From the Canal du Midi to the circular village of Bram

An easy family walk between the preserved centre of the old town of Bram and the Canal du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Following a secure greenway between the town and the canal, the route also takes in the canal towpath and a quiet little road. Strolling through the circular village is a pleasure: in this medieval village built in a circle, it is impossible to get lost. This preserved and enhanced heritage site is truly unique.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.93 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 8 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 8 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 135 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 125 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Bram (11150)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.243962° / E 2.111381°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2245E
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) From the Espace Associatif du Foirail car park, cross Rue du Chanoine Andrieu to enter the circular village via Rue du Foirail. Turn right onto Rue Bayard, then at the carved head, turn left onto Rue de Provence.

(1) At Rue des Halles, turn left onto Rue de l'Église: a visit to the church is a must before turning left onto Rue de la République as you leave the church. Cross Place des Jardiniers and turn left onto Rue du Donjon, then take Rue Louis XIII to pass in front of the birthplace of writer Jean Cau.

(2) When you reach the town hall, cross the street and turn right. At the traffic lights, turn left onto the pavement of Avenue Paul Riquet and continue straight ahead until you reach the Canal du Midi. On leaving the town, take the cycle path that runs alongside the road and continue straight ahead.

(3) At the roundabout, continue straight ahead on the Voie Verte until you reach the canal. After crossing a footbridge, you will be on the towpath that runs alongside the canal (100 m to the right, you can take a look at the port). Follow this path to the left and pass in front of the lock and its small lock keeper's house.

(4) 300 metres after the lock keeper's house, turn left to leave the canal, first along a dirt track and then straight on along the small road that serves the Vert and Baylot estates. Follow this small road straight ahead to cross the railway line and return to the circular village via Rue Jean Mermoz.

(5) Stay on the left-hand pavement and turn left onto Rue du Chanoine Andrieu, then cross Rue des Jardiniers. In the circulade, turn right onto Rue Azaïs Raseire to take the shortest route back to the starting point via Rue du Foirail on the right (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 133 m - Car park at the Foirail community centre.
  2. 1 : km 0.17 - alt. 133 m - Rue de l'Eglise
  3. 2 : km 0.43 - alt. 134 m - In front of the town hall, towards the left.
  4. 3 : km 1.82 - alt. 125 m - Roundabout straight ahead - Canal du Midi
  5. 4 : km 2.95 - alt. 127 m - Path leading away from the canal to the left.
  6. 5 : km 4.68 - alt. 133 m - Rue Jean Mermoz
  7. S/E : km 4.93 - alt. 133 m - Car park at the Foirail community centre.

Notes

- In the town of Bram: all shops and services, public toilets at the town hall.
- Picnic tables on the lawn between the roundabout and the canal.

Worth a visit

- Circulade de Bram: the largest circulade in Europe, built in the Middle Ages to optimise space inside the fortress, of which few remains are left.
- Notre-Dame Church.
- Lordat Castle: community restaurant.
- Dovecote on the Bordeneuve estate.
- Canal du Midi: small port of Bram and old bridge.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
renildecaroline
renildecaroline

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We have included a visit to the park and the entire circular fortification.
There is a lovely old wash house at the bottom of a staircase, between the bridge and the lock. Approximately 7 kilometres.

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User 13556811

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This route is pleasant, but at one point it becomes very confusing and you don't know which path to take. Because it's a narrow path that only one person can pass at a time.

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Gwennole
Gwennole

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The pretty village of Bram and its circular village. A pleasant walk along the canal. On the downside, the road between Bram and the canal is quite busy, but there is no danger as the pavement is quite wide and there is a footpath. There are lots of bicycles on a small section of the route. We did it with our 6-year-old son without any problems.

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Marc Vandevelde
Marc Vandevelde

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The part along the canal is very pretty, but to get there you have to walk along a fairly busy road. The return trip to the village through the fields is not very interesting. The village is worth a visit.

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michelplancade
michelplancade

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We preferred to start at the "end" so that we could finish on the more pleasant path rather than ending our hike on the tarmac road.
Otherwise, very beautiful but short.

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marcodbf
marcodbf

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

True to the descriptions

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Denis26
Denis26 ★

Thank you for your comment.
The difference in height has been corrected.

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En Pascot
En Pascot

Super responsiveness. Thank you, Dominique.

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Dominique Louis
Dominique Louis

I'm glad you enjoyed the walk.
You are absolutely right about the figures (elevation gain and duration) and I thank you for pointing this out.
These figures are generated automatically by the software that analyses the GPS track: the author has no control over them.
I have therefore contacted the site administrators
I hope this anomaly can be corrected.
I agree with you about the ESAT restaurant, which is inexpensive and pleasant because it's located in a beautiful château. I've heard great things about the food, which I'll be sure to try out one of these days.
Best regards

Dominique LOUIS

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En Pascot
En Pascot

The description of the walk is well done, especially the stroll through the village of Bram.
However, there are two MAJOR errors that MUST be corrected:

1) There is no 540-metre elevation gain!!! It is completely flat.
2) It doesn't take 2 hours 55 minutes, but at most 1 hour 30 minutes, even if you stop to look around the village.

So it's perfect for families. In good weather, the view of the Pyrenees is superb. The short stretch along the Canal du Midi is very pleasant and certainly shaded in summer.
Note that in Bram, there is an ESAT (on the route of the hike, on the way out of the village) that serves excellent, inexpensive meals (€13.50) every lunchtime. Otherwise, there are a few nice pubs.

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En Pascot
En Pascot

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The description of the walk is well done, especially the stroll through the village of Bram.
However, there are two MAJOR errors that MUST be corrected:

1) There is no 540-metre elevation gain!!! It is completely flat.
2) It doesn't take 2 hours 55 minutes, but at most 1 hour 30 minutes, even if you stop to look around the village.

So it's perfect for families. In good weather, the view of the Pyrenees is superb. The short stretch along the Canal du Midi is very pleasant and certainly shaded in summer.
Note that in Bram, there is an ESAT (on the route of the walk, on leaving the village) which serves excellent, inexpensive meals (€13.50) every lunchtime. Otherwise, there are a few nice pubs.

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