Nicolas Bachelier (1485–1557) was a French surveyor, architect, and sculptor who particularly worked in Toulouse.

[1] Bachelier is famous in Toulouse for having been the architect, proven or presumed, of several hôtels particuliers of the Renaissance, as well as for his religious sculptures.

In 1539, Bachelier and his colleague Arnaud Casanove, who described themselves as expert levelers, proposed a survey for a canal from Toulouse to Carcassonne to Francis I. Francis I had previously discussed the possibility of such a canal with Leonardo da Vinci.

Francis I approved their plans [2] which included a lock-free canal of variable depth.

In 1598, Henri IV re-examined the plans, but nothing was done until Pierre Paul Riquet began the successful endeavor of the Canal du Midi in 1662.