The Magic of Carcassonne

First of three features - ‘Short Breaks on a Shoestring’

On a glorious afternoon, Ryanair flew us into The Aude region right over the fairytale rooftops of Cité de Carcassonne.

La Cité was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 and I kicked myself all the way to the terminal for putting my camera in an overhead locker.

Just inside the Narbonne Gate, we met up with Marie-Laure Palicot, an exceptional guide to la Cité’s present and past. Still remaining are about two miles of walls and 52 towers.

Carcassonne’s ethereal towers were created on the bones of earlier fortresses by the 18th century architect, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.

The first signs of settlement in the area of Carcassonne date back to 3,500 BC and the hill site of Carsac had become an important trading place by the sixth century BC. The Romans identified it as a site of strategic importance about 100 BC.

In 1067, la Cité became the property of Raimond Bernard Trencavel, viscount of Albi and Nîmes, through his marriage to Ermengard, sister of the last count of Carcassonne.

Trencavel’s heirs built the Château Comtal and the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire; the latter was blessed by Pope Urban II as a Catholic bastion against the Cathars.

Ironically, Carcassonne was to become famous as a bastion of Cathar tolerance (click here for The Cathar Terror).

At la Cité centre, behind double ramparts, lie the Chateau Comtal and the Basilique Saint-Nazaire with its glorious rose windows and strange gargoyles. The body of Simon de Montfort was buried here.

We paused for lunch at a shady bistro in Place Marcou; traditional baguettes overflowing with rich pâté, piquant ham or cheese and tomatoes, accompanied by huge cups of coffee, cost just a few Euros. You can also get crêpes, steak-frites, salads or full-blown four-course meals around this pretty square.

About 120 people live within la Cité, which has a post office, a school and a hotel alongside its bistros and restaurants. Additionally, there is an open air theatre, a macabre museum related to the Cathars (with instruments of torture) and some unusual sweet and gift shops.

At La Maison du Sud in the heart of la Cité, just opposite the Brasserie du Donjon restaurant, you can buy fine cotton and linen shirts, hessian bags, tiny soap roses and many other tastefully sourced articles.

On rue Saint Louis, L’Art Gourmand - an artisan chocolatier -sells nougat, caramel, toffee, fudge and marzipan chocolate-covered marzipan bananas. They’re not cheap but there is no need to spend much for a memorable taste.

Carcassonne entertains an active cultural life - enjoyed by both the French and tourists of many a nation. There are regular pageants and spectacular Bastille Day celebrations; the Festival de la Cité runs through July and ‘open air’ medieval theatre performances mark the first half of August.

At the feet of the fortified Cité is the more expansive lower city; with the River Aude, meandering through the Canal du Midi, adding romance to the whole of Carcassonne.  Another World Heritage Site (1996), the Canal links the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and is a marvellous springboard for further adventures.

Well worth reading for its historical allusions to Carcassonne is the novel Sepulchre by Kate Mosse. But it is her earlier novel, Labyrinth, which takes us back in time to those dark, terrifying medieval days when the Cathars were destroyed.

Allegorically speaking, their time has come again; they are remembered throughout The Aude and as minds open to a broader perspective, children are also learning to speak the Occitan language - regarded as the original language in this area.

Sounding a last note, it’s easy to see why Walt Disney was inspired by Carcassonne for his film Sleeping Beauty.

Getting There

Fly from London Stansted to Carcassonne in three hours with Ryanair or travel by Eurostar to Lille from St Pancras and onto Montpellier by TGV (five hours).

Ryanair

Eurostar

Rail Europe

Useful Addresses

Carcassonne Tourist Office

Tel +33(0)4 68 10 24 30

Gites de France

Languedoc-Roussillon Tourist Board

European Boating Holidays (EBH)

The Walled Town of Carcassonne

Languedoc