technically should have been up by now, but she is drydocked annually, re-treated (and even re-bottomed in this past 15 years), and has constant and ongoing maintenance, improvements and tweaks.
In fact, we’d be hugely grateful for a copy if you are able to either .pdf or post to us in France? I’m not sure how big the plans are? We seem to only have the electrics blueprint in our collection, and we still work around the water-tight bulkheads and fire doors indicated in the original copy.
Hope the above is of some interest and use to you.
Kind regards,
Dannielle & Julian FARRANT
Jonathan Sargent Aug 4 (4 days ago) to me
Let me start by saying thank you so much for the Athos history and for all of the information. My wife and I just started going to estate sales and this is truly a wonderful find indeed. I have pictures as the blueprints are very large in size. Wow… I am just in amazement. This is really neat to find on the other side of the world. Let me see what I can do. Would pictures work?
P.s. When we started looking at these, my wife immediately said, “There has to be a three musketeers connection.”
Sent from my iPhone
Jonathan Sargent Aug 5 (3 days ago) to me
Dannielle,
I miss-spoke and called them blueprints but they are actually schematics from the 1980’s. I had intentions of selling these to make something back but after talking about it with my wife, we would like to send what we have to you and Julian. We just feel like this belongs with the two of you. Let me know where we can send them to and I will let you know when they are sent. The history that you shared was more than what we ever anticipated. Thank you for sharing that with us, as we will never forget it.
-Cheers-
The Sargent’s
Dannielle Farrant <info@athosdumidi.com> Aug 5 (3 days ago) to Jonathan
Wow Johnathan – this is incredibly gracious of you! We are of course delighted to share Athos history with anyone who wants to listen and we are so grateful that you have pieced together some of her missing artifacts!
Lastly, I am so tickled by our exchange that I wanted to ask if I could post our emails as part of a Blog post on Athos’ website, linking it to some of the write-up about Athos history?
Best regards, Dannielle & Julian
Sent from my iPhone
Jonathan Sargent Aug 5 (3 days ago) to me
Oh wow! That would be so cool. Maybe one day when we are in Paris, we can stop by to say hello. I will put them in the mail tomorrow. Please let me know when you have received them. That way we know they made it home. 🙂
From our home with love, Jonathan & Ashley Sargent, Gulfport, MS
A selection of Athos’ historical Plans, found by Johnathan & Ashley Sargent, Gulfport, MS
And if you’re interested…here’s a bit more on Athos history
Athos has a trusted core of acclaimed Languedoc Chateaux and Domaines that have produced consistently acclaimed wines each year.
A father and son team of vignerons who were the first to introduce plastic corks and screw top corks in the otherwise staunchly traditional wine trade of the South of France. They’ve also been on international wine-scouting trips to learn about wine technology abroad, including alcohol-reducing techniques that have permitted them to produce their alcohol-light rosé, “La Plume”. Colombette’s wines have been part of Athos’ Canal du Midi cruises for many years.
2015 Sauvignon Blanc Vin de Pays d’Herault
2015 Grenache rosé Vin de Pays d’Herault
2015 La Plume Rosé Vin de Pays d’Herault
2014 Lledoner Pelut Vin de Coteaux Libron
Pierre Cros is a well-known and well-recognised producer, based closer to Carcassonne than to the cruise route for Athos Canal du Midi. He describes himself as a “Vigneron Militant”! His passion is for reviving traditional grape varieties that have been forgotten or worked out of the current AOC guidelines. His wines tend to sell out from year to year and so Athos gets there early!
2015 Les Costes, AOC Minervois Blanc
2013Les Vielles Vignes, AOC Minervois Rouge
2014 Les Aspres, AOC Minervois Rouge
2015 La Partouse, Vin de France Rosé
The cave co-operatives across the Languedoc are responsible for much of the huge volume of wine produced in the region. Traditionally, the huge volume did not necessarily represent refined wines. Happily this has changed dramatically over the past 20 years and many Cave Co-ops are producing some excellent wines across the region. This is one of Athos’ Canal du Midi cruising favourites and it matches up perfectly with the oysters and seafood of the terroir!
2015 Hugues de Beauvignac, AOC Coteaux de Languedoc, Picpoul de Pinet
Mme. Bellido of Domaine les Murettes has long been a force to contend with as is her Viognier. It also sells out annually, and with reason: this is a true dry white wine that speaks of pure Languedoc peach and apricot orchards. Quaffable and friendly with food. A perfect wine for cruising with on the Canal du Midi.
2015 Viognier, Vin Blanc Biologique
Based at Fleury d’Aude, overlooking the Gruissan and Narbonne plage area, the vineyards around Fleury grow in the salty Med breeze – never too cold in winter, never too dry in summer. Chateau la Negly are internationally recognised for their quality and also have a large production destined for international export.
2015 La Brise Marine, AOC La Clape Blanc
2014 La Falaise, AOC Coteaux de Languedoc
Athos has carried La Voulte Gasparets Corbieres wines onboard for the past 20 years, a testament to their quality and consistency. Typical to Corbieres grape varieties and depth of fruit and character, these wines have always been crowd pleasers with passengers who cruise Athos Canal du Midi.
Cuvée Romain Pauc, 2013 AOC Corbieres rouge
Blanc 2015 AOC Corbieres
Rosé 2015 AOC Corbieres
Onboard bubbly – important for special occasions on board, and well, just because you can.
Cuvée Eugénie, AOC Crémant de Limoux
Cuvée Émotion, Cremant de Limoux
This is another of the wine producers that Athos has worked with nearing 20 years. Again based on the Fleury d’Aude side, bordering the Med, Mire l’Etang’s wines benefit from the softening effects of the salty med air. Named for the historical Duchess de Fleury, Aimée de Coigny blanc is a crisp and delicate blend of Roussanne, Bourboulenc and Grenache Blanc. The Ducs de Fleury red is an oaked combination of traditional Languedoc grapes Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre noir.
Aimée de Coigny, 2015 AOC La Clape blanc
Ducs de Fleury, 2014 AOC La Clape rouge
Gris, 2015 AOC La Clape rosé.
A Canal du Midi Cruise on Athos is a South of France experience that is a once in a lifetime, must-do holiday. Here’s why:
Athos carries a maximum of 10 passengers on board in any given week and her 5 full time crew members ensure that they are given every attention and comfort. Athos and her crew are all about making your special Canal du Midi holiday the lifetime trip to remember. With the option of chartering the entire boat for up to 10 passengers, you can choose your own group of preferred travellers. If you’d like to stay away from the crowds, Athos’ crew can arrange that.
Inclusive shore excursions mean that you’ll See & Experience More on hotel barge Athos. Because Athos’ experienced crew will look after the complicated travel questions of Where-to…? How-to…? and What’s-on-the-menu… we make it possible for you to do far more than an independent traveller in the South of France.
Have a look at our detailed suggestions on the Best of Languedoc itinerary.
Outdoor Luxury
Athos offers magical days seeing the South of France that way it is best appreciated – from outdoors. What other form of hotel offers the comforts of a hotel that floats and moves with you on your journey, taking luxury into the countryside from her generous top deck? The Languedoc’s Mediterranean climate and landscapes are warm, rustic, charming – and all able to be experienced from your comfortable lounge chair on the Athos deck. Here’s a little photo selection and a link to historical and practical information about the Canal du Midi to whet your appetite!
Click here to Drop us an email to ask questions, dates and details.