On a recent lovers trip to the South of France, where we stayed in a friends beautiful old and rustic chateau surrounded by beautiful fields a 45 minute drive from Toulouse, we had a mission – two very different medieval castle experiences.
This region of France has a wealth of gorgeous architecture, historic places, unesco towns, wineries and much more, so we had to keep our itinerary short if we wanted to accomplish seeing some amazing places whilst also drinking ample amounts of wine and just generally enjoy ourselves!
We chose: checking out Carcassonne, an old medieval city and castle built within fortified walls; and Montsegur, a medieval Cathar fortress castle on top of a mountain!
Carcassonne:
Carcassonne is located about an hours drive east of Toulouse and is remarkable from the moment you set eyes on it. From a distance after rounding a corner, we could see something awesome – a fortified castle on top of a mountain!
After parking the car and walking up to the main entrance gate/bridge, we walked up a narrow medieval stone pathway towards the castle, passing small shops along the way. The castle itself has been slowly built upon over the centuries (we’re talking, from around 100AD and onwards) and restored in the 19th century, being given UNESCO heritage list status in 1997!
While taking a self-guided tour of the small castle city, we learned about the many crusades and conquering, rise and fall and change of ownership of Carcassonne, which makes it all the more interesting of a place to visit – since you walk in the footsteps of SO MUCH HISTORY!
As Carcassonne is quite touristy, you can bet your bottom dollar that there are restaurants and cafes coming out of your ears! We tourist’d like the best of them and went to one for some lunch, with a view of the castle. It was quite romantic to be able to sit and have lunch with a view of the castle towers – and we ate some pretty sweet Toulouse sausage!
Wine Tour
After our fair share of history, we capped our day at one of Carcassone’s other most famous things – a winery! We chose to do a tour at O Vineyards, a beautiful vineyard roughly 15 minutes drive from the castle with a humerous and giving host.
We learned about his grapes, his process, and just how much of the stuff he likes to drink, scoring a full glass of wine for each tasting! By the end of the tour we were drunk…so we stayed for a rustic home-cooked dinner with the hosts and other wine afficionados… When in Carcassonne, right!?
Montsegur:
How does one follow up an amazing day in Carcassonne? By hiking off the hangover in the Pyrenees, that’s how!
So, Montsegur is located south of Toulouse, about 1.5 hours drive, and is well worth the journey. Another wow moment of our trip happened during our drive when we rounded the corner to finally see what we were about to embark on. Montsegur sits atop a mountain/hill, which is the most daunting looking hill I’ve ever decided I would climb. In fact, sitting at a whopping 1200ms altitude I rethought if I would actually climb it when I saw it. But – when your boyfriend is looking at you to be his hiking side-kick, you do it.
Montsegur or, the Chateau de Montsegur (which we were hiking to) is a former fortress, now in ruins. It’s history is long, some 80 thousand years, however the most interesting event to occur in its history for me was the siege in 1244. The French troops stormed the castle over a 9 month period, which had become the seat of the Cathar church, and ended up burning 220 Cathars in a mass bonfire at the foot of the mountain (which is part of the hiking route). Greusome…
The climb took around 30 minutes, and by golly that 30 minutes was rough. It’s straight up, a constant climb, but when you reach the top, the lactic acid pain falls into the background as you take in the scenery. The view from the top is stunning and the ruins themselves are pretty great to check out too!
Once we reached the summit and climbed into the ruined castle, it began to rain, so we took shelter in an old stairwell/lookout, and were able to see many markings from hundreds of years before we had ever set foot on Montsegur, which again – was pretty mind-blowing!
The hike back down the hill was just as hard, with the lactic build up making it difficult and the mud from the rain, but we made it to the bottom and felt pretty proud of ourselves!
Another Darling Town
Our day wasn’t over though – we drove just north of Montsegur to a gorgeous old medieval town called Mirepoix, one of the most darling towns you’ll come across in France.
Steak and Frites and a Creme Brulee lining our tummies, we checked out the cathedral, the colourful 13th century medieval stilt buildings, Mirepoix’s 800 year old oak tree and the famed bridge, before calling it a day. A short but lovely visit to Mirepoix and highly recommended on a journey in the surrounding areas of Toulouse.
Castle Love
I don’t think I have ever called myself a history buff, however, getting to check out 2 very different castles with interesting back stories was a great time! The hunk and I had a magical time exploring both Carcassonne and Montsegur and found the historic side of our days interesting and in some way romantic. If France has all of this to offer in such a small area that we covered in this trip, I can’t wait to explore so much more!
Australian expat, married to a Dutch guy, living in Amsterdam. Previously lived in London for 3 years, too! Lover of travel, coffee, brunch, beaches, fresh flowers, and family. Now a new mum, navigating life with a baby!
