France: Occitanie – Carcassonne

Carcassonne, a hilltop town in southern France’s Languedoc area, is famous for its medieval citadel, La Cité, with numerous watchtowers and double-walled fortifications. The first walls were built in Gallo-Roman times, with major additions made in the 13th and 14th centuries. Château Comtal, a 12th-century castle within the Cité, offers archaeological exhibits and a tour of the inner ramparts.

It is huge and completely over-the-top, with no less than 53 towers, strung together by two enormous concentric walls, surrounded by a moat, and punctuated here and there by heavy barbicans, portcullis and draw-bridges.

Within these fairy-tale fortifications sits a castle, a basilica (church), and a small town. And the whole thing struts its stuff at the top of a hill, giving it superb views of the modern city of Carcassonne to the west, the Aude river and Canal du Midi to the north, and the often-snow-capped Pyrénées to the south.

Such Medieval extravagance has made the citadel at Carcassonne France’s second-most popular tourist attraction, and visitors from all over the world are bussed in in their thousands – to stroll around what has become the world’s largest medieval theme-park, and one of France’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

We were extremely lucky as during our visit there was a medieval festival going on

Having said all of this there are some negatives. Some of the restoration work is not to a high standard. Also, the centre of the La Cité has become totally over commercialised, with far too many overpriced shops selling gaudy trinkets and sketchy nougat. The choice of restaurants is not great and of course, you will pay over the top prices. The best option is to do your sightseeing and find somewhere to eat away from the tourist traps.

Overall, despite these nagging issues of over-commercialisation (which of course is an issue in many places), Carcassonne is still worth the visit and should be enjoyed for what it is.

Although it is free to enter and walk around the citadel of Carcassonne, you do need to pay to visit the Château Comtal and to walk around the ramparts. However, there are still plenty of things to see and do in Carcassonne even if you don’t pay for these experiences.

On the western side of the citadel is the Château Comtal which was built by the Trencaval family in the 12th Century. This fairy-tale looking castle is nestled against the protective ramparts of the Cité.

The admission fee to enter the castle includes:

• Privileged access to the upper part of the ramparts where you can enjoy 360-degree panoramic views of the surrounding area.
• The rampart walk and access to the hoards.
• A visit to the dungeon (donjon).
• Access to rooms in the castle and interior courtyards.
• A short film and visit to the model of Carcassonne.
• A visit to the Musée Lapidaire which is full of sculptures.

At the southern end of the Old City of Carcassonne is the stunning Basilica of Saint Nazarius and Celsus. This beautiful church was built in the 12th Century and is an impressive example of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. In 1898, it was upgraded to a Basilica by Pope Leo XIII.

There is also a School Museum hidden in the heart of the medieval citadel of Carcassonne. If you are interested in seeing what schools were like in France at the time of the 3rd and 4th Republic, you can explore the 5 rooms which are full of teaching tools and resources from 1880 to the 1960s. There is a small charge for entry.