52 towers, a canal from 1681 and a town laid out by Saint Louis

Carcassonne is two towns: the walled Cité on its hill and the Bastide Saint-Louis on the plain, with the Aude between. Park once and walk between them.

1. Walk the double ramparts

The Cité has 52 towers and about 3 km of walls in two rings, and UNESCO listed it in 1997. Enter by the Porte Narbonnaise, where the statue of Dame Carcas stands, and leave by the Aude Gate.

2. Pay for the Château Comtal

The Château Comtal was built in the 12th century by the Trencavels. Entry is €13 in low season and €19 in high season, audio guide included. The tourist office says under-26s go free for the unguided visit.

3. Cross the Pont Vieux on foot

The Pont Vieux joins the Bastide to the foot of the Cité. It's the walk I'd choose from the Bastide car parks, with the walls in front of you the whole way.

4. Shop Place Carnot on market days

Place Carnot was redone in 2021 and holds a market on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. In December it gets an ice rink and the Christmas market.

5. See the Canal du Midi

The canal runs 240 km with 63 locks, opened in 1681 and has been UNESCO-listed since 1996. Boats leave from the Port de Carcassonne near the station.

6. Duck into the Fine Arts Museum

The Musée des Beaux-Arts overlooks Square Gambetta, right above the P3 car park.

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Cassoulet, Lucques olives and an iced cassoulet

1. Order cassoulet once

Cassoulet is the dish the tourist office leads with. Maison du Cassoulet inside the walls is the obvious name; I'd eat it at lunch, not before a walk.

2. Buy olives and truffles at the market

Lucques olives and truffles are sold at the market and in shops. The Place Carnot market is where I'd buy them.

3. Pick up dry liver sausage

Dry liver sausage is sold by the town's butchers, and it travels well. Pair it with a cheese from L'Oenologue-Fromager in the Bastide.

4. Try the iced cassoulet for dessert

Several pastry shops make a frozen dessert called the iced cassoulet. Carcassonne nougat and the Écus de la Cité are the other sweets to carry home.

Fireworks on 14 July, the festival all July

1. Watch 14 July from the A61

The Embrasement de la Cité has lit the walls every 14 July since 1898, and the show runs over 25 minutes. In 2025 VINCI held a free evening at the Belvédère d'Auriac rest area on the A61, Toulouse-bound, with fireworks at 22:30; spaces were limited. 14 July 2027 is a Wednesday.

2. Book the festival when dates appear

The Festival de Carcassonne plays the Théâtre Jean-Deschamps and the Château Comtal courtyard, with OFF shows all through July. The 2027 dates weren't published when I checked.

3. Mind the December market

Place Carnot's Christmas market and ice rink return in December; the 2026 dates aren't out yet.

A pig, an architect and a royal order

1. Hear the Dame Carcas story

Legend says Dame Carcas fed her last pig on the last wheat and threw it over the walls. Charlemagne decided the town could hold out and left. "Carcas sonne" is the story's name for the town.

2. Credit Viollet-le-Duc for the roofs

The Cité you see was restored by Viollet-le-Duc from 1852, and the work lasted until 1879.

3. Date the Bastide to 1247

An ordinance of Louis IX in 1247 let a new town grow on the left bank of the Aude. That's the start of the Bastide where you parked.