Perched on a rocky hilltop and bristling with zigzag battlements, stout walls and spiky turrets, the fortified city of Carcassonne looks like something out of a children's storybook from afar. It's most people's perfect idea of a medieval castle, and it's undoubtedly an impressive spectacle – not to mention one of the Languedoc's biggest tourist draws. The tourist office (www.tourisme-carcassonne.fr) can help with tours and bookings.
La CitéWALLED CITY
Carcassonne’s rampart-ringed fortress is one of the Languedoc’s most recognisable landmarks. Built on a steep spur of rock, it’s been used as a defensive stronghold for nigh on 2000 years. The fortified town is encircled by two sets of battlements and 52 stone towers, topped by distinctive ‘witch’s hat’ roofs (added by the architect Viollet-le-Duc during 19th-century restorations). The main gateway of Porte Narbonnaise leads into the citadel’s interior, a maze of cobbled lanes and courtyards, now mostly lined by shops and restaurants.
Château ComtalCASTLE
The entrance fee lets you look around the castle itself, enjoy an 11-minute film and join an optional 30- to 40-minute guided tour of the ramparts (tours in English, July and August). Descriptive panels around the castle, in both French and English, are explicit. For more detail, invest in an audioguide (1/2 people €4.50/6).
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