AUDE TOURISM

Carcassonne

Narbonne

Cathar castles

Abbeys

Canal du Midi

Other attractions & Beaches

The Aude has something for everyone. The climate is warm & sunny. For a beach holiday there are 50 km of Mediterranean coastline with a number of lively resorts. Hikers will enjoy the mountains and forests of the Black Mountains in the north and the Pyrenean foothills in the south.

The principal economic activity here is wine production.and the rolling countryside is covered in the vines of the Corbieres and Minervois regions. Aude is also packed with history. This is Cathar country with ruined castles perched on high rock outcrops with magnificent views over the surrounding Pyrenees.

"La Cite of Carcassonne", is the largest walled city in Europe, a medieval city encircled by a double row of fortified ramparts. Although heavily restored, this 12th-century citadel town is still impressive, and one of France's most-visited attractions.

A Roman town that was attacked by Barbarians in the IIIrd C AD it was heavily fortified in the 4th C. The city housed the castle of the Count of Carcasonne during the 11thC. A second exterior wall was built around 1230. The citadelle was further expanded in the 13th C by the king of France. It was completely restaured in the XIXth C by Viollet-le-Duc. website.

The first Roman town of the region, there is the Roman Horreum, a, underground warehouse, that can be visited.

Built in the 13th century as the seat of a powerful Languedoc Roussillon archbishop, the cathedral is a good example of Gothic architecture, with its many flying buttresses.

Next to the cathedral is the impressive 'Archbishops Palace' which is also worth a visit - and just in front in the main square is a portion of the 'Via Domitia', the old Roman road running down to Spain. website

The Cathar castles, Peyrepertuse, Quéribus, Puilaurens, Aguilar and Termes, were largely destroyed by Simon de Montfort, are in semi-ruins, but they remain impressive and you can admire the magnificent views from these fortifications high on rocky outcrops.

Catharism began in the XI th century and spread during the XII th C. These Christians condemmed the wealth and the luxury of the religious dignitaries of the Church of Rome. The Cathar priests called themselves the Perfects and preached poverty and abstinence. They wandered the countryside dressed in rags and their spiritual ideals earned them sympathy among the population. (The word cathar comes from the Greek katharos = pure ; katharsis = cleansing.)

The movement became particuliarly well established in the south-west of France especially in the region around Albi (the Albigenses) where it received the support of the local barons, such as the Count of Toulouse, Raymond VI.

As the Cathars became more influential, the barons of Languedoc converted to the religion to mark their independance from the King. Along with the religious autonomy there developed a political autonomy. Eventually the Catholic authorities came to be see the Cathars as a subversive menace to he established church.

To counter this threat to the power of the Catholic church, Pope Innocent III and the King of France launched a crusade against the Albigenses in 1209, led by Simon de Montfort.

There followed the sieges of the fortified towns and the massacres (notably at Béziers where 20,000 were killed). Hundreds of Cathar believers were burnt at the stake. The Catholics finally eliminated this "heretical" movement with the fall of the last Cathar bastion, Quéribus, in 1255.

Visiting these castles takes you into the heart of the Corbières, and you can discover the villages and the unspoilt countryside of a bygone age.

chateau-peyrepertuse.com
cathares.org - payscathare.com

The Abbey of Fontfroide, south-west of Narbonne, is a restored Cistercian abbey in a valley of the Corbieres hills.

Founded by the Benedictines at the end of the XIth century, Fontfroide changed to the Cistecian Order in the XIIth century.

During the crusade against the Albigeans, Fontfroide was a powerful stronghold of the Catholic orthodoxy against Catharism.

The abbey declined from 1500 onwards, but has been restored and there is a superb 13th century cloister. website.

Lagrasse is a monastery town in a valley in the Corbieres hills. Listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France it is now home to a number of artists.

The Abbey of Lagrasse was founded in the VIII th C and becamme important grew to prosperity during the crusade against the Albigeans. From 1224 to 1230, the abbot, Benoît d'Aligan, mediated between the warring factions and finally obtained Carcassonne's submission to the king of France (1226).

Lagrasse village square

The Midi Canal, which winds its way through Aude, is an incredible feat of construction linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.

It took 12,000 men working for 14 years to complete it in the 17th Century. The canal is 240 km long and has 64 locks, 55 aqueducts, 126 bridges and 7 canal bridges.

Nowadays tourists come from all over Europe to hire the cruisers and leisurely explore "La France Profonde". Lined with shady trees it's pleasant for a walk or a cycle ride along the towpath. website

At the time of the Romans, the Gulf of Narbonne was open to the sea, but over the 2000 years it has closed up, creating a series of salt-water lakes, called étangs, that run down the coast. Traditional fishing is still practiced in theses lakes and mussels, oysters and crabs are also harvested by the fishermen. It is also a great place for the bird-watching: there are pink flamingos, cormorants, herons and many migratory birds.

From Cabanes de Fleury to Leucate-Plage there are 50 kms of wide, sandy, uncrowded beaches. There several beaches in Gruissan, including where the film Betty Blue was filmed with the Chalets built on stilts. The old circular village of Gruissan has great charm. website

There is Narbonne-Plage, St.Pierre-la-Mer and Leucate. There are boat trips, swimming, game fishing, wind-surfing and all manner of other water sports available.

Bages, just south of Narbonne, is a little village with a picturesque port, street, and old ramparts. There are picturesque walks around the lakes Doul and Sigean.

Further south, Sigean, a fortified town, with a museum of the Corbières covering the local history. website. And nearby is the Safari Park with 300 hectares of "savannah" and over 3800 animals to see. website

Terra Vinea is an ex-quarry, now an underground cavern used to store wine. website