Carcassonne photo gallery
The Medieval Fortress - Ramparts

After walking through the newer town quickly, I headed across the river on the Pont Vieux to reach the medieval fortress. This bridge dates from the 14th century and was the only way across the Aude until the 19th.

From here, you can admire the scale of this fortress and its perfect location.

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. Unfortunately, the forecast never materialized as it continuously changed for sunshine to come in the next hour, but it never did.

I headed around the fortress looking for the Narbonnaise Gate, one of two gates into the medieval fortress. Arriving fairly early after reading about insane crowds, I was surprised there was barely anyone here.

Before finding the gate, I noticed a dirt path that runs along the wall on the ramparts. From here, you can admire the construction up close and also enjoy views of Bastide Saint-Louis.

The medieval fortress has a double wall. Perched on a hill, it must have been quite formidable to storm it back in the day.

Heading inside the walls, there are a few blocks of shops and restaurants to explore for free. To access the exhibitions and to walk a circle of the fortress on top of the wall, you need to pay an admission fee.

You will get a grand view from the open space just outside the Narbonnaise Gate, which was built around 1280 to defend the main entrance to the fortress with 20 towers reaching 30m high. The tourist information centre is on the other side, where helpful staff are happy to help you plan your exploration.