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LA VERSION COMPLETE DE VOTRE GUIDE
BEST OF AUDE 2016
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PUBLISHING
Collection Directors and Authors: Dominique AUZIAS
et Jean-Paul LABOURDETTE
With the cooperation of: Yan EVEN
Authors: Fabienne CALVAYRAC, Marine GASC, Yan EVEN,
Lise ALVAREZ,Laurie ACCO, Amélie ROUJOU,
Sarah MASFERRER, Marie-Pierre CREON, Sandrine DECROIX,
Roseline TARBOURIECH, Paul FINCH, Bernard LAVILLE,
Pascale MARIOT, Sylvie FRANCISCO, Jean-Paul LABOURDETTE,
Dominique AUZIAS et alter
Publishing Director: Stéphan SZEREMETA
Publishing Team: François TOURNIE, Maurane CHEVALIER,
Silvia FOLIGNO, Bénédicte PETIT, Patrick MARINGE,
Caroline MICHELOT, Morgane VESLIN, Pierre-Yves SOUCHET,
Talatah FAVREAU, Hector BARON
STUDIO
Studio Manager: Sophie LECHERTIER
assistée de Romain AUDREN
Layout: Julie BORDES, Élodie CLAVIER, Sandrine MECKING,
Delphine PAGANO, Laurie PILLOIS
Pictures Management and Mapping: Audrey LALOY
WEB
Web Director: Louis GENEAU de LAMARLIERE
Technical Director: Lionel CAZAUMAYOU
Web Management and Development: Jean-Marc REYMUND,
Cédric MAILLOUX, Florian FAZER et Anthony GUYOT
Community Manager: Cyprien de CANSON
PUBLICITY TEAM
Local Publicity Manager: Caroline CHOLLET
Local Publicity Responsible: Michel GRANSEIGNE
Customer Relationship Management: Vimla MEETTOO
et Sandra RUFFIEUX
NATIONAL PUBLICITY TEAM
Advertising Managers: Caroline AUBRY, François BRIANCON-
MARJOLLET, Perrine DE CARNE MARCEIN, Caroline GENTELET,
Florian MEYBERGER, Caroline PREAU
INTERNATIONAL PUBLICITY TEAM
Advertising Managers: Jean-Marc FARAGUET,
Guillaume LABOUREUR assistés d’Elisa MORLAND
CIRCULATION AND PROMOTION
Sales Promotion Director: Bénédicte MOULET
assistée d’Aissatou DIOP, Alicia FILANKEMBO
Sales Manager: Jean-Pierre GHEZ
assisté de Nathalie GONCALVES
Press-Sponsors Partnership Management:
Jean-Mary MARCHAL
ADMINISTRATION
Welcome
TO AUDE
Aude can be compared to a little France with
countless attractions that offer a range of landscapes and pleasures to all. Aude is a region of
enchanting lands: Carcassonne, Lauragais,
Montagne Noire, Cabardès, Minervois,
Narbonne, Côte, Corbières, Limoux, Quercorb,
the Aude Pyrenees ... Our aim is to make you
enjoy the best of this department: its rich
gastronomy, its remarkable historical sites,
its southern identity and its Mediterranean
character. The Petit Futé team did not stop
moving along its roads and trails from east
to west and from north to south to find the
best places for you. Of course, this list is not
complete, that is why we also rely on you, so
that through your comments, your lines left
on www.petitfute.com or suggestions sent
via the free application for Smartphones Petit
Futé Reporter, we can share your emotions
and discoveries.
Now it’s time to welcome you to Aude and
to wish you a wonderful stay in the region.
Hoping that this travel guide will help you all
along your trip!
Chairman: Jean-Paul LABOURDETTE
Financial Director: Gérard BRODIN
Human Resources Director: Dina BOURDEAU assistée de
Sandra MORAIS et Vianney LAVERNE
Information Technology Manager: Pascal LE GOFF
Accounting: Valérie DECOTTIGNIES
assistée de Jeannine DEMIRDJIAN, Oumy DIOUF,
Christelle MANEBARD et de Adrien PRIGENT
Collection: Fabien BONNAN assisté de Sandra BRIJLALL
Switchboard: Jehanne AOUMEUR
PRINT IN FRANCE
PETIT FUTE BEST OF AUDE
Petit Futé a été fondé par Dominique AUZIAS.
Il est édité par Les Nouvelles Editions de l’Université
18, rue des Volontaires - 75015 Paris.
& 01 53 69 70 00 - Fax 01 42 73 15 24
Internet : www.petitfute.com
SAS au capital de 1 000 000 E - RC PARIS B 309 769 966
Couverture : Quertinheux and Surdespine towers at
Lastours in France © Pablo Debat - Shutterstock.com
Impression : IMPRIMERIE CHIRAT 42540 Saint-Just-la-Pendue
Dépôt légal : 10/07/2016
ISBN : 9782746998032
Pour nous contacter par email, indiquez le nom de famille
en minuscule suivi de @petitfute.com
Pour le courrier des lecteurs : [email protected]
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Hotel
Restaurant
Ice-cream maker
Beach club
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CONTENTS
ch & di
55, av. du Front de Mer - 11370 Leucate-Plage - Tel. +33 (0)4 68 40 72 72 - www.coterevee.com

KNOWING MORE
ABOUT AUDE
Not to be missed ...................................... 10
The Abbey of Fontfroide ................... 10
The Archbishops’ Palace
of Narbonne ........................................ 10
The Chasm of l’Œil Doux .................. 11
Canal du Midi ...................................... 12
The Cathar Castles ....................12
Nature...................................................... 18
Geography ........................................... 18
Fauna & Flora ...................................... 18
Parks & Nature Reserves ................... 19
History.................................................... 20
Prehistory ............................................. 20
Antiquity............................................... 20
Middle Ages ......................................... 20
From the Revolution
to the 21st Century ............................ 20
Cruises on the Canal du Midi without permits
Electrical boat rental
from €25 (hour or half a day)
Bike and electric
bike rental
Rental of houseboats
from €250 (at daytime)
Port de Bram - BP 25 - 11150 Bram
Tél. +33 (0)4 68 76 73 34
www.castelnautique.com • [email protected]
Heritage & Traditions ............................... 21
Gastronomy ............................................ 22
Local Produce ...................................... 22
Concept • Store
Alcohol & Spirits.................................. 23
Sports & Leisure ..................................... 26
DECO
Outdoor Activities .............................. 26
Adrenaline Sprots............................... 26

FROM SITE TO SITE
The Region of Carcassonne ..................... 28
Carcassonne ...........................................28
Caunes-Minervois ................................72
Lastours ...................................................78
Montolieu ...............................................80
MODE
Chevignon, Jott, Happy Socks...
The Region of Narbonne .......................... 86
Bages .........................................................86
Gruissan ...................................................88
Fitou ..........................................................94
Leucate ....................................................97
Narbonne ............................................. 106
Port-la-Nouvelle ................................. 134
Saint-Pierre-la-Mer............................. 140
The Region of Corbières-Minervois ........142
Bize-Minervois..................................... 142
FOODING
Durban-Corbières .............................. 147
Lagrasse ................................................ 150
Lezignan-Corbières ........................... 154
The Region of Lauragais ..........................161
Castelnaudary .................................... 161
Fanjeaux ............................................... 166
High Valley of Aude ................................ 169
Chalabre ............................................... 169
Limoux .................................................. 170
Puivert ................................................... 175
Quillan .................................................... 176
Index ...................................................... 185
6, rue Victor Hugo
11000 CarCaSSonne
Tel. +33 (0)4 68 77 98 67
To discover
Le Défi
Bateau
Live the experience of a Meal-cruise on the Canal du Midi !
Have lunch with passage of lock and Have dinner
Le Dé
Boat-restaurant
Port de Carcassonne
Restaurant
La Péniche
At the heart of the Minervois
Along the Canal du Midi
19 Quai des Tonneliers
11200 HOMPS
Tél. +33 (0)4 68 91 24 34
www.restaurantlapeniche.fr
CE 1942
SIN
Visit the Olive world
LODYSSÉE DE LOLIVIER
A unique visit in France
Oil mill and Local Olives Shop or regional products
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
ALL YEAR LONG
L’Oulibo à Bize-Minervois
www.loulibo.com
Tel. +33 (0)4 68 41 88 84
Mamazet
D103
Saint-Papoul
St-Martin-Lalande
D7
N113
1
Villepinte
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Quérigut
Font-Romeu
SPAIN
0
10 KM
Avec l'aimable autorisation du
comité départemental du tourisme
Reproduction Interdite
Janvier 2011
Clermont
sur-Lauqu
18
D12
Antugnac
Espéraza
6
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LONDON
AMSTERDAM
BERLIN
Pyrénées
Orientales
National
Heritage Site
World
Heritage Site
Train
Chef lieu of canton
PARIS
ZÜRICH
Commune Tourist Attraction
Seaside Resort
Highway
AUDE
Main Road
CACASSONNE
BARCELONNE
ROME
Secondary Road
(1st and 2d category)
Secondary Road
(3st category)
Cathar Path
D
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Abbey de Fontfroide.
© Henri GAUD
Knowing
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About
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NOT TO BE MISSED
The region of Aude is marked by its history, traditions and
legends: Greeks, Iberians, Volques, Romans, Visigoths,
Saracens, Francs... Each of them marked the region. The
Cathar religion left its mark on the destiny of this land
of contrasts, passion and pain. Remains, villages, cities,
ecclesiastical buildings, landscapes, fortifications, famous
characters etc. are evidences of the Occitan medieval
past. It used to be a place of passage, it is today a rich
area, full of undiscovered treasures.
The Abbey of Fontfroide

ABBAYE DE FONTFROIDE
Chemin de Fontfroide
D613
NARBONNE
& 04 68 45 11 08
www.fontfroide.com
[email protected]
oOpen all year. Closed on December 25th and on January 1st.
From 10 am to 12 noon and from 2 pm to 4 pm. Free for
under 6-year-olds. Adult: E9.75 (16 to 25 years: E6.50).
Children (from 6 to 15 years old): E3.50. Group (20 people):
E7.50. Ticket combined with the gardens (terrace in gardens
open from May to September): adult, E13; – of 25 years:
E10; 6-15 years: E6. Possibility of ticket combined with
the museum. All the rooms are accessible to the disabled
people except the dormitory of lay from the upstairs. Guided
tour (every hour, by booking for groups).
Along the Dominitian way, surrounded by the hills overlooking it on over 200 m, the Abbey of Fontfroide, incredibly
preserved, stands in all its splendour! Built in 1093, this
Cistercian masterpiece is one of the biggest in France. Today
you can visit the refectory, the monks’ dormitory houses,
the twelfth and thirteenth century cloister, the Louis XIV’s
courtyard, the abbey church and the chapter house... The
abbey was subjected to a public sale in 1908. Gustave
Fayet and his wife Madeleine d’Andoque de Sériège, not
hesitating to overbid, bought back Fontfroide to save the
abbey from an American ownership. This year, the colourful
stained glass windows and paintings created by Richard
Burgsthal are highlighted, particularly for winter visits.
Like most of his works, these glasses illustrate myths and
legends of different origins. As soon as the weather allows
it, the garden, with 2,000 roses scents and its Orchids
exhibition is open to visitors. Its musical events are truly
enchanting: Gregorian chants, classical musical concerts...
Much emphasis was also laid on the entirely renovated
17th-century Italian terraced gardens.
The Archbishops Palace
of Narbonne
© Honza1

PALAIS DES ARCHEVÊQUES
Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville
NARBONNE
& 04 68 65 15 60
[email protected]
Open from 8 am to 7: 30 pm. Sundays and public holidays
from 10 am to 6 pm, from the 1st/06 to the 30th/09. Guided
tours at 3 pm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from the
09th/07 to the 31st/08 and Tuesday and Wednesday from
the 2nd to the 6th/07 and from the 3rd to the 14th/09.
Closed the 1st/01, 1st/05, 1st/11, 11th/11, 25th/12. Free.
New from the 19th/07 to the 30th/08, dramatized visit
on the history of the palace. Guided tour (an audio-guide
on rent at the palace shop or at the Tourist Office). Shop.
The archbishop’s palace is a popular place in Narbonne,
since the town hall was installed here in 1842. The former
palace (12th and 13th centuries) is found on both sides
of the Anchor passage, in a charming cobbled street, and
the New palace (14th century, modified in the 17th and
18th centuries) is found here as well. It was formerly a
modest ecclesiastical residence, but this archbishopric
built in a roman, Gothic, classic and neo-gothic style is
an architectural legacy today. The palace frontage has
three towers: Madeleine, the oldest, Saint-Martial’s tower
and Gilles-Aycelin’s keep. The archbishop proclaimed his
military strength at the end of the 13th century from the
top of the 40 m keep. Its summit offers a panoramic view
Gardens of Fontfroide Abbey.
11
Record Sheet
over the town and it overlooks the remains of the Via
Domitia and the cathedral Saint-Just-Saint-Pasteur. Two
main museums occupy the town hall: the archaeological
museum in the palace Vieux and the museum of Art and
History in the new palace, where the old apartments
of the archbishop were set. The palace stands beside
the first perimeter of Narbonne walls, beyond which
the garden of the archbishop’s Palace is widespread.
Fountain, French sculpted box trees, sundial, and stele
of Paul Tournal, founder of the archaeological and literary
Commission... A break in the shade of provided by the
monuments is a must. At the end of the Anchor passage,
a door leads to the 14th century cloister where you can
admire picturesque sculpted gargoyles.
The Chasm Of Lil Doux

LE GOUFFRE DE L’ŒIL DOUX
FLEURY
& 04 68 46 61 31
www.communefleury.fr
In the heart of Massif de la Clape, the impressive chasm
of l’Œil Doux is located in a green setting that offers a
surprising show. The view from above is exceptional: you
can see the Domaine de l’Oustalet, the sea, the clape
and the pond of Pissevaches. This natural curiosity was
born out of the collapse of a huge vault. It is made of
limestone cliffs overlooking an emerald green stretch
of water which is brackish and still. Perfectly circular,
this water point remains an enigma for geologists. The
water comes from the draining of underground rivers of
La Clape. There is a siphon in its centre. Nearly 220 bird
species, some of which are very rare, make this site one
of the best ornithological sites in the department. The
pit is indicated on the road between Fleury and SaintPierre-la-Mer, the access to the car park is marked out
and sinuous in order to preserve the local flora and the
beauty of nature. It is possible to have a picnic under the
pines and oak trees. Hiking shoes are not necessary, but
we recommend walking shoes. It is important to remain
vigilant and follow the safety instructions well. Don’t
near the edge, don’t jump, don’t bathe, and open up
your eyes to enjoy this spectacular site!
The Giant Chasm Of Cabrespine

GOUFFRE GÉANT DE CABRESPINE
D112
CABRESPINE
& 04 68 26 14 22
www.gouffre-de-cabrespine.com
[email protected]
onl
Closed starting from December 11th until the 1st day
of winter holidays. February, March, November and
December from 2 pm to 5: 30 pm; from April to June and
from September to October from 10 am to 12 pm and from
2 pm to 5: 30 pm (last departure); July and August from
10 am to 6 pm (last departure). Free for under 4-years-old.
Adult: E9.90. Child (from 5 to 12 years old): E6.20. Group
(15 people): E7.60 (open all year to groups by reservation
except the 25/12 and the 01/01). Checks are not accepted.
Guided tour. Catering facilities (snack bar). Shop. Parking;
shaded terrace; camper van site.
This is the largest pit cave in Europe arranged and
renowned throughout the world for its mineral wealth.
You can find discs, eccentric, aragonites, draperies,
columns, or waterfalls. «Giant» is not an overused term
here since with its depths of 250 meters and a volume of
more than 1 500 000 m³, the pit could contain the Eiffel
Tower or even Notre-Dame de Paris. The site applied to
be ranked under UNESCO World Heritage a few years
ago. Thanks to constructions in balcony, the first-floor
hall is completely flat and accessible to the general public
(parents with pushchairs and people in wheelchairs).
In addition, in 2015, a glass platform of 7 metres in
diameter has been set at 200m over the empty space,
and makes it possible to discover spaces of the pit cave
which were inaccessible to the public until then. The
more adventurous can still venture into the galleries for
underground safaris lead by professionals for a duration of
5 hours. Think about wearing suitable sports clothing. No
sports skills are required but it is still quite physical. You
will go to the bed of the Clamoux, the underground river
which dug the pit cave over time, and cross a splendid
blue marble canyon; you will be able to read signposts
during the whole visit.
KNOWING MORE ABOUT AUDE
wDepartment number: 11.
wPopulation: 358,293 inhabitants.
wDensity: 58.4 inhab/km².
wSize: 6,139 km².
wPrefecture - sub prefecture: Carcassonne – Narbonne.
wNumber of municipalities: 438, including 22 urban cities.
wRegion of membership: Languedoc-Roussillon.
wHighest point: The peak of Madre (2 469 m).
wMain waterway: Aude (183 km within the department).
12
Canal Du Midi

CANAL DU MIDI
www.sudouest.vnf.fr
Guided tour. Cruises with accompanying notes in several
languages are proposed on Canal du Midi.
Designed by the engineer Pierre-Paul Riquet (1609-1680)
and motivated by the trade of wheat, Canal du Midi was
manually shaped. It entered the era of industrial revolution by allowing to connect the Atlantic Ocean to the
Mediterranean Sea via Garonne thanks to its 240 km. Its
course starts in Toulouse and ends in Marseillan (the other
part that connects Atlantic starts in Toulouse and ends
in Castets-en-Dorthe (Canal de Garonne). It was created
between 1667 and 1694 and two thousand workmen were
involved from January 1667. This number was increased
to twelve thousand, of which six hundred are women to
compensate for the lack of men. The construction work
was divided into three construction sites: the first one from
Toulouse to Trèbes (East of Carcassonne) which includes
the basins and the systems of water supply, the second
one from the South of Trebes to the Thau pond, and the
third one, dedicated to the construction of the port of
Sète. To respond to the problem of levelling all along
the course, more than 60 sluices had to be built. Riquet
was perfectly aware of contributing to the creation of a
symbol of the power of France in the 17th century, while
giving the country a functional transportation route. He
therefore paid particularly attention to the quality of
the architecture of the canal so that it deserves well this
function. The bridges, the sluices and the other structures
that made it up, as well as the entrances to the tunnel were
therefore carefully designed with aesthetic and combined
to the technical constraints, on the whole it consists of
no less than 328 engineering works and 63 sluices. He
was also very conscious of the impact of his work on the
landscape and took great care to make sure that it was
suitably bordered by trees and vegetation in harmony with
the landscapes. Since 1996, it was rightly listed as a World
Heritage of the Unesco. With a width of 10 to 20 metres
and a depth of about 2 metres, the canal has its highest
point at the threshold of Naurouze, on the border of the
departments of Aude and Haute-Garonne in Lauragais. Its
history with Carcassonne has been rather complex because
since the completion of its first layout, the canal was just
about 2 km from the city. A link between the city and the
canal was created in 1686 by Vauban but the construction
of a new layout was ordered only a century later, in 1787.
It was completed in 1810 and it definitively established
the canal in its current configuration.

CANAL DE LA ROBINE
NARBONNE
The Canal de la Robine occupies the former bed of the river
Aude in ancient times. This 32 km waterway entry in the
heart of the town gives Narbonne its whole identity, as the
city is divided into two districts by La Robine: Bourg in the
south and Cité in the north. This canal, which is classified
as a UNESCO world heritage, links the Canal du Midi to the
Mediterranean and allows you to understand the town in
a different way: by going along its landscaped banks on
foot, by bicycle, or on board small electric boats that you
rent. A beautiful walk, from the island of Moulin-du-Gua,
via the theatre to the island of Sainte-Lucie. You can get
from one bank to the other by many footbridges. Pont
des Marchands is the equivalent of «Ponte Vecchio» in
Italy: it is a pedestrian bridge lined with shops, linking
two neighbourhoods of the town. However, only an arch
is still visible, the six others are buried in the basements of
houses. The canal is made even more pleasant by green
spaces and quays fitted out with all the equipment needed
by boaters. Each moment is a pleasure.
The Cathar Castles

CHÂTEAU D’ARQUES
ARQUES
& 04 68 69 84 77
www.chateau-arques.fr
[email protected]
Closed from November 15th to February 28th. Low season:
open every day from 10am to 1pm and from 2pm to 6pm.
High season: every day from 10am to 7pm. Until 5pm in
March, October and November. Adult: E5. Child (6-15 years
old): E2. Group (10 people): E3.50. The tickets give
access to the museum and the castle. Guided tour. Shop.
Mentioned for the first time in written works during the
11th century, Arques is qualified as villa, i.e. village, in the
form of Villa de Archas. However, the current village has
retained a stately tower that is now the bell tower of the
church. Arch was not an important stronghold when the
Crusade against the Albigensian started in 1209. It seems
that Simon de Montfort took possession of the village after
the fall of the château de Termes during summer 1210.
In 1260, Arques is sold to Pierre de Voisins, former fellow
soldier of Simon de Montfort. His descendants decided
to settle there, near the village, at the end of the 13th
century. They built a stronghold around 1280, stately
residence, of which only the dungeon remains today.
Listed historical monument in 1887, the only feature
that survived now is the impressive 13th-century donjon,
built on the edge of the oak-beech forest of Rialsesse. It
is a masterpiece of Gothic art and military architecture
with a 11m width and 25m length . The four floors are
open to visitors, just like the two floors of the home tower
located at the South-West corner of the outer wall. Your
visit may end at the castle’s honey shop which is made up
of several gourmet attractions. You can also go through
the museum dedicated to «Catharism nowadays», located
in the house where Déodat Roché’s (1887-1978), one of
the first historians of catharism, was born.

CHÂTEAU DE QUÉRIBUS
1, rue Achille-Mir
CUCUGNAN
& 04 68 45 03 69
www.queribuscucugnan.fr
[email protected]
Low season: open every day from 10am to 5pm. High
season: every day from 9am to 8pm. Audiopass: E4 in
addition to the entrance ticket, 2nd offered. Adult: E5.50.
Child: E3. February: from 10am to 5.30pm. March: from
10am to 6pm. April-May-June-September: from 9.30am
to 7pm. Guided tour (for groups only).
© O Drachenko
13
Légende photos
© Bobdu11 - Fotolia
Castle of Quéribus.
© Yan EVEN
Canal du Midi.
Marie Therese-Traditional Barge.
14
Knight in the Cité de Carcassonne.
© Picture Catcher
– Fotolia
Légende
photos
© CREDIT PHOTO
The Medieval City of Carcassonne
Declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1997, the Cité de
Carcassonne, enclosed in its powerful walls, is known
beyond our borders. At the foot of the Montagne
Noire, at the crossroads between the Pyrenees and
the Massif Central, «the city with fifty-two towers»,
with its 2600 years history and 1000 years of military
architecture, has become a major curiosity in the
region that you will not be able to forget.
A little bit of history...
w
From the 6th century before our era: Men
settled on this 50-meters promontory above the
Aude, a prime location in a region where water is
often lacking. In the third Century BC, the Volques
Tectosages, Gallic of Celtic origin (Latin etymology:
those seeking a roof) settle on the oppidum of Carcaso.
w
At the end of the 2nd century BC: The city of
Carcassonne, which retained this name, was integrated
into the Roman colony of Narbonne, founded in 118 BC.
w
In the 3rd century: Under the threat of the
barbarian invasions, the Romans had built the first
remparts.
w
In the 5th century: The Wisigoths settled and
reinforced the murailles.
w
In the 8th century: In 725, the Saracen settled
there until 759, before being expelled by Pepin le Bref.
The city became a town under the comtale authority
until the 11th century.
w
From the 11th century to the beginning of
the 13th century: Heritage in heritage, Bernard
Aton Trencavel became the viscount of Béziers and
Carcassonne. From 1074 to 1209, the Trencavel dynasty
constituted a major stage of the city in the Middle
Ages. It began with Bernard Aton Trencavel and ended
with Raymond-Roger Trencavel. During this period,
the city became prettier and enjoyed an exceptional
standing while staying as a high commercial zone.
Its wall belt was reinforced with the defensive
architectural elements known at that time (posterns,
weepholes, inaccessible watchtowers, hourds and
machicolations...), while at the end of the twelfth
century, the catharism implanted itself on occitane
grounds. Around 1130, the construction of the comtal
castle, which was a fortress in the forteress.
w
From the 13th century to the 14th century: In
1209, after the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathar
heresy, the kings of France annexed Carcassonne.
The Catalan border was near, Louis IX and Philip le
Hardi consolidated the internal wall and erected a
1672-meters long outer wall. Then, the fortress looked
almost like the same as that which we can contemplate
today. As for the Lower Town, it developed in its turn
into a checkerboard building, typical of this time,
and had grown very well thanks to a thriving textile
industry.
w
From the 17th century to 1840: The Treaty of
the Pyrenees, signed in 1659, which connected the
Roussillon to France, made the city lose its strategic
importance; the walls were no longer taken care of.
The city became an arsenal, and then a weapons
and food warehouse until the Revolution of 1789.
Napoleon brought the coup de grâce in his empire by
downgrading the fortress. The forgotten city fell apart
slowly.
w
In the 19th century: In 1840, Prosper Mérimée
handed to the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc the
restoration of the city. In front of the splendid ruins
still in the shadow of the ramparts of Carcassonne, he
exclaimed: «I did not know that there was anywhere
in Europe such a complete and formidable defensive
construction in the 5th, 12th and 13th centuries».
Today, more than ever, a stroll through the narrow
streets of the city of Carcassonne was enough to get
back into the bowels of the medieval past, proudly
presented and brought out by the inhabitants, artisans
and storekeepers that would not leave their ciutat for
nothing in the world.
w
A nice legend: A story tells the Charlemagne’s
army was at the gates of the City facing the Saracens.
A princess was at the head of the Knights of the City
after the death of her husband. This princess is Carcas.
The reign lasted five years. But at the beginning of the
sixth year, food and water were becoming increasingly
scarce. Dame Carcas wanted to make a list of the
remaining stock. The villagers brought forward a pig
and a bag of wheat. She had the idea to feed the pig
with the bags of wheat and she took this to the
highest tower of the City at the foot of exterior walls.
Charlemagne and his men, believing that the city still
overflowed with food to the point of wasting a pig fed
with wheat, raised the siege. Seeing Charlemagne’s
army leave the plain in front of the City, Dame Carcas,
elated by the victory of her stratagem, decided to ring
all the bells of the city. One of the men of Charlemagne
then exclaimed: «Carcass sonne! «, hence the name
of the city. It is also said that Walt Disney would have
been inspired by the city of Carcassonne to draw the
castle of the Sleeping Beauty.

LA CITÉ MÉDIÉVALE
DE CARCASSONNE
CARCASSONNE
& 04 68 11 75 87 / 04 68 10 24 37
Open all year. Free tour. Guided tours with departure from
the Comtal castle: strolling routes on ramparts, departures
from 10: 15 am, every day. Lecture visits are also proposed.
Visible from a distance and especially from A61, the Cité
Médiévale looks like an anachronism in the landscape,
placed in this Mediterranean environment. It is true
that it is impressive with its 52 towers, mostly headed
with slates, and its 3 km of ramparts. A picture coming
out of a storybook! Petit Futé can only urge you to stop
in this historical site, because what you see from afar is
nothing compared to what you find here... A trip back
in time which will open the door of medieval art in its
entire splendour to you!
15
16
Overlooking the Corbières, the majestic citadel of Quéribus
is one of the major castles of the northern border of
the Kingdom of Aragon. Chabert de Barbaira, Royalist
party of the king of Aragon, occupies the fortified site
of Quéribus in 1239, where he houses the fleeing Cathar
heretics after the fall of Montségur. Quéribus will be the
last bastion to fall into the hands of crusaders in 1255.
After a 16-year reign, Chabert de Barbaira, negotiating
his freedom, left Quéribus to royal engineers and soldiers
and turned back to the king of Aragon. Becoming a royal
fortress, Quéribus watches over the border between the
kingdoms of France and Aragon. Thus Saint Louis becomes
Master of Corbières. The castle lost its strategic interest in
1659, under the reign of Louis XIV, with the treaty of the
Pyrenees which set a new border between France and
Spain. A very beautiful visit: an arranged trail leads to
the castle after a good 10-minutes walk, the explanatory
panels explain what you see during the tour, the keep has
a breathtaking view, and the elements related to daily
life (cistern, main building, site of the chimneys...) have
been preserved remarkably well.

CHÂTEAU DE PEYREPERTUSE
Route départementale 14
DUILHAC-SOUS-PEYREPERTUSE
& 04 68 45 40 55
www.chateau-peyrepertuse.com
[email protected]
Open all year round. Closed 3 weeks in January after school
holidays – Visit can not be done in high wind conditions.
High season: every day and public holidays from 9am to
8pm. In January, November and December from 10am
to 4.30pm; in February from 10am to 5pm; in April from
9.30am to 7pm; in May, June and September from 9am
to 7pm; in March and October from 10am to 6pm. Plan
about 20 mn walk and 90 mn of visit. Free for children under
5 years old (impossible access with a pushchair). Adult:
E8.50 (from July 1st to August 31st; from September 1st
to June 30th: E6.50). Child (6-15 years old): E3. Group
(20 people): E6. Impossible access to disabled people.
Guided tour (audioguide: E4).
Peyrepertuse, which means pierced stone, is the name
of the rock upon which the fortress stands. Suspended
at 800 above empty space–hence the stunning view of
Corbières and Fenouillèdes until the sea–with its 1.2 km
of ramparts, it is the largest of the «fils de Carcassonne».
The first mentions of this castle date back to 1070. The
fortress suffered a bit from the crusade against the
Albigensians and did not experience any big battle. The
citadel of this castle consists of three parts that stack
three buildings of the 11th and the 13th centuries: the
low triangular wall is protected in the North by a wall
of 120 m (the old keep and house), the median wall
encloses a collection of ruins, including those of a huge
polygonal building, and at the top, the Saint Jordi keep
that offers attractive medieval rooms with embrasures
oriented according to sunrise or summer solstice. You
can reach it via Saint-Louis staircase, built under Louis
IX in 1250. Peyrepertuse is the most completed and
the better-preserved example of medieval architecture
in Languedoc. On the heights, from a distance, it is
possible to see Château de Quéribus, another model
of Cathar architecture, but also to enjoy the view, the
quietness and the beauty of nature. Every day in July
and August, falconry shows are held within the castle.
Eagles, buzzards, falcons and owls fly over the old stones.
A pleasure for the eyes.

LES QUATRE
CHÂTEAUX DE LASTOURS
LASTOURS
& 04 68 77 56 02
www.chateauxdelastours.fr
[email protected]
From Carcassonne, follow Mazamet by D118,
then take Conques-sur-Orbiel by D101 until
Lastours.
Closed in January. February, March, October, November,
December (only weekends, and school holidays): from
10 am to 5 pm; April, May, June, September: from 10 am
to 6 pm; July and August: from 9 am to 8 pm. Free for
under 5-year-olds. Adult: E6. Child (from 6 to 15 years
old): E2. Group (15 people): E105 (package guided
tour; package guided tour of the view-point: E60 – by
reservation). Access alone to the view-point: E2; free
for under 15-year-olds. Access for the P.M.R only on the
view-point. Guided tour (only for groups of 15 people,
check the conditions). Cultural shop, children booklet,
area of picnics, telephone, toilets. Pets are accepted only
on a leash. Entertainment in July and August.
Perched at a height of 300 m on a ridge above the
Orbiel valley, in a steep landscape, each of them set on
a peak, these four castles overlook the stream of Orbiel
and the torrent of Grézilhou. From North to South: the
monumental Cabaret, Tour Régine–the most recent
one (13th century)–, Surdespine – the oldest one (12th
century)–, and Quertinheux. Cabaret, Surdespine and
Quertinheux existed before the crusade against the
Albigensians. Tour Régine was built later by the king of
France. Despite several attacks during the crusade against
the Albigensians, then those of the religious wars–end
of the 16th century (platform for protestants)–, their
majesty and beauty are still the same. For centuries, they
controlled the passage of ores from «Montagne Noire».
The access to this impressive architectural complex is
somewhat difficult; however, remember to take walking
shoes along! A stop at a distance, on the shaded belvedere,
allows you to admire an exceptional view of the castles.
Visitors are welcomed in an old textile factory where felt
and bed linens were manufactured. Restored, it is used
as an exhibition hall where part of the archaeological
furniture found during the excavations carried out on the
site is presented. A shop offers an interesting selection of
books on the Aude heritage and the crusade conducted
against the Cathars in the region. You will also find
books and games for children and works in various
languages there.

CHÂTEAU DE PUILAURENS
PUILAURENS
& 04 68 20 65 26
[email protected]
By D118 until Quillan, then by D117.
Closed from November to January. July and August:
9 am-8 pm; February, March (weekends and school
17

CHÂTEAU DE TERMES
2, Camin dal Caste
TERMES
& 04 68 70 09 20
www.chateau-termes.com
[email protected]
Closed from January to February. In March and November
from 10am to 5pm; in May, June, September and October
from 10am to 6pm; in July and August from 10am to
7.30pm. Free for children under 5 years old. Adult: E4. Child
(6-15 years old): E2. Group (10 people): E3. Students
and unemployed people: E3. Guided tour (for groups).
The castle stands on a rocky promontory in a majestic site
with a view of a wild relief. The noble family of Termes
appeared in writings in 1061. The headquarters of a
vast feudal district, Termenès underwent the siege of
Simon de Montfort in 1210 at the time of the Crusade
against the Albigensian, which is responsible for the
reputation of the place. Raymond de Termes, who was
locked up and died in the City of Carcassonne, was a
Cathar sympathiser and his brother Benoît de Termes
was designated as a Cathar bishop. As the fortress was
placed under the reign of France in 1228 and was used
to watch the borders with Aragon, it was rebuilt in the
13th century, and then destroyed in the 17th century by
order of the king. The low walls are the best preserved:
curtain walls have kept their beauty, thereby giving the
general outline of the castle, with its poterne opening
onto the gorges. The second surrounding wall contains
various elements found by archaeologists, the scattered
remains of the destroyed donjon, and most importantly,
the castrale chapel. As you go forward, you will discover
two Roman windows, one of which is cross-shaped.
Besides, this cross-shaped window is the emblematic
part of the castle. Since May 2015, it is possible to have
a guided tour with a smartphone by downloading the
application on App Store or Google play. The reception
of the castle is equipped with a Wifi point, the access is
free and unlimited.
© Irène ALASTRUEY – Author’s Image
holidays): 10 am-5 pm; April and from October 1st to
November 15th: 10 am-5 pm; May: 10 am-6 pm; June
and September: 10 am-7 pm. Adult: E4. Child (from
6-15 years old): E2. Group (10 people): E3. Shop.
Entertainments.
The fortress of Puilaurens, a real master piece of
medieval military architecture, towers at the doorsteps
of Fenouillèdes. It is perched on a rocky peak, at 697m
high; it dominates Lapradelle village and the Boulzane
valley. The first traces of the Puilaurens castle were
found in the middle of the 10th century, but the main
fortifications still visible today were built between the
12th and the 13th centuries. The castle lost its military
interest in 1659 after the signing of the Treaty of the
Pyrenees and was gradually abandoned. A rocky path
converted to a botanic path leads to the first walls of
the castle. Signs posted on the path, as well as the
cultural markers given at the reception will help you to
better understand this military architecture. In terms
of architecture, this castle is the best preserved citadel
in Aude. There is also a legend about it, the one of its
«Dame blanche»...
Aerial view of the castle of Peyrepertuse.

RUINES DU CHÂTEAU D’AGUILAR
TUCHAN
& 04 68 45 51 00
www.tuchan.fr
[email protected]
Closed from November 4th to March 31st. Open Monday
to Friday. From April 1st to June 15th: 10-18h; from
June 16th to September 30th: 9am-7pm; from October
1st to November 3rd: 11am-5pm. Adult: E3.50. Child
(10-15 years old): E1.50. Group (10 people): E1.50.
Reduced rate («passeport intersites»): E2.50. Credit
card not accepted.
Aguilar, means «eagle» in Latin. The Aguilar castle stands
in this beautiful Cathar Country, but it didn’t play any
military role during the Crusade against the Albigensian.
There are written traces attesting to its existence from
1020 under the name «Puig Agilar», it was then a property
of the count Fonollède. This castle, proudly overlooking
the plain of Tuchan from the top of its hill of 321 m,
helped monitoring access to Corbières. However, despite
its «height», it was designed like a castle of plain. In
second half of the 12th century, it passed to the hands
of the termes family. In the 13th century, in 1260, SaintLouis bought the castle from Olivier de Termes, and had
major works undertaken there, Aguilar became one of the
«Cinq Fils de Carcassonne» which protected the southern
border of the kingdom against Aragon. But due to its
rather easy access, it regularly underwent attacks and
from 1542, its degradation was reported. It definitively
lost its strategic interest after the signing of the Treaty of
the Pyrenees in 1659 and was completely abandoned. It
has been listed among Historical Monuments classified
since 1949 and fully deserves a detour.
NATURE
It is a land of contrasts with plains, hills, valleys, sea,
rivers and mountains...on over 6,310 km². In the centre
of the department is a vast plain; in the east, the plain
of Aude that ends with marshy and lagoon areas, its
«graus» linking with the sea; in the west, the Lauragais
furrow which contracts at the entrance of Naurouze into
a narrow passage.
In the south, the Aude Pyrenees occupies a large place
in the department; in the east, Corbieres; in the north,
after crossing Minervois, you will enter the Montagne
Noire which is a real water reservoir. It is the land of
Aude, criss-crossed by vineyards, intertwined by Canal
du Midi... France in miniature!
Geography
Climate
wAverage temperatures. 15 to 38 degrees in the
summer, and 3 to 15 degrees in the winter.
wSunshine. 300 days a year.
wRainfall. 130 days a year.
wWind. 300 days a year. Cers wind from the West or
sea wind from the East.
Coastline
wSea. The coast is bordered by the Mediterranean sea.
Aude is under the influence of the Mediterranean. These
«Clear Gulfs», dear to Charles Trenet, go from the Cap
Leucate and continue to the Sainte Lucie islands and to
the Gruissan beaches via La Palme. 1,200 animal species
and more than 500 plant varieties live in this marine park
of the Gulf Of Lions.
wCoasts. The Coast of Amethyst and Coast of Roses.
wBeaches. 50 miles of sandy beaches, six seaside
resorts integrated into their environment, often bordering
lagoon or pond.
wPorts. Port-la-Nouvelle is a commercial port, a
fishing port and a marina. It is the third French port in
the Mediterranean. Port-Leucate is one of the largest
European marina in the Mediterranean.
Fauna & Flora
Fauna
wThe Camargue myribull. It lives in herds in relative
freedom. Small and black, lyre-shaped horns, it is derived
Domaine Sainte-Marthe
We invite you to criss-cross the irrigation canals of the Sainte-Marte on board small electric boats. An
unexpected site where nature preserves fauna and flora typical marshes awaits you: egrets, herons,
moorhens, mallards, but also a host of small passerines: finches, nightingales, tits, warblers. And if you’re
lucky you can observe some raptors: hawks, falcons and even sparrowhawks.
www.domainesaintemarthe.com

DOMAINE SAINTE-MARTHE
Lieu-dit Sainte-Marthe
NARBONNE
& 06 82 90 19 76
[email protected]
Closed from November to March. Low season: open daily from 2pm to 6pm. High season: everyday and
public holidays from 9am to 8pm. 5-place boat: E15 for 30 minutes, E25 per hour. 7-place boat: E17 for
30 minutes, E30 per hour. Catering facilities.
After the roundabout at the exit of Narbonne-Est motorway, where the cradle of vine is materialised by a
huge amphora designed by Brigitte Privat, go towards the beaches, 800 m on your right, you will discover
the Domaine de Sainte-Marthe. An unexpected site where the nature preserves a fauna which is typical
of marsh lands: egrets, moorhens, mallards...
Go on board of the small eco-friendly electric boats, you will easily drive them. It is delightful to sail
these large irrigation canals, to discover their wild flora and fauna, to operate under the small stone
bridges and to ring the bell beneath the last bridge to announce your arrival! The small boats of
Domaine de Sainte-Marthe provide well-being, smile and wonder to all the members of families, kids
and grown-ups.
19
+33
82 90
1976
76
06 (0)6
82 90
19
from crossing with his Spanish fighting bull cousin, from
where it got its strength.
wThe Camargue horse. Small, stocky, a descendant
of local races, it adapts to wetlands with its wide hooves.
Brown at birth, the foals rapidly take the white colour
(specific to the breed). Docile, easy to train, it is effective
for the control of herd of bulls.
wBirds. Lagoons and ponds in communication with
the sea are exceptional sites in terms of biodiversity and
are favourable to birds from the highly migratory to
sedentary. Many species are present.Coot, nicknamed
the big moorhen, grey heron, little egret, mallard duck,
yellow-legged gull, gull, Bonelli’s eagle, the eagle
owl, the little tern ... Today, even the storks fly across
our sky. But the iconic bird is the flamingo! This great
traveller, who goes to Africa in winter, has lived in this
saline water for about twenty years, feeding on tiny
shrimp (Artemia).
wFish. The peculiarity of the ponds of Aude is the
lagoons that communicate with the sea through
the more or less active passages called the «graus»,
promoting fish migration. The most known are bream,
catfish and eel, not to mention the mule, permanent
inhabitant of the place. Beside Leucate oysters that
are bred in oyster beds, you can also find cranquettes
and clams in these ponds, as well as tellins and razor
shells on the sea side.
Flora
wTrees, bushes. Right at the top, the holm oak reigns
with its persistent foliage, followed by the aleppo pine,
the cypress and the olive tree... Then come shrubs with
evocative names such as terebinths, boxwood, junipers,
shrub oaks with prickly leaves. Clematis as well as
sarsaparillas blend into this vegetation. The originality
of our flora resides in the abundance of aromatic plants:
thyme, lavender, rosemary... As for the vineyard, it is
subject to the attacks of urbanisation.
wRare flowers and plants. Poppies which hide
our vineyards – their dried petals are used as a tea
due to their soothing properties -; the Narbonne flax,
ultimate witness to the textile industry of Narbonne; St.
John’s Wort herb nicknamed fairy’s herb – against the
evil of witches – and known today for its anti-depression virtues... The centaurea of Clape is rare because
its ecological requirements are very strict, since it is
subservient to limestone rocks of the mountain. The
species is endangered.
wUnderwater vegetation. In brackish water,
halophytes (that love salt) dominate, especially saladelle
and samphire, which are succulent plants with small
branches made up of segments that are articulated
like crab legs. When the water becomes softer, then
the reed can grow.
Parks
& Nature Reserves
wThe regional nature reserve of Narbonne in
the Mediterranean. It is a mixed territory streched
on 80,000 hectares, composed of maritime Corbières
and of a large lagoon complex. In France it is one of the
largest preserved natural sites: natural areas, mineral
universe, dunes, vineyard landscapes, towns and villages,
lakes, sea, swamp eel fishermen, scrubland, former land
resigned to pastoralism...
Ponds are recognized as a «wetland of international
importance». The park is established on 42 km from the
Mediterranean coastline and is composed of 2,000 vartieties of vegetation, 350 birds species, 9,200 ha of classified sites and nearly 300 hiking trails. Its mission is to
preserve, put in place, rehabilitate landscapes, promote
the quality of the built and urbanized areas, guarantee
the management of aquatic environments, protect the
heritage while contributing to the development of human
activities, coordinate cultural activities and develop a
sustainable and eco-friendly tourism, respectful toward
the inhabitants, their habitats and their cultural heritage.
In any season, the regional nature reserve of Narbonne
offers many tours to discover how to meet the Bonelli’s
eagle or eagle owl, or how does a saline work. You can
also follow the footsteps of Hannibal in Corbières, listen
to summer musicians... In family, in group or in couple,
for athletes, dreamers, artists, historians or naturalists
... everyone will find a reason to come!
Route des Plages - 800 m after the Narbonne East highway exit - 11100 Narbonne
HISTORY
Aude has got a strong identity! You will find traces of
its history through its heritage, singing troubadours, its
Languedoc art, its landscapes, its traditions, its business
activities, the langue d’oc... From the drapers to the
culture of woad, the grain polyculture and the vineyard
monoculture, be seduced by this
rich past.
Prehistory
The earliest inhabitants of Aude would have left traces
from 1,500,000 BC and Tautavel people, 450,000 years
before our time, would have lived throughout the region.
Monuments such as menhirs reflect a religious activity
between 6000 and 1800 years BC. It was in the Bronze
Age that an economic organization began to develop, with
the extraction of ore from Montagne Noire. Exchanges
extended towards Italy, Greece and Spain during the
Iron Age. At that time, the department belonged to
the confederation of Volques Tectosages, Celtic people
settled in the Garonne valley. A period of peace and
development followed.
Antiquity
wThe Roman Senate founded its first colony outside
Italy in 118 BC, in Narbonne. Chosen for its location on
the border of Aude, near the sea and at the crossroads
between two major thoroughfares, the city became the
capital of the province of Narbonne and experienced a
period of great prosperity thanks to its port, a trade
centre toward all the Roman West. Its decline begins in
the first half of the third century and intensifies during
the invasions in the year 275.
wCarcassonne became Latin in 30 BC, it has rich
cereal farms. Vineyards appear and wine is sold. But the
Roman Empire declines and the department suffers from
invasions from the year 250.
wThe region enjoys a long period without any major
conflicts: «La pax Romana».
Middle Ages
After the Visigoth invasion in 435, the region becomes
Septimania. The Arabs invaded the region in 716.
Carolingian conquered Narbonne and Carcassonne from
759 to 762: it is the Spanish March. The department of
Aude is divided into three counties in the ninth century:
Carcassonne, Razes and Narbonne. The county of Razes
joins that of Carcassonne in 880. The establishment of
an ecclesiastical power takes place at that period and the
Carolingian power disappears. Then comes a significant
period for the region: Catharism, which develops in Aude
in the twelfth century. With this religious concept, in
contrast with the Christian ethics of the Church of Rome,
Pope Innocent III is encouraged to launch a crusade
against the Albigensians. Aude is wreaked bloody havoc.
The city of Carcassonne becomes a refuge and falls in
1209. The Cathars are persecuted by the Inquisition in
1233, and the last bastions, Montsegur’s and Quéribus’
castles, fall in 1255. The last «parfait» cathar Guilhem
Bélibaste is burned alive in Villerouge-Termenès. After
a Protestant crisis, the end of the conflict with Spain
enables an economic boom.
From the Revolution
to the 21st Century
The department of Aude was born after the French
Revolution in 1790 on request of deputies of Carcassonne,
Limoux and Castelnaudary. Most of the popular
companies merged with the Jacobin Club. The Act
«28 Pluviôse an 8» creates four districts (reduced to
three by Poincaré in 1926) and thirty-one cantons.
In the early twentieth century, Aude suffered from an
overproduction of wine and the crisis turned into a revolt
of the winemakers in 1907. In 1909, many cooperative
wineries were born.
wThe Ice Road. Natural cavities, on the slopes of the
Nore peak were used to preserve snow for the warm
season. From the eighteenth century, freezer rooms
were built along the Canal du Midi. Today, we can see
some remains in Somail, in Ouveillan, in Cuxac-d’Aude
and in Vinassan. People dug freezer rooms in the shape
of circular pits at the edge of a ravine, a path or channel
to allow the evacuation of water font. By the sides, an
embankment filled the walls from the outside air. These
freezer rooms ensured the conservation of ice until
September or October. Men collected the snow from
the peak of the Nore and women loaded it on stretchers
that they transported to the freezer rooms in Pradelles.
Men received it and spread it on layers of twenty cm. The
freezer room was filled when the ice arrived at ground
level. For a proper conservation, men placed thick layers of
leaves that formed a mattress on the surface. In Pradelles
in 1887, there were ten ice makers, eighty workers (men
and women), a blacksmith and a wheelwright. For the
delivery, the hard snow was notched and poured into a
mould, where it was compressed. At its exit, the bale was
ready to be wrapped in burlap. Carters loaded the precious
commodity (25 to 30 bales of 50 kg). Two carts generally
started from Pradelles between midnight and one o’clock.
From spring to autumn, the ice makers guaranteed up
to five deliveries a week to their customers, primarily
hospitals, butchers, cafés, groceries ... The last ice maker
ceased his activity in 1925. The Ice Road descends from
the heights of Cabardès, through the vineyards of the
Minervois, continues along the banks of the Canal du
Midi, goes through the plain of Narbonne and La Clape,
to arrive at the shores of the Mediterranean.
© Amphoralis
HERITAGE & TRADITIONS
The museum of Roman-Gallic potters of the Grand Narbonne.
The region of Aude, land of sun and wind, was also
the birthplace of famous people: René Iché, a famous
sculptor known for his work «La Déchirée», symbol of
Resistance which was offered to the General de Gaulle
during his exile in London; Joë Bousquet, a poetry
columnist who worked for Cahiers du Sud and who
welcomed all the most famous artists of this century,
including Paul Eluard, Paul Valéry, André Gide, and
Magritte; Jean Eustache, a filmmaker known for his
controversial movie «La Maman et la Putain», getting
the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival; André Helena,
one of the few french authors of black and detective
novels whose work was translated in the United States;
Philippe Fabre d’Eglantine, an actor, playwright, poet
and French politician, known for his song «Il pleut, il
pleut, bergère»; Pierre Reverdy, considered as the poet
of his generation who has been influenced the most
by the cubist painting; Benjamin Cremieux, a brilliant
intellectual and a great literary critic, who collaborated
with the prestigious NRF; Charles Trenet, a legendary
figure of the French music hall; René Coll, a talented
conductor who entertained famous TV shows with his
orchestra; and more recently the singer Olivia Ruiz and
the swimmer Camille Lacourt!
GASTRONOMY
This generous department invites you to enjoy
authentic flavours of a rich heritage. If the vineyard
has its chapter, do not forget the products made from
traditional know-how: goat cheese and honey produced
in the Corbières, Citou onion, chestnuts, walnuts and
mushrooms in Cabardès, Minervois olives with their
famous shape of a crescent moon, salt, oysters and
mussels, fish from Bages to Gruissan and from Port-laNouvelle to Leucate, dried rice in Marseillette, meats
and cereals in Lauragais, foie gras and chicken confit
in La Piège...
Local Produce
Bread & Pasta
© Yan EVEN
wMarseillette rice. Absolutely! Rice is cultivated in
Aude! More specifically on the Marseillette pond, drained
since 1808 (two million-year Sea). This micro-scope
enjoys major advantages in regards to the cultivation
of rice. In 1850 was created a network of drainage and
irrigation with freshwater taken upstream in the Aude.
Thanks to this system, which is still used, the cultivation
of rice has become possible. If the rice needs water and
light, the Marseillette pond brings together both. Since
1992, Laurent Malis reestablished rice in this region and
has succeeded in creating an exceptional rice. He now
masters all the chain, and offers a full range of red rice
with wild and subtle taste. You can find Marseillette pond
rice in shops selling regional products, delicatessens
and in supermarkets in the region under the banner:
«Saveur du Languedoc Roussillon».
Cassoulet.
wDomaine Saint - Gabriel – MARSEILLETTE
Phone: & 04 68 79 22 72.
Website: www. rizieremarseillette.com
Cassoulet
In the gourmet history, the origin of cassoulet is quite
controversial, legend has it that during the siege of
Castelnaudary during the war of 100 years (1337-1453),
the city was starving and the fighters did not have
enough strength to defend the walls of the city much
longer. That’s when all the inhabitants decided to gather
the food they still had in stock. Cooks then composed
a single dish consisting of beans and various meats to
help the brave defenders of the city regain their strength.
After this delicious meal accompanied by fine wines, the
Chauriens rushed to the English army, which, in panick,
raised the siege and stopped only in front of the Channel
shores. The first «estofat» was born!
Some historians believe a different version, according
to which the bean crop would have been introduced in
France in the 17th century, so that the first «estofat»
could only be done with broad beans, widely grown in
the Mediterranean region since antiquity and in the
Southwest of France, and not beans. Others - fewer ensure that beans were known in our country long before
the discovery of America by Christopher Colombus, and
were grown in the Southwest, and others claim that
they cannot be found in the composition of cassoulet
until the 16th century - far more likely -. In short, if the
origin of cassoulet seems very difficult to establish, the
etymology of the name is naturally admitted: the Issel
potters, a small village 8 kilometers from Castelnaudary,
23
Château Auzias Wine Tours & Workshop
manufactured terracotta containers called cassoles,
and therefore the dish simmering in it took the name
of Cassoulet.
Anyway, this dish we continue to treat ourselves to has
a very ancient origin, family, peasant and popular. Its
recipe has stabilized over time to become this great food
whose reputation continues to grow.
The ingredients are simple: beans ingots, ham shank and
pork shoulder, duck confit, pork rind, sausage and bacon,
garlic, salt and pepper. All of them must be simmered,
if possible over wood fire, for more than 3 hours until a
crust forms on the top, and then we can taste it.
Alcohol & Spirits
Wines
Protected Designations of Origin: PDO
There are 10 AOC in the department. The region of Aude
has been listed, analysed and classified by the National
Institute for Guarantee of Origin (INAO), which determines the rules of production (varieties and yields) and
selects the plots of land. You will find the following PDO
in Aude: Cabardes, Corbieres, Clape, Fitou, Quatourze,
Limoux, Minervois, Malpere, Rivesaltes and Muscat
de Rivesaltes.
wCabardes. Just 10 km north from Carcassonne, in
the foothills of the Montagne Noire, the land has a
particular geographic location because it is exposed to
the «East wind, West wind», alternating between the
Mediterranean and the Atlantic with plenty of sunshine.
That is why you will find a variety of Atlantic grapes
like Merlot and Cabernet, and Mediterranean as Syrah
and Grenache. Cultivated since Roman times, the red
wines are both powerful and sweet, and the pink have
a particular aroma. Classified PDO since 1999, its average
yield is 50 hectolitres / hectare.
wCorbieres. At the heart of Aude, bordered to the
West and to the North by the Aude River, to the South
by Fenouillède and to the East by the Mediterranean,
Corbieres is marked by a turbulent geological history.
Land of stones and rocks, its climate is dry, sunny and
windy which favours long vine cycles.
This landscape that has been enriched by the work of
men for thousands of years, has transformed the region
which now produces wines rich in colour, generous in taste
and powerful with aromas of cassis, ripe spicy, licorice
with Mediterranean scents- thyme, juniper, anise – and
above all unique in their diversity. There are several PDO
lands in Corbieres: Terroir de Durban, Fontfroide, Lagrasse
Lezignan, Ribaute ... classified PDO Corbieres since 1985,
its average yield is 44 hectolitres / hectare.
wClape. Last link of the great Pyrenees, early isolated
by a benefactor fault, Clape was surrounded by water
on all its sides. The former island has preserved a ring
of sand, rocks and a harsh climate for many years. This
unique site with hard limestone and red clay soils give the
wines a strong typicality. The white wines produce floral
aromas that blend perfectly with fish. As for the red wines,
which are wide and robust, they are made of Grenache,
Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and carignan. Classified PDO
since 1985, its average yield is 47 hectoliters / hectare.
wFitou. Bright and sunny, the vineyard of Fitou has a
hot and dry climate. It covers nine towns, divided into
two areas, one on the edge of the Mediterranean, the
other at the heart of the Corbieres massif. It is a strong
alcoholic wine that takes 9 months to mature. Historically,
it comes from two grape varieties, Carignan and Grenache.
Fitou combines these perfectly with Syrah – an aromatic
bouquet of violet and red berries – and Mourvedre which
gives it its personality and longevity. As a local speciality,
Fitou is reserved for red wine. Fitou wine is one of the
oldest PDO in Languedoc since 1948. Its average yield
is 35 hectolitres / hectare.
Château Auzias offers a Wine Tour in the vineyards. This visit consists of a talk on the castle’s history, a
course in the vineyard (in a golf car – according to the time and the number of people). On your way
back, you can visit the cellar following the different stages of wine making to the bottling. A free wines
tasting will complete this beautiful discovery. New: original and chic, did you ever ask yourself how the
winemakers made their wines? Part of the secret is revealed in Château Auzias since you can participate
in a workshop of creation. After the visit, an introduction to the tasting of wines from the estate, you will
create your own wine. Once you finish your wine you will make your personalized bottle with your name
and the date on it. So you can leave with your work that will be, a beautiful souvenir of your visit. Château
Auzias is now in China: Château Reifeng Auzias (located in Penglaï Chinese Shandong). Château Reifeng
Auzias makes wines that have won medals during international competitions, including the famous Gold
medal and International Wine Trophy, awarded by the magazine Decanter, in the Royal Opéra House of
Covent Garden on December 4th, 2013, rewarding the best Cabernet franc of the world. Finally, the estate
is connected on the social networks: facebook, Google +, You Tube... and the website! Open from Monday
to Saturday: 9am to 5: 30pm. E5 for the wine tour with fixed hours 9am-10am-11am-2pm-3pm-4pm,
and E55 the workshop with the wine tour (minimum two people and always on reservation). Groups
welcome only by appointment. You can get inform by phone. Possible delivery. Online shop.Chemin de
Paretlongue – Pennautier (11610) – 11000 Carcassonne (France) & +33 (0) 4 68 47 28 28 - +33 (0)
6 08 09 03 55 - Fax: +33 (0) 4 68 47 92 20Website: www.auzias.fr – email: [email protected]
24
wQuatourze. Located in the South of Narbonne, this
tiny land is one of the oldest vineyards. «Quatourze»
comes from the fourth milestone of the via Domitia.
Setup on a floor of pebbles, it enjoys the sea spray
and the proximity of the Bages ponds. The nearby
Mediterranean promotes quiet ripeness. Today winemakers have come together to make known the quality
of this ancient land.
wLimoux - Blanquette de Limoux. Limoux is the
historical name of the Blanquette. The vineyard of Limoux
is located 25 km South from Carcassonne and is backed
by the Pyrenees. In 1531, the monks of the Benedictine
abbey of Saint-Hilaire produced the first brut in the
world, sealed with a cork! PDO since 1938, Blanquette
de Limoux is a wine of great reputation. It is a brut that
favours the traditional variety of vintage called Mauzac.
When pressing the grapes, the first clear and pure juice
is collected to produce the basic wine batches. Then, the
vintage wines from different soils are gathered. It is a
major operation, where each house gives its wines its
own personality. To provoke a second fermentation in
the bottle, a racking liquor is added and the wine then
foams. The bottles are then patiently placed on the rack
for nine months. The deposit that remains in the wine is
brought to the neck by stirring, a daily operation carried
out on the rack. The neck of the bottle is then frozen to
expel the deposit trapped in an ice cube. Before plugging
the bottles with a definitive cork, an expedition liquor is
added to keep the wine naturally brut and semi-dry. Its
average yield is 40 hectolitres / hectare.
The auction sale called Toques et Clochers is a great event
which promotes the different vineyard lands of Limoux.
Organized during the Palm Sunday weekend, this festival
centred on gastronomy and winemaker know-how must
to be discovered.
wMinervois. A vast South facing amphitheatre
bounded by the Canal du Midi in the South and the
Montagne Noire in the North, this land offers a great
diversity. Minervois derives its name from the little
town of Minerva, located deep in the mountains and
surrounded by caves, dolmens and roman chapels.
Known as one of the oldest vineyards in Europe, Minervois
produces high quality wines that is suitable for the aging.
The vineyard extends over 4500 hectares and is cultivated
by 180 private wine cellars and 35 cooperatives. PDO
since 1985 as red, pink and white wine, it is mostly made
with Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre ... Many vineyards are
also located in the neighbouring department of Herault,
including the municipality of Liviniere. Its average yield
is 50 hectolitres / hectare.
wMalepère. At the edge of the city of Carcassonne,
between the Haute Vallee region of Aude and Lauragais,
there is the small wooded massif of Malpere. In Occitan
«male peyre» means bad stone. Originated from a
gritty rock, the stone that also comes from the massif
is suffering from erosion and deterioration. Thanks
to the incomparable weather due to oceanic and
Mediterranean influences, the planting is composed
of an interesting grape variety, which gives the wine its
uniqueness. Indeed, Merlot and Cabernet come from the
Local Wines: «The Vins de Pays Cathare»
Conscious of being on an exceptional land, winegrowers of the Cathar country have undertaken an
innovative and ambitious collective approach: creating the label of the country wines Cathar! It meets a
strict charter, including a parcel tracking, a greater control over the development, more severe production
conditions especially in terms of return and degree conditions. Increasingly conscious of consumers’
expectations, winemakers have replaced the very common varieties by ones that are called «noble»
varieties which are recognised on the international plan. They also strive to produce the best and to
respect the environment. A guarantee for a qualitative wine, authentic and full of character which has
the name of the history of the Aude: Vin du Pays Cathare.

VINÉCOLE, ÉCOLE DU VIN – DOMAINE GAYDA
Chemin de Moscou
BRUGAIROLLES
& 04 68 31 64 14
www.vinecole.com
[email protected]
Open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm. Accommodation possible and of catering facilities on the premises.
Vinécole is an educational centre dedicated to wine. Located in Domaine de Gayda, 20 minutes from the
South of Carcassonne, Vinécole is a wine school accessible to all. Matthew Stubbs offers training to those
looking for a quick initiation to wine or a professional diploma. Whether for a day, a weekend or a short
stay, you will find the course which suits your expectations. Learn how to taste and discover the best wines
of the region. Among the most popular options you can choose the «Guided tasting of regional wine» and
«A day of experience» which allows you to learn everything about wine, from the vineyards to bottling.
You may even create your own wine! Vinécole also offers seminars and conferences during which you can
find other wine enthusiasts, such as producers, specialists of gastronomy, members of clubs dedicated to
wine or quite simply amateur oenophilists. Believe it or not, the wines of Languedoc-Roussillon are about
to compete with the greatest terroirs!
© Yan EVEN
25
Corbières vineyard.
Southwest, whereas Grenache and Cinsault come from
Mediterrannean. The winemaking tradition of the region
of Malepere is very old. Writings of the twelfth century
reveal the sale of plots of vines in the same localities,
which remains a land of vineyards. Winemakers take
advantage of this planting diversity, they harmoniously
blend their soils with their grape variety. PDO since 2006,
its average yield is 50 hectolitres / hectare.
wRivesaltes, Muscat de Rivesaltes. It covers only
9 towns in the municipality of Aude, and most of them
are located in Pyrenees-Orientales. Crossed by three
rivers – the Agly, the Têt and the Tech – which have
created a relief of terraces and hills, the vineyard of
Rivesaltes has very different soils. It is the first appellation of Vin Doux Naturel: Muscat de Rivesaltes PDO
is made exclusively from the Muscat of Alexandria
and the little grain Muscat. The main grape variety of
Rivesaltes are the black, grey or white Grenache and
Macabeu. These wines mature in oak barrels and come
from the best vintages.
Local specialities
wMicheline. Once upon a time, Michelin Boato, a
great alchemist, developed in his secret lab an elixir of
youth. This potion with miraculous virtues disappeared
with him, because no one was initiated by the master.
There are signs of this miraculous drink of the ninth
century, in a shop of the city. This herbal liqueur is called
«Micheline» in honour of its inventor. Since then, the
liquor is always prepared using the same recipe: lemon
balm, nutmeg, cardamom ... in all, more than a dozen
herbs and spices that are harmoniously distilled to
tone up the mouth and palate. Thus, in 1900, during
the Universal Exhibition in Paris, it naturally became
the «Queen of spirits! «
wOr Kina. It was said in the past that «He who has
not drank Or Kina, has never drank». Highly appreciated
as an aperitif, this drink with a bitter taste can also be
used as a dessert wine. Mainly composed of dry white
wine, it is the maceration of bitter orange peel and
lemon peel that gives its dark amber colour. The recipe,
known to be tonic, received a medal at the Universal
Exhibition of Paris in 1900. Or Kina is drunk accompanied
by «pébradous» from Limoux – small pepper biscuits
– which is excellent as an aperitif!
wMuscat de Saint-Jean. Over large areas of limestone,
in the heart of Minervois, are stocky vines surrounded
by dry stone walls and clochán (small dry stone huts).
This is the land of Muscat de Saint-Jean, called here the
nectar of the Gods. Classified PDO since 1949, this Muscat
is a small grain that gives a sweet wine with exceptional
flavours! Golden-yellow with green reflections, Muscat de
Saint-Jean-de-Minervois tastes just like recently picked
grapes. It develops very fine and intense aromas of lemon,
apricot, quince, lychee and honey. As you drink it, you
will be amazed by its freshness and you can also savour
it with foie gras as well as with high quality cheese. It
is traditionally served as an appetizer with grains of
Muscat as frozen ice.
wCarthagène. Famous in every winemaker’s family in
Languedoc, Cartagena, which is a cousin to Pineau and
Floc de Gascogne, was traditionally made by winemakers for their personal consumption. For a long time,
this production remained confidential, but since the
last fifteen years, this soft drink has been modernized
and developed. It is still served chilled as an aperitif or
dessert wine.
SPORTS
TITRE
& LEISURE
1
Outdoor Activities
Hiking
Aude has a great variety of landscapes: Corbieres, Alaric
Mountain, Minervois, Haute-Vallee and Montagne Noire.
From the vast hilly areas to the sea with its 50-km
coastline, passing through the lagoon areas, vineyards,
scrubland, ponds, the Canal du Midi, the rocky ground...
Hikers can walk on all types of trails and observe the
natural wealth of the region of Cathar. By walk, horseback
or mountain bike ... everyone will find a mode of locomotion!
Rugby
«A hooligans’ sport, practised by gentlemen ...» It is
difficult to stay away from the rugby culture in the
region. Matches are commented before, during and
after the fiestas that revolve around the stadiums. For
the insiders, the beauty of the game completes the
festive atmosphere shared by the whole population
during the weekend games. Racing Club Narbonne
Mediterranee (RCNM) is the rugby club of Narbonne
that is indispensable in the life of the city. The first traces
of soccer-rugby were seen in Narbonne by 1894 when
the students of « Stade Narbonnais » played a match
against Toulouse and Stade Carcassonne: Sporting Club
Narbonne. After the terrible events of 1907, caused by
the wine grower’s revolt which traumatised the city
and its region, the city hosts the garrison of the 80th
infantry regiment, whose rugby team was a finalist
in the championship of France. History recounts that
a challenge match pitted the Narbonne rugbyphiles
sporting against the 80th Infantry military regiment on
the Champ de Mars field. The rivalry between these two
teams only lasted 80 minutes, and in the following days,
a unanimous decision decided to merge the two teams,
leading to the creation of Racing Club Narbonne. Over
the years, many inhabitants of Narbonne have played
with the team of France, and many will remember
Spanghero, Codorniou, Benesis, Maso, Sangalli, Tournaire
etc. affirming the fact that RCNM is a good training
school and a real nursery.
Adrenaline Sprots
Board Sports
wKitesurfing. Air slides, commonly known as kitesurf,
is actually the youngest board sport. Different supports
are needed: in the hands, a kite with its surface adapted
for wind, airbag is compulsory if you start in water; on
the feet, a surfboard, a snowboard or a buggy, roller
skates, skis or ice skates... Riders only have no limit for
their tri-dimensional evolution. The kite is a real wing
that does not only permit you to ascend with the wind
and to go over long distances, it also allows you to take
off and perform tricks and awesome jumps. The kingdom
of kitesurf is in Leucate – La Franqui – centre for World
Wind competition in spring.
wSand Yachting. Sand yachting is a water sport
providing rapidly an intense enjoyment. It is a recreational
activity that is accessible to all. Sand yachting offers
fantastic accelerations at close levels to sand. From the
semi-sitting to the lying position, you need to hold the
sail and direct the vehicle with your feet.
wBest dominant winds. Tramontana – WNW to NNW
sector: a wind that comes from land and blows violently to
the greatest delight of funboarders. It tumbles, reinforced
by a corridor effect in the Corbieres and can reach force
8 very quickly.
The marine wind – ESE and SSE sector: it is an uncommon
sea wind which can blow at an interesting speed with
the formation of a strong low-frequency wave at sea.
wSpots.
On the pond: Le Goulet – slalom spot. Compulsory
waterstart in the middle. Only by North wind. Mine –
you are able to touch the bottom almost anywhere in
this area. Speed spot by sea or North wind. Ideal for
beginners. Parc à huîtres – very windy by North wind.
Non-obligatory waterstart – 1 metre deep. Shallow spot,
used by all winds. Corrège – ideal for all levels. Same
as the parc à huîtres.
On the sea: All the spots require great care due to the
North wind, which takes to the sea. Do not navigate alone.
Les Coussoules – in tramontana conditions, reserved for
experts. Kitesurfing zone. Offshore waves. Speed-sailing
and sand yachting. La Franqui – hosts the World Wind
Championship. Magical spot where local and holidaymakers trill the public all year round. Cap Leucate – spot
for experts, because it is difficult to get to the coast by all
winds. Dangerous for kitesurfing. Note recommended
by sea wind. Not suitable for beginners. Funclub les
Pilotis – south of Leucate, ideal beach by sea wind for
kitesurfing and funboarding. Parc d’attractions – offshore
waves by North wind. Ideal by sea wind. Parking and
facilities on site.
White-Water Sports
Thanks to the Aude river, all running water sport disciplines can be carried out here: canoeing, kayaking, rafting,
white-water swimming, canyoning etc. Alet-les-Bains,
Axat Couiza, Limoux Quillan. Every year in May and June,
the department organises a festival around outdoor
activities: the Festiv’Aude.
FROM SITE TO SITE
Aerial view of the castle of Peyrepertuse.
© Irène Alastruey – Author’s Image
The Region
of Carcassonne
Located at the heart of the Toulouse-MontpellierBarcelona triangle, the region of Carcassonne is at
the crossroads between two major thoroughfares
dating back to ancient times. From the Atlantic to the
Mediterranean, from the Cevennes to the Pyrenees,
the core of the region is Carcassonne, which thrives in
the plains of the lower valley and invites you to visit
historic tracks and to enjoy gourmet food or wine,
passing through bucolic circuits. The medieval city
and the Canal du Midi are both precious assets that
have been classified under World Heritage by Unesco,
respectively in 1997 and 1996.
At the North of the valley, the region of Carcassonne
also comprises the Montagne Noire with its Nore peak
and its highest point at 1211-m altitude, beautiful
forests that await mushroom pickers in autumn or
hikers all year round. The surroundings also need to
be discovered with the castle of Lastours or remarkable
geological features such as the cave of Limousis and the
abyss of Cabrespine.
Carcassonne

AGENCE DE DÉVELOPPEMENT DU TOURISME
DE L’AUDE
Allée Raymond-Courrière
& 04 68 11 66 00
www.audetourisme.com
[email protected]
Open Monday to Friday from 8am to 12pm and from
2pm to 4pm.
The Website is a real information mine, you will find
everything you need to discover Aude Pays Cathare on
the homepage. Morover, thanks to an interactive map
allowing you to position yourself anywhere in Aude, you
can access a virtual visit of the places that you want to
discover. Several brochures are available for downloading
or upon simple request made by email. The visit of the
blog of the ADT, accessible from the www.audetourisme.
com site, also gives a lot of information about Aude and
allows you to communicate with the Net surfers and to
exchange opinions.

CARCASSONNE CROISIÈRES
(BATEAUX LOU GABARET-HÉLIOS-LE DÉFIT)
Port de plaisance de Carcassonne
& 06 80 47 54 33 / 06 95 79 21 20
[email protected]
onl
Sud de France. Closed from November to March. High
season: open every day. Adult: E8.50 (at E12.50). Child:
E6.50 (at E8). Free parking, pets allowed on board.
Holiday voucher. Tourism label & Disability. Guided tour
(comments in French, English and Spanish).
Carcassonne Croisières are three panoramic boats: Lou
Gabaret and Hélios and the restaurant boat Le Défi.
Hélios and Lou Gabaret suggest five routes to discover
the surroundings of Carcassonne and experience the
crossing of locks on the Canal du Midi–promenade,
which lasts about 1h30 to 2h45 hours according to the
route chosen. Depending on the season, there are two
to eight departures a day. You will board the boat next
to the SNCF railway station. For the most romantic, we
invite you to board with your picnic, for a rural stopover
along the canal. As for the restaurant boat Le Défi (see
restaurant section), it will take you on board, twice a
day, for a cruise combining pleasure of the eyes and
of the palate.
Getting There
By Plane

AÉROPORT DE CARCASSONNE SUD
DE FRANCE
& 04 68 71 96 46
www.aeroport-carcassonne.com
[email protected]
Access: A61 exit No. 23 - Carcassonne-Ouest.
oThe low cost Ryanair airline ensures the usual desti-
nations served from Carcassonne: Charleroi-Brussels,
London Stansted, Liverpool, East Midlands and Dublin
(weekly flights all year round), as well as specific links
in high season such as Porto (Portugal), Cork (Ireland),
Glasgow (Scotland), and Eindhoven (Netherlands).
Shuttles provide connections between the airports and
the city centres. For the service Carcassonne city, see the
«Navette aéroport» section. Paid car park. Possibility of
eating on the spot, bar-snack space.
By Train

CARCASSONNE SNCF TRAIN STATION
1, avenue du Maréchal Joffre
& 36 35 / 04 68 71 79 03
www.voyages-sncf.com
onl
Variable rates depending on the periods of reservation.
D I R E C T AC C E S S
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assonne.com/en
www.aeroport-carc
ne
AeroportCarcasson
30
THE REGION OF CARCASSONNE - Carcassonne
If all roads lead to Rome, all trains (or almost) lead
to Carcassonne! Our neighbours, the British, certainly
prefer planes for practical reasons in terms of speed
and cost. But the inhabitants of the Hexagon will
be delighted to travel peacefully in a comfortable
train and to arrive relaxed and ready in the Aude
prefecture. If the journey via Paris is not direct, we are
delighted to pass by Narbonne, Montpellier or Toulouse
and other lovely regional capitals. As for the fares, as
the saying goes: «first come, first served», it follows
that the earlier you reserve, the cheaper the train
ticket is. You can shop for magazines, sweets... in the
Relais H.
By Bus

AIRPORT SHUTTLE
& 04 68 47 82 22
www.aeroport-carcassonne.com
[email protected]
Every day, E5.
There is nothing easier to avoid congestions and get
to the town centre: the shuttle service that connects
the Carcassonne airport to square Gambetta (Dôme),
the SNCF train station (and the port channel), place
Davilla, as well as the medieval City. The shuttle is
parked at the airport upon each plane arrival and leave
30 minutes after the flight arrival and the landing of
passengers. Keep your ticket! It enables you to use the
Agglo’Bus network throughout the day. The information
point in the downtown is located at the Dome’s Central
Stop. These shuttles are easily identifiable, large and
white buses on which a diamond-shaped four colours
logo is placed. They are parked at the terminal’s exit.
Obviously, they also ensure your return to the airport
with enough step ahead so that you can check without
stress. A convenient and economic means of transportation!

PETIT TRAIN (SHUTTLE BETWEEN THE CITY
CENTRE AND THE MEDIEVAL CITY)
Halte centrale du Dôme
30, rue Georges-Brassens
& 04 68 47 82 22
www.carcassonne-agglo.fr
[email protected]
Low season: open Monday to Saturday. High season:
every day from 9: 30 am to 12: 30 pm and from 1: 30 pm
to 7: 30 pm. E2 for a one-way ticket, E3 for a return
ticket – to/fro E2 with the “PASS Card” –.
This little train allows you to move from the Medieval
City to the centre of Saint-Louis Bastide (downtown).
Departures are on average every hour and the endto-end trip lasts 25 minutes (Chenier/Medieval city).
The ticket is valid throughout the day for a return trip
but we advise you to make one of the routes on foot
to enjoy the view of the journey to Pont Vieux and the
typical atmosphere of rue Trivalle. You will appreciate
the historical explanations about crossed spots during
high seasons.
Carcassonne - THE REGION OF CARCASSONNE
By Boat
Getting Around
Car Rental

ADA
Rue Claude Chappe
za Saint-Jean de l\’Arnouze
& 04 68 11 71 92 – www.ada.fr
[email protected]
Open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm
to 6 pm; Saturday from 8 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to
6 pm. Possible delivery.
The professionalism and warm reception of this agency’s
staff has definitely conquered customers’ loyalty. The
vehicles (commercial or tourism) offered here are in
an impeccable state, and prices are very competitive.
Promotions are regularly proposed and a free second
driver is available for all types of vehicles. The vehicles
can also be delivered at home, at the airport as well as
the SNCF railway station. On line reservations.
the views on the Montagne Noire and the Pyrenees, the
marina, the lake of La Cavayere and its leisure centre,
the yearly festival during the summer season which
ends with the blaze of the city on July 14, etc.. Other
economic and cultural projects such as the multimedia
library would soon galvanise the whole city.

MUSÉE DE LA CHEVALERIE
12, rue Saint-Louis, La Cité
& 04 68 25 37 49 – [email protected]
Open all year long. Low season: every day from 10h to
18h. High season: every day and public holidays from 9h
to 22h. Free until 5 years old. Adult: 6 E. Child (from 6 to
13 years old): 4 E (from 14 to 17 years old, as well as
for students: 5 E). Holiday voucher. Guided tour (upon
reservation). Shop. Entertainments. Animals are accepted.
Located in the heart of the medieval city, in the street
which connects the count’s Castle to the Basilica of Saint
Nazaire-et-Saint-Celse, the Museum Chevalier du Sieur
Cyril opened its doors this year. As soon as you get inside,
you are carried back to the Middle Ages, in the world
of Knights. You will discover a beautiful exhibition of
medieval weapons like swords, crossbows, bows and
different arrowheads, evils of weapons and mallets, but
also armours and various objects of daily life. Furniture
was specially made for the Museum by a local craftsman,
according to models designed by the architect Eugène
Viollet-Le-Duc for his Encyclopaedia. There are several
reproductions of medieval tapestries on the walls like
the Bayeux Tapestry or the Lady with the Unicorn which
give a cosy and comfortable atmosphere to the place.
A permanent exhibition of photographs of the City by
the photographer Alain François pays tribute to this
extraordinary monument which is the emblem of the
Middle Ages. On the second floor, a short educational film
in French, which dates back to the origins of knights, ends
the visit of the Museum. The museum which enriches the
cultural aspect of the city deserves a visit! Note: guided
tours of the Museum and educational workshops on
calligraphy, daily life in the middle ages, chivalry... are
available upon request.
Musée de la Chevalerie
Sightseeing
Situated halfway between its imposing neighbours
Toulouse and Narbonne, which are formidable
Mediterranean rivals, Carcassonne tries to showcase its
assets. Its two major attractive features are the medieval
city, with its two concentric walls, its 3-km long ramparts
and its 52 towers, classified as a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO in 1997, and the Canal du Midi which runs its
peaceful water through the city, also classified as a World
Heritage Site by Unesco. The Saint-Louis fortified town is
also to add to the list, as well as the riverbanks of Aude,
12, rue Saint Louis - La Cité
11000 Carcassonne
Tel. +33 (0)4 68 25 37 49
FROM SITE TO SITE

CAPITAINERIE DU PORT DE PLAISANCE
(MARINA AUTHORITY)
Esplanade du Port – Promenade du Canal
& 04 68 25 10 48 / 04 68 25 78 63
www.port-carcassonne.com
[email protected]
High season: open every day and public holidays from
8.30am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 7.30pm. Open
from March to October. Wide range of services suggested:
water, electricity, facilities, showers with hairdryer, internet
access, washing machine (payant), dryer (payant).
Possibility of wintering from November to March.
River tourism has witnessed a steady rise in popularity
with numerous identified pleasant stops. Carcassonne
marina was built on the Canal du Midi in the year 2000.
Offering 47 seats, during the day, it is monitored by
harbormasters’ office and by a security company during
the night. Saint-Louis downtown villa, 100 metres away
from the port offers a plethora of shops and entertainment. The airport and resort are easily accessible from
the city centre. You will enjoy free electric vehicles with
drivers (the Touc) that take you on a tour of the lower
town. Shuttles will take you to the medieval city, for an
unforgettable visit, only in summer.
31
32
Monuments

BASILIQUE SAINT-NAZAIREET-SAINT-CELSE
Cité médiévale
Place Auguste Pierre Pont
& 04 68 25 27 65
www.tourisme-carcassonne.fr
Open all year round. Monday to Saturday from 8am to
6pm; Sunday from 8 am to 10: 45 am and from 1: 45 pm
to 6 pm. All the week in winter, closing at 5 pm; On Sunday,
closing at 4: 45 pm in winter and in July (organ concerts).
Masses on Sunday at 11 am.
For nearly ten centuries, the Saint-Nazaire and Saint-Celse
basilica has been a masterpiece, a symbol of the meeting
of two styles: Romanesque and Gothic, in the heart of the
Cité. Its construction began at the end of the 11th century.
The Pope Urbain II, who preached in 1095, in Clermont,
the first crusade in Holy Land, passed by Carcassonne,
and blessed the first stone of the building in June 1096.
The construction site was really completed only in the
middle of the 14th century, after the reconstruction of
the Romanesque choir in Gothic style between 1269 and
1330. The nave is today the oldest part of the building. Its
Romanesque vault, in semicircular arch, contrasts with
the Gothic bedside and the transept that are illuminated
by stained-glass windows dating from the 13th, 14th and
16th centuries. Changes were made under the episcopate
of Pierre de Rochefort, at the beginning of the 14th century
(1300-1321). It is also to this bishop that we owe the
southern rose window of the transept, representing Christ
in majesty. As for the northern rose window, dedicated to
the Virgin, queen of the Skies, it dates back to the 13th
century, and it is one of the most beautiful stained-glass
windows of this monument. In 1803, whereas the Cité
experienced a period of abandonment, the church lost
its rank of cathedral for the benefit of the Saint-Michel
church located in the Saint-Louis country house. However,
classified as a Historic Monument since 1840, the former
cathedral finds its magnificence, and was given the status
of basilica in 1898 by the Pope Léon XIII.
wAmong the curiosities of the basilica: The tomb
of the bishop Razouls - or Radulphe – (13th century) that
is in a niche in relief, the crosier in the hand surrounded
by twelve canons, and the tomb with recumbent statue
of Pierre de Rochefort. A pretty Pietá of the 16th century,
located in the north arm of the transept, is also worth the
detour. Do not fail to raise your eyes towards the stainedglass windows of the chapels of the transept representing
the Tree of Jesse, between the end of the 13th century and
the beginning of the 14th century (Notre-Dame chapel)
and the Tree of Life of the 14th century, restored in the
19th century (chapel of Sainte-Croix). They are renowned
as the most beautiful of Midi for their compositions and
their colours. The large organ of the basilica, set in the
17th century, is the work of two local cabinetmakers. It was
extended in the following century, then restored in the
19th and the 20th centuries. Every summer, every Sunday,
organ concerts are offered to lovers and allow them to
discover the extraordinary acoustics of the building (ask
for information at the Tourist Office).

CENTRE JOE BOUSQUET
Maison des Mémoires
53, rue de Verdun
& 04 68 72 45 55
cjbousquet.canalblog.com
oOpen all year round. Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to
12pm and from 2pm to 6pm. Free.
On the first floor of Maison des Mémoires, you find the
room of the poet and surrealist Joë Bousquet (1897-1950)
who, paralysed at the age of 21, dedicated his life to the
knowledge of human being and language. He was visited
by many painters, poets and famous philosophers of the
pre-war period such as André Gide and Louis Aragon. The
room has been preserved as it was the day of his death. In
this Maison des Mémoires, you will find, on the one hand,
a permanent exhibition on Joe Bousquet’s life and work,
and on the other hand, temporary exhibitions, which
change every two months, linked to cultural heritage
and local artists from the department, as well as to the
relationsips between writing and painting.

CHÂTEAU COMTAL ET REMPARTS
DE LA CITÉ DE CARCASSONNE
Cité médiévale
& 04 68 11 70 70
www.carcassonne.monuments-nationaux.fr
nlm
Low season: open every day from 9.30am to 5pm (last visit
at 4.30pm). High season: every day from 10am to 6.30pm
(last visit at 5.15pm). Free for under 26-year-olds (for the
citizens of the U.E). Adult: E8.50. Group (20 people):
E6.50. Castle, ramparts and visit with guide lecturer of
1am, 1am 30 or 2am 30 (free access with the fortifications,
the castle, film, concise deposit, before or after the visit).
Adults: E12.50. 18/25 years: E9. Tourisme et Handicap
label. Audioguide with adjustable volume. Guided tour.
You can not come to Carcassonne without visiting the
Comtal castle and its ramparts, and without imagining
yourself in the armor of these soldiers who protected the
fortress by peering the surroundings at 360°. Visit one
of the largest fortified cities in Europe, surely the best
preserved thanks to the restoration of Viollet-le-Duc in
the 19th century.
Ultimate defence, the Comtal castle was enlarged in the
12th century by Trencavels, Viscounts of Carcassonne,
and was constantly changed in the following centuries.
Consisting of one seignioral palace that separates two
courtyards (the large one, known as Cour d’Honneur and
the Cour de Midi), it overlooks Ville Basse (Saint-Louis
FIND the Best visits
interesting
excellent
unmissable
Unforgettable

CHA TEAU ET REMPARTS
DE LA CITE DE CARCASSONNE
Cité médiévale
& 04 68 11 70 70
www.carcassonne.monuments-nationaux.fr
nl
Open all year. From October to March from 9.30am to 5pm.
Last access 30 mn before closing. From April to September
from 10am to 6.30pm and last access 45 mn before closing.
Closed January 1st, May 1st, 1st and November 11th,
December 25th. Free for under 18-year-olds. Adult: E8.50.
Group (20 people): E6.50. Reduced E6.50. Holiday
voucher. Tourism & Disability label .

LA CITÉ MÉDIÉVALE
DE CARCASSONNE
& 04 68 11 75 87
See page 15.

COVERED MARKET
Place Eggenfelden
Closed on Sunday and Monday. Open Tuesday to Saturday.
Catering facilities (bar within the covered market for coffee,
aperitif and nibbling of the morning early to the lunch).
Former meeting place for grain trade, this granary was
constructed in the mid-eighteenth century in a «U»
shape around the square that is now called Eggenfelden
on the edge of Verdun street. Three buildings still in a
good state make up these halls and just like in the past
it brings together the best products of the region be it
meat, fish, poultry or early fruit and vegetables. In winter,
traditional fairs and other culinary demonstrations are
still held there. But the architectural interest of these
halls is the ceiling. It has remarkable beams made up
of imposing wooden frame supported by heavy and
imposing stone columns. One last curiosity is found on
the central square, where you will see a circle on the
ground which indicates the location of a pillory where
thieves were once attached and exposed. Apart from
these architectural features, it is very interesting to come
and feel the hustle and bustle of Saturday morning in
the halls and rims, where a real immersion in the habits
of Carcassonne awaits you. Regulars gather for a drink
on the terraces nearby which is willingly accompanied
by the oysters and meats they just bought. A joyful
atmosphere in the village square!

HÔTEL DE ROLLAND
32, rue Aimé-Ramond
oCurrent town hall of Carcassonne.
The city of Carcassonne is full of many special bourgeois
hotels, bearing witness to its rich commercial past, especially around Rue de Verdun. Location of the current city
hall, Rue Aimé-Ramond, Hôtel de Rolland is a wonderful
building of the 18th century. We owe it to Jean-François
Cavailhès (1720-1784), a rich merchant who entrusted
the work to the architect Rollin under the leadership
of the architect Chevalier. The building is built at the
location of the 4 houses and 3 stables repurchased from
1746 and destroyed by Jean-François Cavailhès. The
construction of its mansion began around 1751. It costed
him £172,000 and occupied him during about ten years.
The architecture of Hôtel de Rolland consists of 3 wings
overlooking a courtyard that is opening onto a narrow
street in the north. On the Rue Aimé-Ramond side, the
entrance gate sets the tones of the style of the work with
carved decors and large openings. Inside, two sumptuous
stairs placed in each of the two wings allow access to
the upper floors. The reception rooms, when it comes
to them, have high ceilings and give more charm to this
bourgeois hotel. Owned by the town hall since 1978, this
hotel is kept in good condition and worth a visit for a
glimpse of the greatness of these 18th-century mansions.

LE JARDIN DU CALVAIRE
Rue Voltaire
& 04 68 10 24 30
Open all year. High season: Monday to Friday from 9am
to 7pm. Free. credit card and checks are not accepted.
Fully restored in 2011, this garden was created at the
beginning of the 19th century. It is of botanical interest,
for the species that you find there, also a historic interest,
because it is set at the Bastion of Tour Grosse, one of the
bastions of Ville Basse built in the 16th century, and
a religious interest, as it shelters a way of the cross,
and a chapel of Saint-Sépulcre whose walls are painted
«with frescoe». Visitors who enter this shaded garden,
with winding walkways drawn with stones, fell to the
charm and the quiet of the place. Bay trees, cypress tree,
boxwood, Judas trees and cedars, mix with olive tree,
the Roman or the ruscus. We meet statues of antique
inspiration with languished installations that accompany
our steps to the highest point of the garden which offers
a pretty point of view on boulevard Barbès, one of the
former ditches of Ville Basse. The visit of Jardin du Calvaire
can be completed by that of Cathédrale Saint-Michel,
located a little lower, in the same street.
FROM SITE TO SITE
country house). It is protected by 11 towers including
2 dungeons. The main entrance is guarded by twin towers
forming a miniature castle whose defensive systems
are very elaborate: Tour du Guet, located in the Cour du
Midi, is the highest point of the castle, it is one of the
rare square towers of the city.
Since June 2015, there have been some innovations for
the comfort of visitors, with the creation of the ticketing
space that should facilitate the access, a refurbished
shop, and especially the reopening to the public, in
free access, of the western front’s rampart that has been
recently restored.
Wonderful Romanesque wall paintings are visible in
the main dungeon that is in free access, just like the
lapidary museum. On the second floor, you can attend the
screening of an educational film with 3D reconstitution
of the castle, explaining its evolution and its mission
over centuries. Moreover, many activities are offered all
year long including an electronic festival in September.
Gardens inspired by medieval gardens are freely accessed
in the moats of the castle.
In addition, since June 2015, visitors have been benefiting
in season from a reception point of Centre des Monuments
Nationaux and another, from the Tourist Office of the
City, both located near the Porte Narbonnaise, in front
of the cemetery.
33
34

PONT-VIEUX, BERGES DE L’AUDE,
JARDIN PIERRE ET MARIA SIRE
You will have a pleasant walk there, on sunny days.
Pont Vieux is a beautiful work of the fourteenth century
that spans Aude and is now reserved for pedestrians. It
is a great vantage point of La Cité. Be careful with the
parapets because they are not very high. Even in hot
weather, a drop in Aude is not advised. Pont Vieux is also
an unequalled focus point on the mountains: on one
side is Pic de Nore, and on the other, on a clear day, the
Pyrenees. As for the programme, you can have a dream
moment or a picnic on the lawns of Pierre et Maria
Sire garden at choice or take your kids to the fenced
playground. If you have opted for walks, then go to
Bellevue quay, which offers a beautiful view of La Cité
or continue to Paicherou quay. The most enterprising
people can continue up to Mayrevieille plain. A small
stream flows behind the campsite then Barbican, one of
the oldest neighbourhoods of Carcassonne, at the foot
of the ramparts. Finally, as you get back to Pont Vieux,
continue towards La Trivalle which is another picturesque neighbourhood or towards Saint Louis country
bastide.
Museums

MUSÉE DE L’ÉCOLE
Cité médiévale
3, rue du Piô
& 04 68 25 95 14
[email protected]
© Yan Even
onl
Open all year round. Low season: every day from 10am to
6pm. High season: every day from 10am to 10am. Free for
under 12-year-olds. Adult: E3.50. Students, unemployed
people, disabled people: E3. Credit card refused. Tourisme
et Handicap label.
The museum is located in the former boys’ school
of the city. From the entrance, you can check school
handbooks. The first hall offers a reminder of Jules
Ferry’s laws, temporary exhibitions and a fine collection
of ancient tools and educational equipment: wooden
desks, platforms, black board, ink drawings, blotters,
steel nibs, etc. the second hall, known as the Communal
hall, offers a real reconstruction of a nineteenth century
unique classroom (1882). In the third hall, the entertainment hall, you will discover classroom evolutions,
furniture, writing equipment with violet ink, Gallic
feathers and Sergent-Major. The museum offers dictations and arithmetic exercises to visitors who can seat
on the desks and experience writing with feathers.
Finally, the visit ends in a hall with the memories of
the «school battalions» and an exhibition with a new
theme every year. An imposing library of schoolbooks
(5 000 titles) will perhaps help some to upgrade their
various levels. A really pleasant visit for the whole
family!

MUSÉE DE LA CHEVALERIE
12, rue Saint-Louis
La Cité
& 04 68 25 37 49
See page 31.

MUSÉE DES BEAUX-ARTS
1, rue de Verdun
& 04 68 77 73 70
& 04 68 77 73 89
www.carcassonne.org
[email protected]
Entrance via Gambetta square.
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Open all year. Low season: Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am
to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm. High season: every day
from 10 am to 6 pm. From September to June open 1st
Sunday of the month from 2: 30 pm to 5: 30 pm. Free.
Guided tour (on request).
The Beaux-Arts museum is located in the city’s old
Présidial. Originally, the generosity of the Company
of Arts and Sciences in offering 102 paintings to
Carcassonne for its museum, contributed in making
this building to become a museum of Beaux-Arts.
Private individuals’ gifts and legacies, coupled with State
efforts increased its number of works and paintings.
The current collection is, therefore, very eclectic and
has works aging from the 17th to the 20th centuries.
Besides the rich collection of western paintings, there
is an earthenware collection, tapestries and various
craft works including archaeological findings of the
region. Open all year round, this Beaux-Arts museum
has three annual exhibitions, a series of conferences
and educational workshops in multi-field vocation.
Recently extended, it can now accommodate modern
artwork.
The Saint-Nazaire basilica in Carcassonne.
36
and a wide variety of colours of ink sold individually or
in gift bags of 4 bottles.
For school groups, educational activities are adapted
on durations ranging from 2 to 5 days, with possibility
of accommodation at Notre-Dame de l’abbaye where
Atelier du Livre is located.
Market cuisine and wine bar
Terrace
37 bis, rue Trivalle 11000 Carcassonne
Tel - Booking +33 (0)4 68 47 35 05
Walks & Strolls

ATELIER DU LIVRE
103, rue Trivalle
Notre-Dame de l’Abbaye
& 04 68 26 88 90 / 06 38 68 49 42
www.atelierdulivre.net
[email protected]
nm
High season: open every day from 10am to 6pm. From
E12 for a workshop of 2am at E21 for a workshop of
4am. Workshop initiation, without prior appointment,
from E3 to E6. Workshop of 2am: typography, engraving,
composition and impression of a small personal text the
magazine (engraving). Workshop of 4am: typography,
engraving, marbled paper and traditional production of
paper. Exhibition: free admission. Credit card not accepted.
Guided tour possibles. Shop. Activities. Exhibition.
At the foot of Cité Médiévale, Atelier du Livre offers
numerous activities for children and adults. Various
workshop formulas are organised, from initiation workshop
all day long, and all the stages of a book’s production are
covered in a fun way: traditional production of paper,
production of marbled paper with a wide choice of colours,
engraving, typography (letter-by-letter composition
with letter then impression on manual press)... everyone
can then give free rein to their creativity!
A shop offers in addition creations by Atelier du Livre. You
can find postcards, travel books, handmade paper sleeves,

INSTITUT LINGUISTIQUE DE CARCASSONNE
11, rue Cros-Mayrevieille, La Cité
& 09 50 88 50 23 / 06 37 80 69 33
ilc-lacite.fr
[email protected]
oOpen all year. All the fixed rate formulas of formations
are presented with their rate on the site of the institute.
Entertainment: presentation of the weapons, the facility
and the codes of the knighthood: E5/person. Duration:
1/2 hour. Schedule: 3.15pm, 4.15pm, 5.15pm, 6.15pm.
Other medieval activities: dubbing of knight (for the small
ones as for the large ones.).
It was in June 2015 that Valérie Michel and Jean-François
Vassal opened this training institute which offers French
classes to foreigners eager to discover our language, in
the heart of Cité Medievale . Various forms of training are
offered, and the educational methods used allow students
to learn our language through History, gastronomy and
everything that forms our culture. Spanish and English
classes are also organised, especially for people working
in tourism industry. This centre obtained the approval of
State for continuing education for adults.
wBut Jean-François Vassal, also having a Master of
medieval History, invites visitors to take part in entertainments on the theme of the knighthood. Thus, he
will reveal you all his secrets, from the training of novice
knights to their code of honour, as well as the handling
of the weapons used in the medieval era by this warlike
elite. Useless to tell you how much children like it! And
adults also get caught up, seeing the child in them again
during the entertainment time. You can even be knighted
by the Sieur Vassal who will make you «real» knights!

LE JARDIN DU CALVAIRE
Rue Voltaire
& 04 68 10 24 30
See page 33.

LE PARC AUSTRALIEN
Chemin des Bartavelles
& 04 68 25 86 83 / 06 07 06 86 83 /
04 68 25 05 07 – www.leparcaustralien.fr
[email protected]
Follow in the direction of the Cavayere lake to
the exit of Montlegun hamlet.
nl
2014 opening season: from April 12th to November 2nd
included. Except school holidays: from 2 pm to 6 pm Monday
to Saturday; every Sunday, public holidays and bridges and
every day of school holidays all areas (Easter, All Saints)
from 10: 30 am to 7 pm. In July and August open every day
from 10: 30 am to 7 pm. Free for under 3-year-olds. Adult:
E10. Children (from 4 to 12 years old): E7. Rates indicated
are for one day except meals, drinks and additional services.

PLACE CARNOT
The city of Carcassonne perhaps has few great places,
but Place Carnot is certainly the most inevitable. It is
the heart of Bastide Saint-Louis founded in the 13th
century, it is bordered by beautiful bourgeois buildings
with high facades. A former Place aux Herbes, Place
Carnot has evolved with time through the centuries.
Restored, modified, paved then tree-lined, central place,
its enhancement has continued over time and is adapted
to the customs of the time. In the midst of it, you can
find a fountain whose basins are in pink marble from
Caunes-Minervois and were produced by the Italian
artist Barata, to whom we owe the Hôtel de Rolland. A
meeting place of Carcassonne inhabitants, the address
offers new restaurants and café terraces where you can
relax as you bask in the sun on sunny days. It is a lively
place that knows no respite because a morning market
is held there three times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday,
and Saturday morning. During Christmas celebrations,
Place Carnot has been transformed, for some years now,
into a large ice rink that is bordered by chalets where
craftsmen exhibit and where you are served hot wine.
fuss, where flavours and quantity await you. Here you
will find a real homemade cassoulet, a nice steak and its
potato gratin, homemade terrines, but also a carpaccio
of zucchini with Parmesan cheese, a risotto with fourme
d’ambert, and other creations of the young couple. The
wine list also offers wines of the region, with a large
proportion of organic, and the favourites of the moment.
Undoubtedly an address of a very good quality-price ratio,
where there is no cheating on the goods and where you
will certainly spend a good time.

ADELAÏDE
Place Saint-Jean
5, rue Adelaïde-de-Toulouse
& 04 68 47 66 61
[email protected]
Closed from December 10th to February 15th. Low season:
open Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. High season:
daily for lunch and dinner. Menu from E16 to E24. Child’s
menu: E9. Wine by the glass.
L’Adélaide... a lovely address in the heart of La Cité. This
hotel has been among our favourite places for many years
and for good reason: a well chosen location on the very
charming and unique Place Saint-Jean, a panoramic view
on the Château Comtal, a room with contemporary style
and a hearty and quality cuisine. Note that from June to
September, you can dine on the patio, it is shaded and well
sheltered from the wind... Since 2014, it is Jean-Luc and
his son Nicolas who have taken up the torch. Restaurateurs
that are well-known among the lower town, they had
fallen under the charms of the «seductive» Adélaide. You
will find the dishes that made the success of this address
like the homemade cassoulet, the half-cooked foie gras
and its onion jam, hearty salads... The chef also prepares
some specialties like the camembert roasted in the oven
and its Serrano jam, the skewers of chicken-prawns, the
fillet of red mullet in tapenade or the pork tenderloin
sauce with 3 peppers. To accompany this meal, you will
be offered a fine selection of wines of the department
at affordable prices. End with a sweet note, the desserts
are also homemade.
ADELAÏDE
restaurant
Knife & Fork

LE 37
37, bis rue Trivalle
& 04 68 47 35 05
Booking advised. Menu from E19 to E29 (menu cassoulet
at E19). À la carte: Around E30. Lunch menu: E15.50.
Wine by the glass. Chèque Restaurant. Groups welcome
(privatizable vaulted cellar of 50 m2). Baby chairs.
A nice place as you like! Pauline and Benoît offer a cuisine
of the market made with fresh ingredients, mostly from
producers of the region, and authentic recipes, without
Tél. +33 (0)4 68 47 66 61
Place Saint-Jean - La Cité
11000 Carcassonne
FROM SITE TO SITE
For groups, price on quotation depending on services.
Guided tour (without supplement). Catering facilities. Shop.
Activities. Organisation of events for children and adults.
Hop! Hop! Hop! Jump to the antipodes! Carole and
her team invite you to discover Australia in a fun and
interactive way. The ambassadors of this distant islandcontinent: Kangoroos of course (who are all cute) but
also ostriches, camels and other animals await you.
For a full immersion, we recommend the guided tour
(free) which is one of the most instructive; thanks to
this one you can enter into the enclosures and even a
large aviary and feed the undulating budgerigars that
live there. Already a little Australian in the soul. Never
mind, in a reconstructed indigenous village, children
and adults will discover their ancestral way of life and
exercise in the throwing of boomerangs (that goes and
comes back... theoretically), or can blow in the mysterious
didgeridoo. In the village of the pioneers, you will dive
into the cowboy-like history of the first settlers, adults
play Australian billiards and other traditional games,
children become gold diggers (and a nugget more!), for
the most audacious, HiiiHaaa! They will overcome the
mechanical bull. The park, which stretches over 5 acres,
houses picnic areas, a snack – with grills – and a snack
bar. In short, a beautiful recreational and informative
day for all ages, and you will not see time going by!
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