The incredible walls of the ancient city of Carcassonne defended the city for centuries and were devastated, before being completely restored by 19th-century architect, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.
Never mind that his work might not be the most historically accurate, they’re an architectural wonder all the same and draw visitors to the city from far and wide. After discovering every niche, passageway, and parapet you can navigate the streets of the hilltop settlement or venture into the less touristy Lower City for lunch or a shopping trip. Within minutes of Carcassonne, you can also go to the vineyards, wine cellars, dilapidated castles and calming green banks of Canal du Midi. Discover the best things to do in Carcassonne.
[toc]
1. La Cité de Carcassonne
First, we’ll deal with what’s inside the walls. The streets within the citadel are a Disney-esque dreamland of passageways and winding alleys. There’s an engaging lack of symmetry to the old stone buildings, some with exposed timbers and others clad with ivy.
It will be an effort not to walk around with your camera glued to your face. The ideal time to come is early, before the tourist hordes and lunchtime. Anyway, most restaurants and cafes are geared towards daytime pedestrians, and this street maze is best when semi-desert.
2. Château Comtal and Ramparts
From above or below, on the ramparts or inside the walls, Carcassonne’s double line of fortifications is a marvel. The insurmountable walls and 52 towers are deservedly the center of attention and go on for three kilometers around the old upper city.
You can enter the Château Comtal for a tour, and with an audio-guide, you should expect to lose two awe-filled and informative hours finding out about how the walls were built in the 15th century and how they were restored in the 1800s by Viollet-le-Duc.
You can do the full walk along the battlements, and between the walls, there are even jousting shows for families to watch in summer.
3. Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus
This church was built over several hundred years from the 800s to the 1300s and what makes it rare is the way romanesque and gothic design coexist so comfortably.
The sense of harmony is easily noticeable in the interior of the church, which has escaped the interference of Viollet-le-Duc Lao and prides itself on Roman sculptures, stoneware and stained glass windows side by side.
In the choir, the long central stained glass window is from 1280, and thus, one of the oldest outside northern France.
4. Carcassonne Lower City
Known as the Bastide de Saint-Louis, this area of Carcassonne was built outside the walls in the 13th century on the orders of Louis IX (known as Saint Louis). There’s a completely different ambiance to La Cité, which is down to the regular grid street-plan, high street shops, the usual French amenities and almost total absence of tourists.
Place Carnot is a handy place to begin your brief jaunt through this area: There are restaurant tables spilling onto the square, and the Fountain of Neptune in the center dates to 1770.
5. Carcassonne Cathedral
Less acclaimed than the Basilica, Carcassonne’s current cathedral was a simple parish church in the Lower City until the Episcopal seat was switched at the turn of the 19th-century.
But it’s worth calling in, as it was built in the 13th century and is a satisfying piece of southern gothic architecture, with an octagonal bell-tower and a beautiful rose window. It suffered damage in the 100 Years’ War and was rebuilt with fortifications, as you can tell from the loopholes on the tower.
Viollet-le-Duc was involved in restoration works in the 1800s, and it was his first project in Carcassonne before he moved on to the fortifications.
6. Lac de la Cavayère
Twenty minutes by car or bus from the city is a lake formed by a dam built-in 1988. There’s 40 hectares of water and pine woodland, with three small beaches, a grassy area and all sorts of things for kids to do in summer: You can hire pedalos and play mini-golf, while kids have an inflatable playground to scramble over on the lake.
Motorized craft is banned on the waters, which keeps things peaceful, and you can take gentle walks in the forested hills and have family picnics on the benches beneath the pines.
7. Musée des Beaux-Arts
Carcassonne’s fine art museum was established in 1836, and nearly 200 years and many donations later it provides you with an enlightening journey through French art from the 1600s to the 1900s.
One of the museum’s eight galleries is also dedicated to Flemish and Dutch art from the 1600s. Among the names that even philistines like us will recognize are Brueghel the Elder, Mattia Preti, Jan van Goyen, Jacob Jordaens and Gustave Courbet.
Room Five has a display of 19th-century French ceramics and there’s also a telescope used by Napoleon after departing Elba in 1815.
8. Châteaux de Lastours
The hills of the Aude department are peppered with the eerie vestiges of medieval castles that belonged to noblemen loyal to the Cathar sect. During the Albigensian Crusade, the sect was violently suppressed by the French Catholics, and many of these strongholds turned to rubble.
The four castles in Lastours, Cabaret, Tour Régine, Quertinheux and Surdespine, were sacked during the crusade and later repurposed as fortresses. They are part of the same complex but are all different structures with courtyards, arcades, towers with loopholes, murder holes, and spiral staircases, as well as the ruins of a church.
The location is sumptuous, high on a rocky spur in the Black Mountains. And the many little flourishes and surprises contribute to a fulfilling hour or two of discovery.
9. Canal du Midi – barge trip
The exceptional work of Pierre-Paul Riquet, the Canal du Midi was dug in the 17th century and helped connect the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. It passes through Carcassonne just north of the Lower Town.
The leg between this city and the Mediterranean town of Sète is touted as the most picturesque of all. Obviously you needn’t go that far; just outside Carcassonne, you can amble east along the towpath for a few miles, as the plane trees meet above the water to form a green tunnel.
There are guided boat tours with Carcassonne Yachts, indicating historic locks and bridges.
10. School Museum
In a former school in the old city is this unassuming museum capturing school life in France between the 1880s and 1960s. You have five rooms to navigate, each with classic furniture and teaching supplies, such as desks, tables, blackboards, and podium.
The collection of old projectors may bring back memories, as will the schoolyard, with hopscotch and other playground games painted on the ground. The museum also has old-time dip pens, which kids can try out to see how easy they’ve got it now.
More ideals for you: Top 10 things to do in Rouen
from : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-carcassonne-706651.html
from Wiki Topx
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét