Carcassonne – City in a Castle!

Ever been to city which is a castle? La Cite in Carcassonne is just that! The castle sits on a hill and standing on the castle ramparts gives you a great view of the Lower City at the foot of the hill. La Cite may not be as big as you imagined but it has much to see.

After a tour of the ramparts there are museums, one of which is devoted to Carcassonne’s history. You must visit the Basilica of Saint Nazaire. It has the most beautiful stained glass and carvings both inside and out.

In Carcassonne, walk along cobbled streets and take a leisurely look at the shops selling medieval wares. You really must try the local peasant stew cassoullet at one of the many cafes, it’s delicious. Carcassonne has thousands of visitors each year as it is such an interesting place to visit.

Make time to go to Les Aigles de La Cite (The eagles of La Cite). There you can see the largest collection of birds of prey in Europe perhaps in the world. The birds have been trained by falconers just as they were in medieval times. It’s fascinating to watch them flying then return to the falconers hand when they are called back.

Carcassonne is in the Languedoc wine country so obviously there will be fantastic vineyards to visit. Try to visit the nearby Rennes le Chateau south of Carcassonne the history and mystery of which became the inspiration for “The Da Vinci Code”.