Carcassonne & Albi

Itinerary

• Day 1 - Carcassonne

  We fly from London to Toulouse and transfer to Carcassonne where we stay for the duration of the tour at the beautiful 5* Deluxe Hotel de la Cité, one of the finest hotels in France and certainly one of the most dramatically situated.

• Day 2 - La Cité

  We spend the first day in Carcassonne, a town of two halves, La Cité itself and the more modern town below the hill. The city is located in a uniquely strategic position, between the Atlantic to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south-east, with imposing mountains to the south-west and north-east, and has been occupied for centuries. The current citadel, known as La Cité, is a well-preserved medieval fortress of a concentric design, which has two outer walls with 53 towers and barbicans. After falling into disrepair in the 19th century, it was extensively – and somewhat controversially – restored by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in 1853.

• Day 3 - Pays de Foix

  Today is spent in Pays de Foix. We visit the tiny church carved deep into a rock at Vals and then continue to Mirepoix, a perfect example of a small bastide where ancient half-timbered houses line thestreets. Finally we see one of the most impenetrable of all Cathar castles at Montsegur which was the centre of Catharism.

• Day 4 - Albi

  Today we drive to Albi, a city whose buildings are made of delicately coloured pink and ochre stone. Here we visit the 13th to 16th century Cathedral of St. Cecile and the wonderful collection of works by Toulouse-Lautrec in the museum.

• Day 5 - Toulouse

  The day is spent in Toulouse, a city still undeservedly little known. Here we see the Musée des Augustins with its important collection of Romanesque sculptures. We will also visit Europe’s largestRomanesque church, St. Sernin; an important stopping point on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.

• Day 6 - Narbonne

  We travel to Narbonne which was the Roman capital of Transalpine Gaul. While little remains from the Roman period, it remained an important centre through to the 13th and 14th centuries when the present cathedral was begun in the ambitious northern Gothic style. We explore the old part of the city before heading to the former Cistercian abbey of Fontfroide.

• Day 7 - Flight

  We drive back to Toulouse airport for the flight to London.