Heart of stone


DESTINATIONS FRANCE | EUROPE


Visitors can feel like king (or queen) of the castle in the fortified French city of Carcassonne, discovers Tamara Hinson


j travelweekly.co.uk


ust an hour’s drive from Toulouse and surrounded by one of southern France’s top wine regions, historic Carcassonne has it all: fantastic food, a rich history and breathtaking backdrops, including the rugged peaks of Occitanie’s Pyrenees mountains. It’s hard not to be impressed by the thick, double stone walls that encircle the Unesco-listed Historic Fortified Centre of Carcassonne, perched proudly


on a hilltop, its towers and turrets jutting skywards against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks. But getting an inside view of this iconic monument is now even easier. In 2025, France’s National Monuments Centre completed a restoration of the ramparts, adding raised walkways around the ancient walled city, which dates back to 550BC. The views from these walls – of vineyards, mountains and rolling hills – are breathtaking.²


28 MAY 2026 39


PICTURE: OMTCarcassonne


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