Carcassonne, UNESCO World Heritage Site
The restoration of Carcassonne was entrusted in the 19th century to the great architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc who carried out exemplary work.
The Medieval City, on the heights of the right bank of the Aude. The fortified site since Roman times was a strategic relay on the wine route between Gaul and the Mediterranean. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, the medieval city, surrounded by two fortified walls and 52 towers and 2 walls is an open-air museum that houses: the Saint-Nazaire basilica, the lists, the Narbonnaise and Aude gates, lively alleys. To visit: the castle built in the 12th century by the Viscounts of Carcassonne.
The Bastide Saint Louis: the checkerboard plan around a central square gave its name to the new lower town. It was built from the 13th century on the left bank of the Aude. Formerly surrounded by the moats of the old fortifications, the district is now delimited by the large boulevards of the 18th and 19th centuries. To discover: Place Carnot, Saint-Michel Cathedral, Saint-Vincent Church, private mansions from the 16th and 17th centuries, the Museum of Fine Arts, the shopping streets...
The Canal du Midi in Carcassonne
The Canal du Midi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Originally, the structure passed 2 kilometers from Carcassonne. The diversion was decided in 1787. The construction site: canal, the harbor basin, Marengo, Peace and Iéna bridges spread out until the inauguration in May 1810.
Highlights and festivals
Jazz Week - end of April: a four-day festival at a very affordable price (4-evening pass) in the setting of the Jesuit Chapel.
The burning of the medieval city on July 14, a spectacle to follow on the banks of the Aude.
Carcassonne Festival - end of June-beginning of August: one of the great festivals in France. Around 120 shows including 80 free: French song, international variety, dance, theater, opera, circus...
The Carcassonne Feria at the end of August-beginning of September: four days of popular celebration with bandas and fanfares, salsa groups, flamenco, Occitan music, tango, musette, Sevillian dances and around fifty bodegas run by associations offering tapas and paella!