Viewed from the banks of the River Aude the mighty towers and imposing medieval walls of Carcassonne leave an indelible impression. In Europe, it’s not too hard to find a well preserved medieval town centre or a castle that has stood for hundreds of years, but to find a medieval city that has made it to the 21st century almost entirely intact is special. No wonder that Carcassonne is often described as being out of a fairytale.
Sadly, it’s only a fairytale city if you don’t venture through the medieval gates into its narrow streets. It feels more like a dystopian Disney theme park than a real place where real history unfolded. Any shops that aren’t selling fake medieval paraphernalia are churning our waffles and ice cream on an industrial scale. It was August and we knew it would be busy, but the scale of tourism that met us was, to paraphrase Spinal Tap, at 11.
The streets were absolutely rammed with people. Walking through the town reminded me more of the crush you get leaving a football game than exploring one of the most extraordinary historical sights in Europe. It is tragic. We walked through the town in the afternoon and decided there was no reason to go back. I visited early one morning before things were open, but we spent our time in the calmer ‘new’ town.
I can’t imagine what it must be like to live in the Cité de Carcassonne, as the medieval town is known. Maybe no one actually does live there. It didn’t help that we had arrived after a day exploring the otherworldly delights of Cathar Castles, perched on top of steep hills in the middle of a national park. Even then, the jarring contrast of Carcassonne was brutal.
It was fortunate that we had decided to stay outside the Cité close to the ancient Pont Vieux. It was more pleasant and came with a fraction of the tourists, and our street had a decent collection of bars and restaurants. We could see the walls, but didn’t have to go back inside them. Carcassonne’s unique and violent history is to thank for the fact that its walls weren’t knocked down for urban expansion once they stopped being of any military value.
That history is tied to the Cathar religious movement and the desire of the Languedoc nobility to remain free of the control of the French monarchy. A Cathar stronghold, the town was captured by French troops in 1209, in the early part of the Albigensian Crusade launched by Pope Innocent III to crush what the Catholic Church viewed as the Cathari heresy. In 1240 the people of Carcassonne tried and failed to recapture their city.
In reprisal, King Louis IX of France expelled them from the Cité but allowed them to build on the low lying land next to the River Aude, what is now known as the Ville Basse. This has bequeathed Carcassonne an Old Town and a Very Old Town. We ended up spending most of our time in the attractive and much quieter Ville Basse. It had the advantage of good restaurants and a couple of decent museums.
The Ville Basse centres around Place Carnot, a large square with a fountain of Neptune in the middle. It’s ringed by restaurants, but leave the square in any direction and you’ll soon be exploring quiet streets and smaller squares. There are several medieval churches that are worth visiting, including the 13th century Église Saint-Vincent and the Cathedral of Saint Michael.
It may lack the wow factor of the Cité, but the Ville Basse tries hard to compensate. We loved the colourful streamers hanging over the clean streets. There are boat trips on the Canal du Midi, which passes around the western and northern edges of the Ville Basse. It was between the Ville Basse and the Cité that I ate the finest Cassoulet of the trip. Truly gut busting and totally inappropriate in heat of 36C, but delicious.
Wow that is a stunning Castle, I would love to visit someday, although maybe in off-season for tourists as it sounds like chaos trying to get around! Thanks for sharing 😊
Definitely the off season would be my choice next time. An amazing place nonetheless though.
It seems to be even worse than it was back in the 1990s. I’m glad the Basse Ville is a pleasant alternative. Like you I would probably have had to have the cassoulet though I do agree that it’s not food for hot weather. It’s just that it’s irresistable!
It should have been a salad, but the cassoulet was so good – especially washed down with a local dry white wine.
There is also a decent fine art museum in the Base Ville. I agree with you, visiting Carcassonne in high season is disappointing due to the number of visitors and the level of consumerism. You have to find quieter periods to fully enjoy the beautiful architecture (rebuilt in the 19th century) and imagine medieval life in the Ville Haute. Last time I went there in April, the late winter wind was punishing though.
The city is on a very exposed hill, so I can imagine a cold wind would be unpleasant! I would definitely not go back when school holidays are happening. The Ville Basse was very enjoyable though.
I visited Carcassonne about 12 years ago and, as a history geek, had been so excited before my visit, but was really disappointed by how touristy and cheesy it was. I didn’t like it at all. It’s interesting to read you weren’t overawed by it either. Your photos, though, are lovely!
I couldn’t agree more. We had high expectations and Carcassonne ended up being a real disappointment. We enjoyed Beziers and Albi much more.