Trip Report: Carcassonne (2025)
This is Part 3 of my France Trip Report Series: Carcassonne. Here are links to the other parts of this series:
Caitlin studied French in high school and there was a poster of Carcassonne in her classroom, so it has long been a dream of hers to visit the city. Carcassonne, located in the south of France, is a fortified city with a rich history that dates back to Roman times. Originally a strategic military outpost, it developed into a thriving settlement throughout the Middle Ages, characterized by its impressive ramparts and towers. The city's unique architecture and historical significance led to its classification as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. Today, Carcassonne is celebrated for its well-preserved medieval fortress, which attracts visitors from around the world, eager to explore its ancient streets and rich cultural heritage.
We stayed at the Hôtel de la Cité, which is located within the fortified city’s walls. After breakfast on our first full day, we walked around the fortified city and found where we could purchase tickets to tour the castle and upper ramparts of the surrounding walls. The self-guided walking tour took us around the walls of the city. It was such a unique experience walking around such a well-preserved historical setting, imagining the guards who would have walked the same walls and looking through the slits in the walls through which they would have shot their arrows. It was also extremely windy (notorious for the area), which gave us an appreciation for how challenging it would have been to shoot with any accuracy in those conditions.
After a long day walking around the city, we ate dinner at La Barbacane, a Michelin star restaurant located in our hotel. It was a fixed menu, and the food and service was top-notch.
The next day we set off for the coastal city of Nice for the final stretch of our trip.
Trip Notes
Hotels: Hôtel de la Cité
Restaurants of Note: After a long day of travel, we grabbed a great pizza from Restaurant Au Four Saint Louis and ate in our room enjoying the sunset. The next night we ate at La Barbacane, a Michelin star restaurant located in the hotel.
Activities: Carcassonne Castle & Ramparts Self-Guided Walking Tour
Travel Tips / Learnings:
Stay Inside the City Walls: If you have the opportunity, stay within the city walls. It’s a pretty cool experience to live (even briefly) in such a historical setting.
Do The Castle Tour: We walked around the city walls on our own in the morning, but we later did the full ticketed walking tour that went through the castle and got you up to the top of the walls and ramparts.