Port

Port de Colombiers

Name: Port de Colombiers
Address: Colombiers, FR

Colombiers, FranceLanguedoc-Roussillon

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Maximum length: 40 m
Maximum draught: 7.3 m

Canal du Midi port at Colombiers, Hérault, between the Malpas tunnel and the Fonseranes flight of locks.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Accessed only from the Canal du Midi, not from the sea. Canal gauge limits draught to 1.5 m and air draught to 3.3 m. Port-Neuf de Béziers lies 3.6 NM E, Poilhes 2.9 NM W on the same reach.

Practical

Pontoon moorings with water and electricity. Capitainerie, sanitary block and laundry on the quay. Boat hire bases on site. Village centre with bakery and small shops at 200 m.

Ashore

Malpas tunnel, the first canal tunnel in the world built in 1679 by Pierre-Paul Riquet, lies 1 km west of the port. Oppidum d'Ensérune, Celtic hilltop settlement with on-site museum, 1.5 km from the port. Drained Étang de Montady visible from the oppidum.

History

The Canal du Midi was completed by Riquet in 1681 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1996. The Malpas tunnel near Colombiers was dug through soft rock in eight days to avoid an imposed route change.