Medieval city

The Medieval City

With more than two million visitors a year, the Medieval City of Carcassonne is one of the most visited sites in France, and the heart of the audio-guided tour. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997, it is one of the best-preserved fortified ensembles in the world.

Two thousand years of history

The hill has been inhabited since the Neolithic, but the first ramparts date from the Gallo-Roman period; two towers and sections of wall still bear witness to it. At the fall of the Roman Empire, the Visigoths seized the town in 460, followed by other occupants, until Pepin the Short, king of the Franks, retook it in 759. Then came the feudal era, marked by the powerful counts of Carcassonne and then the Trencavel family, to whom the cathedral and the count's castle are owed. Three kilometres of ramparts surround the whole.

What there is to see

The double curtain wall, its fifty-two towers and its wall-walk form an exceptional ensemble, saved from demolition in the 19th century and then restored by Viollet-le-Duc. Through it you walk along cobbled lanes, the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire, the count's castle and viewpoints over the Aude. The preservation of the whole, blending Gallo-Roman, Visigothic and medieval remains, makes it an open-air history book.

Practical information

Access to the City and its lanes is free of charge. The visit of the count's castle and the wall-walk of the ramparts is, however, subject to a fee, with hours that vary by season. The site is very busy: it is advisable to come early in the morning or at the end of the day to enjoy the place more calmly.

Since when has the City been a UNESCO site ?

The Medieval City of Carcassonne has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1997.

Do you have to pay to enter the City ?

No, entry to the City and walking its lanes are free; only the count's castle and the ramparts require an entrance fee.