Carcassonne photo gallery
Inside the Medieval Fortress

The weather forecast had originally called for sunshine throughout the day, but persistent clouds lingered even though I saw some blue skies in the distance.

A bit disappointed, I walked the ramparts and inside the historic town for a bit hoping the weather would clear. Unfortunately, the forecast never materialized as it continuously changed for sunshine to come in the next hour, but it never did. With a packed itinerary in Toulouse and not wanting to spend my whole day in Carcassonne, I had to accept the grey skies and head inside the paid part of the fortress to start my visit.

Being February, admission was a cheaper 13 euros, compared to 19 during the high season. Once inside, the direction of travel is well sign-posted and the first section comprises a series of interior galleries.

However, the exhibitions were not particularly interesting so I quickly walked through, with brief stops at some windows to enjoy the good views.

However, do spend the time to walk along the fortress walls, which makes a complete loop around the medieval town. There are short turn exits along the way but I'll recommend investing your time to do the whole thing. Surprisingly, it was a quiet day and not particularly cold for early February.

During the 13th century, the French kings ordered construction of a 2nd wall around the medieval city, measuring 1.6km long and 10-12m high. It had arrow slits for crossbows, towers, and barbicans.

Carcassonne was once close to the border between France and Aragon, giving the area strategic military value. After the Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed in 1659 and the border moved, coupled with new warfare techniques, Carcassonne's importance declined. Napoleon even removed it from the list of strongholds in 1804.

Despite the 19th century renovations that altered the original medieval architecture, especially the crowns and roofs, most of the ramparts and towers are still original. In 1997, the historic fortress was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.