Our self catering house is only five minutes from Carcassonne

Carcassonne is situated in the Aude region of France, steeped in history it has one of the largest fortified castles in Europe. Carcassonne Cité from a far looks like a fairy tale castle, gleaming in the sunlight in the day time and illuminated at night.

It was originally built by the Gauls, Romans, Visigoths, Morrs and Franks and it was later used as one of the major strongholds for the Cathars. But in 1659, when Rousillon was annexed to France, Carcassonne Cité started to fall into disrepair and by the 18th Centuary La Cité was little more than a slum.

However in 1850, thanks to Violet-le-Duc, who fell in love with the Cité at first sight, he managed to persuade the Commission of Historical Monuments to undertake the restoration of the castle in 1844. The restoration work took many years, and was finally completed by 1910.

La Cité comes alive in summer, with open air concerts throughout the whole of July and August. On the 14th of July it is Bastille day, when the French celebrate the start of the French revolution. People travel across the whole of europe to witness the amazing display of fireworks hosted each year at the castle. If you would like to visit any of the Carcassonne events this summer then click on the link.