Garonne and Canal du Midi via the Toulouse cable car

The opening of the Téléo cable car in May 2022 will allow you to make a beautiful circular route along the Garonne and then the Canal du Midi, while providing a view of the city of Toulouse and the Pyrenees.

The entire first section, from (1) to (5), is in full sun in the morning.

Metro line B, for alternative departures, leaves the landmarks (4) and (8).

Please note that the use of the cable car introduces a bias in the Visorando technical data sheet: the elevation gain is very low and the hike is only about 12 km long, taking 2½ to 3 hours on foot.

Details

22973271
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.65 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 134 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 131 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 256 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 133 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Toulouse (31500|31400|31300|31)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.59898° / E 1.437652°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2043ET, 2144O
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Description of the walk

Departure from the corner of Pont Neuf, west side, Prairie des Filtres, Hôtel Dieu.
Access by metro, line A, Saint-Cyprien or Esquirol stations (5 min walk).

(S/E) Follow Cours Dillon to the first staircase, then descend towards the Garonne. Follow the river along the paths in the park (GR® 861 markings).

(1) When you reach Pont Saint-Michel, turn off towards the descent on the Garonne side.
In case of flooding, cross the road and take the path at the top of the dyke.

(2) Convergence of the two routes (in case of flooding).
Continue along the path until you see the cable car station and turn off in its direction (leaving theGR® 861).

(3) Take the cable car to the terminus, Station Université Paul Sabatier.

(4) Go down the stairs and continue straight ahead, east-northeast, towards the canal, ignoring all side streets. When you reach the athletics field, take the path on your left to reach the banks of the Canal du Midi.

(5) Turn left and follow the banks of the Canal du Midi.

(6) Halfway along, the Pont-Canal des Herbettes bridge crosses the ring road.

(7) At Port Saint-Sauveur (fire station), turn left onto Allée des Soupirs, then go around or across the Jardin du Grand Rond.

(8) Follow Allée Jules Guesdes to Pont Saint-Michel.

(9) Turn right (do not continue over the bridge), join Avenue Maurice Hauriou and turn left, then follow the Garonne along Quai de Tounis to Pont Neuf.

(10) Turn left and cross Pont Neuf over the Garonne. (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 142 m - Hotel Dieu - Garonne (fleuve)
  2. 1 : km 0.81 - alt. 136 m - Pont Saint-Michel
  3. 2 : km 2.9 - alt. 139 m - Junction between the upper dyke and lower dyke paths
  4. 3 : km 5.66 - alt. 144 m - Téléo Oncopole Cable Car Station
  5. 4 : km 8.84 - alt. 152 m - Téléo Université Paul Sabatier Cable Car Station
  6. 5 : km 9.39 - alt. 147 m - Junction - Canal du Midi
  7. 6 : km 10.62 - alt. 146 m - Pont-Canal des Herbettes
  8. 7 : km 13.19 - alt. 147 m - Port Saint-Sauveur
  9. 8 : km 13.63 - alt. 145 m - Jules Guesdes
  10. 9 : km 14.5 - alt. 138 m - Pont Saint-Michel
  11. 10 : km 15.41 - alt. 145 m - Pont Neuf
  12. S/E : km 15.65 - alt. 142 m - Hotel Dieu

Notes

Please note: this hike requires the use of public transport! (standard ticket or free with a travel pass).

This route is also accessible by bike, but the cable car only takes one bike per cabin.

One last thing: in the event of flooding of the Garonne, the first section can be done on the upper part of the dyke.

Worth a visit

Views of the Garonne, the AZF memorial, the Pyrenees, the city of Toulouse, the Canal du Midi, and the Pont-Canal des Herbettes, built in 1982 when the Toulouse ring road was created.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Bernard80
Bernard80

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 09, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely urban walk, but not too much, with parks in Toulouse, the banks of the Garonne and the canal.
The cable car ride is a bonus.
Better views of the Pyrenees and the banks of the Garonne than of the city.
A good alternative when the ground is muddy.
For the start (Cours Dillon, University or other), it is best to use public transport.
Parking spaces are scarce and/or expensive.

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Krugg31
Krugg31

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant urban route along the Garonne and the canal. A bit too straight for my taste, but I really liked the cable car.

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le viking de meyreuil
le viking de meyreuil

This hike is scheduled for the end of May.

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Tukalo
Tukalo

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walk. As usual, the Canal du Midi is very busy.

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xyomguix
xyomguix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

I did this route starting from the park-and-ride car park on the Oncopole side. Please note that if you want to avoid paying for this (expensive, €2 per hour) car park, you must have a ticket that has been validated within the last hour. One tip is to take a return trip on the cable car at the end of the walk.

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Laurence E
Laurence E

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nothing to report

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Chris 5732
Chris 5732

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pleasant walk between the Garonne and the canal, often under trees... with a cable car ride... Very nice... ending with a picnic in the Jardin des Plantes... the best!

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filmag
filmag

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A good starting point for a route that could be improved.
I preferred to start the route at Paul Sabatier University so that I could finish in style with the cable car and its panoramic views.
After the Allée des Soupirs, I crossed the Grand Rond, took the footbridge to cross part of the Jardin des Plantes, passing in front of the Museum to reach the Allées Jules Guesdes, rather than going around the boulevard. At the beginning of the Pont St-Michel, I preferred to take the Pont du Halage de Tounis and then walked down along the Garonne. From La Garonnette and then the descent from the Halle aux Poissons, I reached Place du Pont Neuf and Pont Neuf.
Finally, on the long walk along the Garonne and before reaching the cable car, a short detour to the AZF memorial is a must.

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vlouiset
vlouiset

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful view from the cable car (a fine piece of engineering)
Then the hike back to the city is very pleasant, along the canal and the Garonne.
The whole trip is very easy and accessible, taking around two and a half hours.
I highly recommend it, especially in good weather (view of the Pyrenees).

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Myrtille
Myrtille

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Wonderful. We can make a circular route from Pont St Michel to the Canal du Midi by taking the Téléo cable car, which offers magnificent views.
It's pure bliss. If the walk is a bit long for some people, Téléo makes it shorter.

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