There are 2 Carcassonnes… one is the ‘new’ town that contains shops, hotels, restaurants, bars, school, church, houses and more.

The other is the ‘old’ La Cité that also contains shops, hotels, restaurants, bars, school, church, houses and more. It is the giant fortified castle with 2,500 years of history, where restoration began in 1853, and is now a World Heritage site.

It really is a breathtaking place to visit, and is free(!) to enter (and free to leave) and to wander around the 3km of ramparts, viewing its 4 gates and 52 towers.

Every time we have friends staying with us in Montolieu (only a 20 minute drive away) we feel obliged to take them to La Cité.

But the thing is… we don’t mind. We must have been a hundred times, and we still find something new, exciting and interesting to take in.