Carcassonne

La Cité, a hilltop fortress with a double ring of walls and 52 towers, restored in the 19th century and on the UNESCO list with the Canal du Midi that passes the lower town. Walk the ramparts and the Château Comtal, eat cassoulet, and stay the night to see the walls lit up once the day crowds leave. The Bastille Day fireworks on 14 July are among France's biggest. Trains from Toulouse take about 45 minutes.

Highlights

• Ramparts of La Cité
• Château Comtal
• Floodlit walls at night
• Canal du Midi boat ride
• Cassoulet
• Cathar castle day trip
• Bastille Day fireworks

Things to do

• Château Comtal and the ramparts walkMorning · 2h 30m
• La Cité lanes and the Basilica of Saint-NazaireAfternoon · 2h
• Canal du Midi boat tripApr–OctAfternoon · 1h 30m
• Floodlit walls after darkEvening · 1h

Tours & tickets

When to go

Best time: April – June, September – October

• Bastille Day (Fête nationale) — France's national day: a military parade on the Champs-Élysées in the morning and fireworks at the Eiffel Tower at night, with crowds on the Champ de Mars from the afternoon. Carcassonne's fireworks over La Cité are among the biggest in the country. Banks and many shops close; trains run.