Self Guided Walking Tour of Carcassonne France

Carcassonne is a beautiful city which is also home to 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of these is the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne, which is the largest walled city in Europe. Carcassonne is a very walkable city containing many interesting sites to see along the way. This France travel blog contains a self guided walking tour of Carcassonne France so that you can enjoy the highlights of the city. It also includes recommended places to eat or get a drink along the way. The total walking time is just under one hour. However we recommend allowing a full day to enjoy this walking tour of Carcassonne.

In this Carcassonne travel guide we outline the major attractions of our Carcassonne free walking tour. This walking tour of Carcassonne Center covers the area from Carcassonne train station to the old city. There is a map as well as walking times and distances between each location at the end of the blog.

Plan your trip: Here are our Carcassonne France top recommendations:

Activities: book your Carcassonne France Tours with Get Your Guide.

Accommodation: we use Booking.com to find the best hotels.

Transport: TrainLine for trains and FlixBus for intercity buses.

Flights: find cheapest flights with cashback on WayAway.

Airport Lounge Access: start your holiday the right way with Priority Pass.

Travel Medical Insurance: SafetyWing Nomad Insurance is the ideal choice for long-term travellers and digital nomads.

Carcassonne France Walking Tour: Points of Interest

Place Gambetta (Square Gambetta) Carcassonne France

About Place Gambetta Carcassonne France

Place Gambetta is a large open space with two rows of trees, garden beds, plenty of seating, food kiosks, toilet facilities as well as an underground parking underneath. It is just across the road from the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Carcassonne.

Constructed in 1861, this square replaced the Place du Charbon (place of coal) as well as various surrounding buildings. It was then renamed Place Sainte-Cécile, after a saint that was popular in the area. Following the death of famous French lawyer and republican politician Léon Gambetta, it was renamed to Place Gambetta in 1883. Significantly, Léon Gambetta is considered the founder of the Third Republic in France.

During WWII Germany occupied Carcassonne and in 1944 they demolished much of the square. Unfortunately, following the demolition only two rows of trees remained. These trees are still present in the square today. Following the Liberation of the City in 1944, the garden was restored in French style. The restored garden was unveiled in 1948.

The latest redesign of the garden occurred in 2015.

Place Gambetta Carcassonne France Address

Square Gambetta, 11000 Carcassonne, France

Pâtisserie Chocolaterie Bimas, Carcassonne France

About Pâtisserie Chocolaterie Bimas Carcassonne France

Pâtisserie Bimas is a French patisserie as well as a chocolate shop. Moreover it is full of mouth watering treats. The owner, Bruno Bimas is a pastry chef, chocolate maker, confectioner as well as ice cream maker. Bimas makes hand crafted creations using the finest products from all the French regions. Additionally, his chocolate comes from countries famed for their cacao production.

Pâtisserie Chocolaterie Bimas Address

7 Avenue Arthur Mullot, 11000 Carcassonne, France

Pâtisserie Chocolaterie Bimas Contact Details

Telephone: +33468252701

Website: https://www.patisserie-bimas-carcassonne.fr/

Place La Petite Cuillère Carcassonne France

About La Petite Cuillère Carcassonne France

La Petite Cuillère is a charming little cafe. It is located just across the Aude River in the shadow of the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne France. This cafe is a perfect place to stop for a snack during your free walking tour of Carcassonne. You can buy pastries as well as hot drinks here. They also serve breakfast and lunch. Be sure to try their deliciously thick hot chocolate for 3 euro.

La Petite Cuillère Carcassonne France Address

11 Rue Trivalle, 11000 Carcassonne, France

La Petite Cuillère Contact Details

Telephone: +33967480330

Website: https://www.facebook.com/lpcuillere/

Église Saint-Gimer Carcassonne France

About Église Saint-Gimer Carcassonne France

Église Saint-Gimer is a beautiful gothic style church. It is located just outside the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne. Significantly, famed French architect Eugène Emmanuel Viollet le Duc designed this church. He is the same architect that restored many prominent medieval landmarks in France, including the medieval walls of the city of Carcassonne as well as Notre-Dame in Paris. Viollet-le-Duc also worked on the engineering of the Statue of Liberty. This church was construction from 1849 to 1859.

Église Saint-Gimer Carcassonne France Address

Pl. Saint-Gimer, 11000 Carcassonne, France

Église Saint-Gimer Contact Details

Telephone: +33468102436

Porte de l’Aude Carcassonne France

About Porte de l’Aude Carcassonne France

The medieval gateway Porte de l’Aude is the entrance to the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne. Set up on the hill, it faces the Aude River.

In 2018 an artwork called Eccentric Concentric Circles was installed on Carcassonne. This artwork was part of the celebrations for the 20^th anniversary of the UNESCO heritage listing of the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne. Swiss artist Felice Varini installed giant, bright yellow concentric circles upon the walls of a historic French fortified city of Carcassonne. This was an anamorphic illusion, meaning that the shape of the circles is only apparent when viewing the artwork from in front of the Porte de l’Aude. The intention was for a temporary artwork that would not leave a permanent mark on the building. Yellow aluminium foil wrapped around the building to create the circles. However despite removing the foil, you can still see the form of the circles to this day.

Porte de l’Aude Carcassonne France Address

30 Côte de la Cité, 11000 Carcassonne, France

Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne France

About the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne France

The UNESCO listed Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne is the largest walled city in Europe. Moreover it is the perfect example of a medieval fortified city. The city is located on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Aude River. In popular culture, the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was filmed here. It is also the inspiration for the board game Carcassonne.

The land that the city is built on has been occupied since the 6^th century BCE. It was a Roman city before becoming a medieval city. The inner castle has been on this site since the 12^th century and the fortress has been here since the 13^th century.

The Cathars built this fortress. They were an early Christian group that existed in this area between the 12^th and 14^th centuries. The Catholics persecuted the Cathars during the Crusades. Now, all that remains of the Cathars are their castles, such as the one at Carcassonne.

Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne France Address

1 Rue Viollet le Duc, 11000 Carcassonne, France

Château Comtal Carcassonne France

About Château Comtal Carcassonne France

Château Comtal is the medieval castle within the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne. In order to enter the castle and ramparts you need to pay an entry fee. Tickets are 11 euro (prices as at 2024). Children under 18 years as well as EU citizens aged 18 to 25 get free entry.

This Cathar castle was built in the 12^th century. Famous French architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc restored the castle in 1853.

Attacks on the castle occurred numerous times during the 13^th century. This occurred during the War against the Cathars of the Languedoc as well as the Crusades. Subsequently the castle was enlarged into a fortress.

Address: Château Comtal

Located within the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne

Plus Code: 6947+R6 Carcassonne, France

Comte Roger Restaurant Carcassonne France

About Comte Roger Restaurant Carcassonne France

Comte Roger is a fine dining Michelin Plate restaurant. Their menu features the best local cuisine with gourmet dishes carefully prepared by Chef Pierre Mesa. The restaurant includes a modern contemporary dining room with views of the ramparts of the fortress. There is also an outdoor terrace area.

The restaurant serves lunch and dinner. Expect to pay 10-20 euro for starters, 20-30 euro for mains, 8-10 euro for dessert (prices as at 2022).

Comte Roger Restaurant Carcassonne France Address

14 Rue Saint-Louis, 11000 Carcassonne, France

Located within the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne

Comte Roger Restaurant Contact Details

Telephone: +33468119340

Website: http://www.comteroger.com/

Basilique Saint-Nazaire Carcassonne France

About Basilique Saint-Nazaire Carcassonne France

Basilique Saint-Nazaire (Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus) is a Roman Catholic minor basilica. It is located within the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne. Originally a Visigoth church was here from around the 6^th century. Subsequently there was a cathedral from the 12^th century. That cathedral was rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 13^th century. Finally French architect Viollet-le-Duc restored the building in the 1800s. This Gothic-Romanesque style church is a French historical monument.

Basilique Saint-Nazaire Carcassonne France Address

La Cité, Place Saint-Nazaire, 11000 Carcassonne, France

Located within the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne

Porte Narbonnaise (Narbonne Gate) Carcassonne France

About Porte Narbonnaise (Narbonne Gate) Carcassonne France

Porte Nabonnaise is the main entrance to the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne. Built around 1280, it features two large spur towers. The name of the gate is due to its orientation towards the nearby city of Narbonne. In the 1800s the famous French architect Viollet-le-Duc reconstructed the battlements and the slate roof. He also added a drawbridge which was not in the original design.

Porte Narbonnaise (Narbonne Gate) Carcassonne France Address

Located on the eastern side of the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne

Buste de Dame Carcas (Bust of Lady Carcas) Carcassonne France

About Lady Carcas Carcassonne France

The name of the city of Carcassonne comes from the legendary figure from local folklore, Lady Carcas. Legend has it that the Emperor Charlemagne had laid siege to the city of Carcassonne and the city had been under siege for 5 or 6 years. During this time Lady Carcas’ husband died and she became the head of the city. Lady Carcas was cunning and used tactics to make Charlemagne think the city was stronger than it was. For example, she used straw mannequins dressed as soldiers to make it look like she had stronger defences than she actually had.

However as the siege went on, supplies of food dwindled. Eventually the town only had one pig and some wheat. Rather than give up or starve, Lady Carcas decided to show one last desperate act of defiance. She stuffed the pig with grain and threw it over the walls of the city. The pig landed in front of the besieging army, exploding with grain. This lead Charlemagne to think that the people of Carcassonne had so much food that they were willing to waste some. Moreover he thought they could easily wait out the siege for many more years to come. As such, he gave up and called off his army.

As Charlemagne’s army left, Lady Carcas sounded the town horn to let those in the surrounding area know that the siege had lifted. This gave rise to the town name, “Carcas sonne”, which means Carcas sounds.

It is likely that this is merely a legend, as Charlemagne never attacked the city of Carcassonne. However it makes for a great story!

Buste de Dame Carcas (Bust of Lady Carcas) Carcassonne France Address

Located on the eastern side of the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne, in front of Porte Narbonnaise

Plus Code: 6948+M9 Carcassonne, France

Pont Vieux of Carcassonne

About Pont Vieux of Carcassonne

Pont Vieux translates to Old Bridge. This is a medieval stone bridge that dates back to the 14^th Century. The bridge is a pedestrian bridge, crossing the Aude River. For centuries it was the only bridge connecting Bastide Saint Louis, the lower town of Carcassonne, with the Medieval City of Carcassonne. It has been classified as a historical monument in France.

Pont Vieux of Carcassonne Address

Rue du Pont Vieux, 11000 Carcassonne, France

Portail des Jacobins Carcassonne France

About Portail des Jacobins Carcassonne France

Portail des Jacobins is the gateway to the lower town of Carcassonne, known as Bastide Saint Louis. It was built in 1779 and was supposed to be one of the 4 gateways to the city at the cardinal points. However the other gates were not built. This monumental gate was constructed in stone in the neo-classical style.

Outside the gate there is a nice park area as well as the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Brasserie a 4 Temps.

Portail des Jacobins Carcassonne France Address

Rue Courtejaire, 11000 Carcassonne, France

Plus Code: 6963+82 Carcassonne, France

Place Carnot Carcassonne France

About Place Carnot Carcassonne France

Place Carnot is the central square of the lower town of Carcassonne. The square is lined with cafes and restaurants and is a great place to have a leisurely lunch and people watch. On Tuesday, Thursdays as well as Saturdays a fresh produce market is held in the square. Additionally, during the Christmas season you can find a charming European Christmas market here. In the middle of the square there is a fountain called La Fontaine de Neptune.

The square in its current dimensions has been at this location since 1355. In that time it has been the place of many historic events. During the French Revolution it was used as a site of public executions. One such execution was that of Joan the Black, who was was guillotined here in 1792.

The square was renovated in 2021.

Place Carnot Carcassonne France Address

Place Carnot, 11000 Carcassonne, France

Canal du Midi Carcassonne France

About Canal du Midi Carcassonne France

Canal du Midi is the other UNESCO World Heritage Site in Carcassonne. The canal is 360km long and spans between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Along the canal there are 328 structures, including locks, aqueducts, bridges as well as tunnels. Specifically, in the Greater Carcassonne area alone there are 17 locks to pass through. This makes for a leisurely boat trip if you decide to sail down the canal.

The canal was built between 1667 and 1694. Significantly, it is known as one of the great civil engineering works of the modern era. It was designed by French engineer Pierre-Paul Riquet.

There is a path alongside the canal, which is perfect for a relaxing stroll as well as for cycling. There are restaurants on the banks of the canal as well as a port just outside the Carcassonne train station.

Canal du Midi Carcassonne France Address

Plus Code: 6982+X4 Carcassonne, France

Gare de Carcassonne France

About Gare de Carcassonne

This is the train station in Carcassonne France. It connects Carcassonne to other towns and cities within France. Carcassonne is around one hour by train from Toulouse, 40 minutes by train to Narbonne and 1.5 hours from Montpellier.

Gare de Carcassonne Address

1 Av. du Maréchal Joffre, 11000 Carcassonne, France

Self Guided Walking Tour of Carcassonne France Map

The map of this self guided walking tour of Carcassonne France is below.

Walking Distances for Self Guided Walking Tour of Carcassonne France

The walking distances are as follows:

1. Square Gambetta to Pâtisserie Bimas: 150 metres (0.1 miles), 2 minute walk (we suggest buying hand crafted chocolates here)
2. Pâtisserie Bimas to La Petite Cuillère: 450 metres (0.3 miles), 6 minute walk (you will walk across the Pont Neuf bridge over the Aude River and get views of the Pont Vieux bridge) (we suggest having a snack and a hot drink here)
3. La Petite Cuillère to Église Saint-Gimer: 400 metres (0.2 miles), 5 minute walk
4. Église Saint-Gimer to Porte de l’Aude: 140 metres (0.1 miles), 2 minute walk uphill
5. Porte de l’Aude to Château Comtal: 450 metres (0.3 miles), 7 minute walk
6. Château Comtal to Restaurant Comte Roger: 110 metres (0.1 miles), 1 minute walk
7. Restaurant Comte Roger to Basilique Saint-Nazaire: 140 metres (0.1 miles), 2 minute walk (we suggest you have lunch here)
8. Basilique Saint-Nazaire to Porte Narbonnaise: 400 metres (0.2 miles), 5 minute walk
9. Porte Narbonnaise to Pont Vieux: 950 metres (0.6 miles), 11 minute walk
10. Pont Vieux to Portail des Jacobins: 550 metres (0.3 miles), 7 minute walk
11. Portail des Jacobins to Place Carnot: 270 metres (0.2 miles), 3 minute walk (we suggest having a drink at one of the restaurants and cafes around Place Carnot)
12. Place Carnot to Gare de Carcassonne: 600 metres (0.4 miles), 8 minute walk (you cross the Canal du Midi just before the train station)

Total Distance for self-guided walking tour Carcassonne France: 4.5 kilometres (2.8 miles), 57 minute walk. Allow for one full day with stops along the way to enjoy the attractions.

Virtual Walking Tour of Carcassonne France

Our virtual Carcassonne Walking Tour in France is in the video below.

Train to Carcassonne France

Trains are a cheap and efficient way to get to Carcassonne France. Carcassonne Train Station is called Gare de Carcassonne in French.

We recommend using the app and website TrainLine to book intercity train tickets in France. This is the app we used. We found it very easy to use with great functionality. Another great feature is that you can see days ahead to see what times of the day were the cheapest rates. The TrainLine app was much easier to use than the SNCF website and app, which we found really cumbersome and difficult to use.

Where to stay in Carcassonne France

We recommend the following accommodation in Carcassonne France:

• Best hostel in Carcassonne city – for a great value hostel in the heart of Carcassonne city we recommend Le Couvent Hostel. This hostel is very clean and fairly new. The staff are nice and helpful. There is also a great bar and restaurant on the premises. However there is no communal kitchen and not many common areas.
• Best mid-range hotel in Carcassonne France – for a great value stay in Carcassonne France we recommend Hôtel du Pont Vieux. Located just outside the city, this Carcassonne hotel has comfortable rooms and exceptional service.
• Best bed & breakfast in Carcassonne city – for a charming B&B in Carcassonne Citadel, we recommend Les chambres d’Aimé. This historic property has spacious, beautifully decorated rooms as well as a private pool. It is a peaceful retreat in the heart of the city. Furthermore, their breakfasts are delicious.
• Best luxury 5 star hotel in Carcassonne Citadel – for a luxury experience within the city walls of Carcassonne we recommend Hotel de la Cité & Spa Mgallery. The hotel has a prime position within the citadel and the views from the terrace are amazing.
• Best value self-contained apartment in Carcassonne city – for a beautifully appointed one bedroom apartment in Carcassonne city we recommend Méline – BASTIDE – Appartement. This Carcassonne holiday apartment rental is also conveniently close to the historic city of Carcassonne.
• Best luxury self-contained apartment in Carcassonne city – Apartement d`Églantine is a spacious apartment in Carcassonne with a wonderful host and a great location.

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