Renneville offers a direct way to explore the history of the Canal du Midi: the Aqueduc des Voûtes carries the waterway over the Hers, and at the Écluse de Renneville, historic structures meet today’s offerings along the canal. Rowing, dragon boat, AviFit and cruises each offer a different experience. For planning, it is worth considering the construction history and activities separately.

Aqueduct, Lock and UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Aqueduc des Voûtes is located within the municipalities of Renneville and Gardouch. It allows the Canal du Midi to cross the Hers River. Its function makes the relationship between the structure, the canal and the river immediately clear: here, the waterway crosses the Hers.

Vauban designed the aqueduct; Jean Barrière and Pierre Berquière built it between 1688 and 1690. In 1998, it was added to France’s supplementary inventory of historic monuments. After three years of construction work, its full restoration was completed in 2022. This makes it possible to distinguish chronologically between the structure’s creation, its historical classification and its later restoration.

The Écluse de Renneville is a single-chamber lock, built around 1670. At the Pont de l’écluse de Renneville, the Canal du Midi is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site; the canal was added to the World Heritage List on 7 December 1996. Renneville thus brings together an earlier lock structure, the aqueduct built later and the canal’s World Heritage status, representing different points in its history.

Rowing, Dragon Boat and Cruises

As of August 2026, the Club Aviron & Dragon Boat at the Écluse de Renneville offers rowing, dragon boat and AviFit on the Canal du Midi. A dragon boat team consists of 10 to 20 paddlers, plus a drummer and a qualified steersperson. These details describe a crew with clearly defined roles and help distinguish this format from the other activities on offer.

Another way to enjoy the canal is aboard the Péniche Surcouf, which offers full-day and half-day cruises. These two options have different durations. Depending on the cruise you choose, it may include a commentary on the history of the Canal du Midi and the work of Pierre-Paul Riquet. Schedules and operating hours may vary seasonally, so check the dates before including a cruise in your plans.

The activities therefore fall into different categories: the club focuses on rowing, dragon boat and AviFit, while the Surcouf offers cruises with a choice of duration. Depending on the type of cruise, those interested in the canal’s history may also receive an explanation of Pierre-Paul Riquet’s work. Commentary is not guaranteed on every cruise option.

Walking to the Dragon Boat Activity

As of August 2026, the walk from Villefranche-de-Lauragais station to the dragon boat activity takes less than 30 minutes and covers about 2,531 metres. From the VILLEFRANCHE-DE-LAURAGAIS – Plaisance bus stop, it takes less than 10 minutes on foot. The bus stop therefore offers the shorter of the two specified walks. Both figures refer to the dragon boat activity and give different starting points for the journey.

For a stay focused on the history of the canal, you can put the structures in chronological context and weigh up the present-day activities separately. If you choose an activity, the main difference between the club’s offerings and the cruises is their format; with the Surcouf, you can also choose between a full-day and half-day cruise. For practical planning, take into account that cruise operating hours vary seasonally.

Discover more destinations: Villeneuve-De-Rivière, Sengouagnet, Nizan-Gesse, Cassagnabère-Tournas, Noé, Le Plan, Labastide-Paumès, Daux.

For the regional travel overview: Haute-Garonne.