Carcassonne
The Castle of Carcassonne, the largest fortress of Europe

Carcassonne
 

The castle of Carcassonne is the largest fortress of Europe and number three of all tourist attractions in France. La Cité of the Cathars is certainly worth a day trip (one and a half hours drive from the camp-site). Carcassonne is one of the most beautiful, almost completely preserved medieval towns in Europe. In the high season there are many activities and shows.

Things to see in Carcassonne:

  • La Cité Médiévale de Carcassonne: beautiful well-preserved fortified town with 52 castle towers and 3 kilometers tilt.
    • La basilique St Nazaire
    • Le Château Comtal
    • La porte Narbonnaise
    • La porte d'Aude
    • Théâtre de la Cité
    • Les lices
    • Les remparts
    • Le grand puits
  • Pont Vieux
  • Canal du Midi 240 km of waterways between Toulouse and the Mediterranean Sea laid out by Pierre-Paul Riquet and the Italian François Andréossy between 1667-1680. Ideal for water recreation or for cycling and walking over the old towpaths along the canal.
  • La Bastide Saint Louis
  • Les églises
    • Chapelle des Carmes: the monastic church of the Carmelites.
    • Cathedral Saint Michel: built between 1247 and 1320 as one of the two new parish churches of the “New Town”. In 1803 the church was given the title Cathedral at the expence of St. Nazaire.
    • Eglise Saint Vincent: the second parish church from 1247. It contains many art treasures and a 47 bells carillon.
    • Basilique Saint Nazaire: in 1096 Pope Urbanus II laid the first stone for this church on the site of the old Visigothic Cathedral in the Cité. The church is best known for the stained-glass windows, which are among the oldest and most beautiful of France (13th – 16th-century).
    • Chapelle et college des jesuites
    • Chapelle Notre Dame de la Sante
    • Eglise Saint Gimer pas gebouwd in de 19e eeuw.
    • Musee tresor de Notre Dame de l'abbaye
  • Carcassonne is also the departure point Chemin du Piémont Pyrénéen GR78, the fifth route from France to Saint Jacques de Compostella.