Regional Guide
City of Carcassonne & Languedoc-Roussillon
Official regional guide, a Sorbonne graduate in history with honors, teacher of history, working at Carcassonne and its area : Languedoc-Roussillon.
Guided tours of the City of Carcassonne
the Cathar country and the Languedoc-Roussillon
Some history
Since 1997, Carcassonne has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I invite you to take a guided tour of this jewel of military architecture and discover together these narrow streets, witnesses to a rich historical past.
Carcassonne was founded under the Romans, then fortified in the Middle Ages. During the guided tour of the City of Carcassonne, we will see the various stages of construction, hear about the crusade against the Cathars, and follow the history of the city to the present day. We will not forget to mention Viollet le Duc, restorer of this city in the 19th century.
The guided tour
We will begin the guided tour of the City of Carcassonne at the Porte Narbonnaise then a walk through the lists (space between the walls), the exterior of the Château Comtal, the Basilica of St Nazaire and St Celse with its magnificent stained glass windows.
Since september 2024 the all inner wall is open to the visit. To do la cité, the castle and the ramparts i twill take you about 3h., but it is possible to end up at gate Narbonnaise, or next to the church, and of course at the end the castle. You should note, if you go out before the end, that’s it you can not go back.
- Departure Narbonne gates
- Stroll in the lices up to Rodez gate or Aude
- Visit of the cathedral
- Outside of the castle
More in-depth visit
(Street names, origins of expressions, a little more history and details, etc.)
it is possible to have a guided tour with your guide wearing a "historic outfit" dressed up in a lady from the XIV° century
Guided tour - full day in Carcassonne
Guided tour - full day from Carcassonne to Toulouse (For example)
(Visit Carcassonne in the morning, Toulouse in the afternoon: St-Sernin church, the capitol, the Jacobins, the banks of the Garonne)
Options
Groups: Guided tour for groups of up to 40 people
Individuals: Prices on request
To the 2 visits of la Cité, we can include the comtal castle and its ramparts, it will take about 30 to 45 minutes.
Please note : entrance to the comtal castle will be an additional cost. Be aware this visit is difficult for people with mobility problems, as there are a lot of steps and a lot of walking during the tours.
Visits of La Bastide
These guided tours could be completed by another tour : the low town : La Bastide St Louis
In 1247, a royal edict of Louis IXth, known as St Louis, created the low town or the Bastide St Louis, to-day boundaries are the boulevards established on the old ditches of the walled town fortified.
We could go and discover the remains of these old ruins, walking around, to find out about the famous houses, the religious buildings, etc… Ambling along the Canal du Midi, another jewel of Carcassonne belonging to Unesco world heritage sites.
Carcassonne is a double town where numerous walks are on offer for the visitors willing to discover the history, the buildings, the famous people who lived in Carcassonne… It’s with pleasure that I invite the tourists to see, to admire, to discover this town full of history.
From the Bastide starting from the Old Bridge going up Trivalle street and ending up to the Narbonnaise gates to visit the Cité. Such a tour will take you a full morning.