Carcassonne was settled as early as the 6th century BC and later became an important Roman town. It was fortified in the 4th century and was a strategic site in the Middle Ages. It took on its definitive shape in the 13th century with the king’s decision to construct the distinctive double-walled ramparts and extend the castle. The city was restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century and is a testimony to 1,000 years of military architecture and 2,500 years of history. Left in ruins after the the Cathar Crusade (1209-1229), the Inquisition and exile of the Trencavel family, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was commissioned by the French state in 1844 to restore the city of Cathar. Completed in 1911 under the direction of his pupil Paul Boeswillwald, the royal city was returned to its original splendor, finally being inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1997. In a new, self-guided addition to this tour, guests are invited to see the magnificent views from the medieval western ramparts. 

If you're staying in Toulouse and want to discover the Cité de Carcassonne, the Comtal Castle, the Saint Nazaire Basilica and more historical highlights, this is the perfect day tour for you. Located 1 hour from Toulouse, Carcassonne is one of the 25 great sites of Midi-Pyrénées. In Cathar country and at the heart of the fortified city, you can discover the Château of the Counts of Carcassonne and the Remparts, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will departure from Toulouse at 9:30AM (check-in is at 9:15AM), with a planned arrival in Carcassonne at 10:30AM.  Following your day of discovery, you will depart from Carcassonne at 4:30PM, with a planned return to Toulouse at 5:30PM.

Come along on this tour and learn all about the history of this fascinating city.  Enter through the main entrance, known as Porte Narbonnaise, to the medieval city. Learn about the fortifications built by the Romans. Cross the main street, Rue Cross Mayrevieille to the castle. Discover the museum inside the castle and develop a better understanding of the Trencavel family that defended the Cathars during the Albigensian Crusade.  Walk along the top of the wall, crossing both medieval and Roman towers as you head towards the church. Hear an explanation (in English, French or Italian) about the architecture of the Gothic church and see the beautiful stained glass windows, built between the 13th and 16th centuries. Walk through the streets of the ancient religious quarter and learn about the inquisition in Carcassonne and Toulouse.

Play the role of a nobleman as you walk around Carcassonne in search of clues and amazing stories. Each clue will lead you from one place to another, giving you precise directions, so you won’t need a map, a GPS or a guide. When you solve it and guess the answer, the secret story of that place is unlocked. Along the way, you’ll reach amazing places, such as the Gambetta Square, Notre Dame de La Santé, Porte de l'Aude, Museum of the Inquisition, and more. You will find out secret stories about the places you discover, and you will help Carcassonne to fight it's haunting ghosts. After you buy the quest, you will receive instruction on how to unlock in the app by e-mail. The game takes about 2-hours to complete, but there’s no time limit, you can finish it at your own pace. You won’t need a guide, just download the app, go to the starting point and you’re ready to go on a city exploration adventure. As you solve the clues, you'll discover new locations and stories. For larger groups, one person can purchase access for the entire group by selecting the number of people in the group. All group members will be able to play the city game on their smartphone. Alternatively, each person can purchase their own voucher. You can play as a group and solve the clues together as you walk, or you can split into smaller groups/teams and compete against the others. Each person can also play on their own, separate from the group, and meet the group at the end.

Carcassonne is the largest medieval city in Europe with its walls still intact. It’s also one of the most recognisable and most visited tourist destinations in France, having been featured in many well-known movies. Despite all this, most tourists barely scratch the surface when they visit Cité de Carcassonne. On this walking tour around the UNESCO World Heritage site, I’ll point out some of its most interesting architectural features, and bring its history to life. Starting outside the medieval city walls, I’ll show you the Buste de Dame Carcas (a sculpture of Lady Carcas) and tell you the story of how she saved the city from Charlemagne. As you enter the city through Porte Narbonnaise (Narbonne Gate, you’ll begin following the wall, which encircles the old city. Along the way, you’ll also learn about the Cathars who flourished here in the twelfth century, the crusade launched against them, and some of the sieges that took place here. You’ll hear about the many different peoples who have occupied this place, and its military role over more than a millennium. You’ll also: • Find out about the brief Muslim period, in between the Visigoths and the Franks • Hear the tragic story of the Cathars that culminated here • Spot the flying pig in a stone sculpture • Learn why the Papal Inquisition was implemented here long before the Spanish Inquisition existed • Discover the role played by Saint Dominic and his Dominican friars in establishing Inquisition practices to eliminate what they regarded as “heresy” • Take in the impressive and almost century-old Château et Remparts de la Cité de Carcassonne, also known as the Château Comtal, where the castle meets the wall and its surrounding defenses • See the Church of Saints Nazaire and Celse, the city’s two patron saints • Gaze upon the monument de la Jean Pierre Cros Mayrevieille, a doctor of law, a historian and an Inspector of Historic Monuments who saved the city from ruin • Locate the various “kill zones” that enemies risked finding themselves trapped in when attempting to siege the city On this two-hour tour, you won’t just trace the walls of Carcassonne, you’ll also venture into its centre through various gates including the Aude, Nazaire, and Toulouse Gates. Join me, James McDonald, an English historian of the medieval period specialising in the Languedoc, as I bring these old stones to life.

The walled city of Carcassonne in Languedoc is world renowned as a spectacular fortified medieval city. But this rocky spur has been occupied since the 6th-Century BC, first as a Gallic settlement and later as a fortified Roman city. The Visigoths seized the city in the 5th-Century, and were followed by the Saracens, who remained in control for a mere 30 years before the Francs expelled them. Restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th-Century, the city fortress was consecrated in 1997 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while the former military enclosure of the lower town’s "La Bastide Saint-Louis" is listed as a conservation area. Take a 2-hour private walking tour, personalized to your own schedule and rhythm, visiting the sights you would like to visit. Explore medieval architecture and discover the rich culture that has inspired poets and writers, including William Faulkner. The city is divided into 2 parts; the town and the famous Cité de Carcassonne. Typically we pay more attention to the Cité, but if you would like to visit the town the tour can be customized to suit. Discover the castle and ramparts at the heart of the medieval city; explore the Cathedral and the Basilica of Saint Nazaire; and visit la porte Narbonnaise, which was the principal entrance to the Cité. A dream like destination with a romantic ambience, the tour is tailor-made to enchant you.

If you thought ancient churches were just boring old buildings, this walking tour will surprise you. And, depending on how much you know about Christianity, it might positively shock you. On this self-guided tour of the Basilica of Saints Nazairius and Celsus, you’ll discover the truth behind the development of Western Christianity, and learn how one faction imposed its own version of orthodoxy on people by forcibly converting them and exterminating rival sects. Our tour starts outside the spectacular must-see basilica known as Basilique Saint Nazaire et Saint Celse, located in the ancient Cité de Carcassonne. I’ll guide you around the church’s interior and you’ll find out how it was re-categorised from cathedral to basilica, and learn the difference between the two. Along the way, you’ll have a chance to: • Uncover the mystery of what really happened to Joan of Arc • Share a moment with a painting of a "Veronica" • Learn why, for centuries, it was not possible to be baptised in a church • Hear about the death, burial and exhumation of Simon de Montfort here • Admire some of the oldest and most beautiful stained glass and rose windows in Southern France, as well as a depiction of The Tree of Jesse • Learn how to identify statues of Catholic Saints and Martyrs • Understand the differences between Romanesque and Gothic architecture, and learn to identify Southern French Gothic style • Ponder the origin of early Christianities, and the evolution of their doctrines • Find out what happened during the Crusade against the Cathars, why there is a memorial here to a known Cathar sympathiser, and how Cathar beliefs influenced medieval Catholicism • Learn about the Occitan culture in this area, before it became French • Appreciate spectacular architecture, while adding some exotic architectural terms to your vocabulary • Understand why Pope Urban II came here in 1096, when he blessed the stones of the Romanesque cathedral • Search for the owls sitting on the branches of the Tree of Life in the Chapel of the Holy Cross On this 120-minute tour of Cité de Carcassonne’s basilica, I’ll share the secrets hidden in the cracks of this ancient building, which echo far beyond its walls. This is decidedly not the Sunday School version of history. By the end of our walk, I hope you’ll feel enlightened by tis entertaining yet academically rigorous telling of the Christian doctrine’s fascinating history.

Enjoy a sightseeing tour of the best of the Carcassonne region. After getting picked up from your hotel in Toulouse, enjoy a scenic 45-minute drive to the medieval fortified city of Carcassone. Here, stroll around the city's cobblestone streets and centuries-old buildings. Learn more about its history, and how the city was once a stronghold of the Cathars. You will have 2 hours of free time in Carcassonne, during which you can visit the museum where you will be transported to an era of Crusaders, Pilgrims, and Templar knights. Afterward, continue to Lastours. Here, enjoy a walk to the Belvedere Montfermier, where you can admire panoramic views of the surrounding area and its many castles. Finish your tour in Albi, aka the Red City. Here, pay a visit to the imposing Saint-Cécile Cathedral and the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, where you can admire works by local painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. At the end of your tour, get dropped off back at your hotel in Toulouse.