RENDEZ-VOUS EN FRANCE 2019 Cathars and Middle Age Toulouse/Ariège / Aude (13 rooms)
Thursday 14th March 2019
Arrival at Toulouse Airport or railway station. Welcoming by Occitanie Tourist board.
Transfer to your hotel
Check in at the hotel Mercure St Georges Rue St Jérôme, Place Occitane - 31 000 TOULOUSE Tel +33 (0)5 62 27 79 79 www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-0370-mercure-toulouse-centre-saint-georges- hotel/index.shtml
Ideally located in the hypercentre of Toulouse, just a step from the "place du Capitole" and the "place Wilson", the Mercure Saint Georges hotel benefits from a location privileged in the heart of the historic centre and of the life of the city.
7.30 pm : Meeting in the lobby of the hotel with Toulouse tourist office staff Walk to The Jacobins for the dinner.
The Jacobins Convent Rue Lakanal - 31 000 TOULOUSE Phone.: + 33 (0)5 61 22 23 82 www.jacobins.toulouse.fr/anglais
The former convent of the Dominican friars is an imposing building that is characteristic of southern architecture in the XIII Century, famous for its immense ribbed vault nicknamed the « palm tree ».
Night at the hotel
Friday 15th March 2019
9.45 am : Meeting in the lobby with your guide for a walking guided tour.
10.00 am to 12.00 pm : Walking guided tour of the main monuments of Toulouse 12.00 : Lunch at the restaurant Auberge du Tranchoir 1 bis rue du May– 31000 Toulouse www.letranchoir.fr Tel : +33 (0)5 61 21 66 57
2.00 pm : Departure to Foix
3.30 pm : Arrival in Foix
In preview : Presentation of the new great castle project ! The castle of Foix, jewel of the Middle Age, is the most visited site of Ariège, it is classified as Historic Monument since 1840. This site is going to re-opening in june 2019, after a 7- months period of work, to offer a playful and immersive space of 2000 square metre. You will be able to discover before everyone else the backstage of this Great Site of Occitanie. Welcome to the 14th century!
LE CHATEAU DE FOIX Grands Sites Ariège Route de Banat - 09400 TARASCON SUR ARIEGE Tél : +33 (0)5 61 05 10 10 www.sites-touristiques-ariege.fr
6.30 pm : Check-in at the hotel
Hotel-restaurant Le Lons *** located in the historic city centre of Foix 6, place Georges Duthil - 09000 FOIX www.hotel-lons-foix.com
7.30 pm : Dinner with local products at the restaurant
Saturday 16th March 2019
9.30 am : Transfer to Montsegur
10.30 am : Visit of Montsegur Castle and the amazing point of view to the Pyrénées Situated at an altitude of 1.207 m, this symbol of Cathar resistance dominates the village and surrounding valleys. In 1244, following the siege during the war against the Albigeois, more than 220 cathars perished here, burnt at the stake. Just a 30 minutes walk to reach the castle at 1 207 meters high. (hiking shoe or sports shoe needed) https://www.tourisme-occitanie.com/grimpette-coucher-de-soleil-a-montsegur
1.00 pm : Lunch in the village of Fougax et Barrineuf “Le pré du bonheur” restaurant www.predubonheur.com
3.00 pm : Transfer to Mirepoix Stop on the way to Mirepoix: Fountain of Fontestorbes, exceptional natural site.
4.00 pm : guided visit of the medieval city of Mirepoix Destroyed after a dam broke, the town was rebuilt in 1289. The architects at that time designed it as a fortified town. The square has kept its original structure: half timbered houses over timber arcades and the “Maison des Consuls” with its sculpted wooden beams. Continue your tour with a visit to the Saint-Maurice cathedral, which has the widest nave in France (22 meters large).
5.30 pm : check-in at the hotel Les Minotiers** Avenue Maréchal Foch - 09500 Mirepoix https://www.logishotels.com/fr/hotel/hotel-les-minotiers-13644?partid=661
6.30 pm : Presentation of the 2 cathar trails « Le chemin des Bonshommes » and « Le sentier cathar » more than 200km hiking, biking or horsing, visiting castle in the footsteps of the cathars.
7.00 pm : Dinner
Sunday 17th March 2019
8.30 am : Departure to Peyrepertuse, in Aude Department
9.30 am : Arrival to Duilhac-sur-Peyrepertuse
9.45 am : Guided tour of Peyrepertuse Castle
A real invitation to travel back in time, Peyrepertuse Castle seems to have failed like a majestic ship at an altitude of 800 metres, in the heart of an ever wild nature, overlooking the charming village of Duilhac-sous- Peyrepertuse. By the quality of its constructions, Peyrepertuse is the most remarkable example of military architecture in the Middle Ages. This immense fortress equals, in surface area, that of the City of Carcassonne. Former castle of the Crusade against the Albigensians, it was one of the fortresses built by Saint Louis to protect the southern border of the Kingdom of France until the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659.
CHATEAU DE PEYREPERTUSE Tél. : + 33 (0) 4 82 53 24 07 E-mail : [email protected] - http://www.chateau-peyrepertuse.com
12.00 : Lunch at l’Auberge du Vigneron
L’Auberge du Vigneron 2, rue Achille Mir - 11350 CUCUGNAN Tél : + 33(0) 4 68 45 03 00 www.auberge-vigneron.com
2.30 pm : Visit of Château de Quéribus
Emerging at an altitude of more than 700 metres on the southern crest of the Corbières, the castle projects its elegant silhouette above a superb panorama. The last bastion of the Cathar resistance, then the border citadel of France, its strategic location allows it to exercise a remarkable surveillance on the Roussillon plain.
CHATEAU DE QUERIBUS Tél. : + 33 (0) 4 68 45 03 69 E-mail : [email protected] http://www.cucugnan.fr
4.00 pm : Departure for Lagrasse village
5.00 pm : Visit of the abbey of Lagrasse (Most beautiful villages of France)
The village of Lagrasse, classified as one of the "Most Beautiful Villages in France", appears in a vast amphitheatre amidst vineyards and small fenced fields. Once the capital of the Corbières, the village was surrounded by ramparts. It preserves an exceptional architectural heritage from its rich past, with its famous Benedictine abbey and its medieval centre on the banks of the Orbieu.
Abbaye de Lagrasse 4 rive gauche, 11220 LAGRASSE Tél. +33 4 68 43 15 99 [email protected] http://www.abbayedelagrasse.com - www.payscathare.org
6.15 pm : Departure for Carcassonne
7.15 pm : Check In at Your Hotel **** (name to be confirmed)
8.00 pm : Dinner at Comte Roger Restaurant
COMTE ROGER 14 rue Saint Louis, La Cité - 11000 CARCASSONNE [email protected] - http://www.comteroger.com
Monday 18th March 2019
10:00 am : Visit of the Medieval City of Carcassonne
CHATEAU ET REMPARTS DE LA CITE DE CARCASSONNE 1 rue Viollet-le-Duc, La Cité, 11000 CARCASSONNE carcassonne-reservation@monuments- nationaux.fr http://www.remparts-carcassonne.fr
The imposing fortifications of the city of Carcassonne occupy a rocky spur that dominates the course of the Aude. Occupied since the 6th century BC, Carcassonne was a Roman city before being a medieval city. It bears witness to 1000 years of military architecture and 2600 years of history. The county castle was built in the 12th century by the Trencavel family, the Viscounts of Carcassonne, and was constantly modified over the following centuries. A rich and varied visit is proposed including many exclusive spaces: ramparts, hoardings, projection room, lapidary museum.
Picnic lunch
1.30 pm : Departure to Marseille
Enjoy your stay in Occitanie !
Occitanie Tourist Board
Nicole PRADINES Tel : +33 (0) 5 61 13 55 11 / +33 (0)6 72 87 29 68 Email : nicole.pradines@ occitanie.fr
www.tourism-occitania.co.uk This program has been prepared by Occitanie Tourist Board with the help of :
Toulouse Tourist Office : www.toulouse-tourisme.com Marine BRUNET-MODESTE Tel : +33 (0)5 67 20 26 56 / email : [email protected] Julie SOUPENE Tel.: +33 (0)5 81 31 30 26 / E-Mail: [email protected]
Ariège Pyrénées Tourist Board Véronique HOSCHEID Tel : (+) 33 5 61 02 30 77 [email protected] www.ariegepyrenees.com
Aude Tourist Board Myriam FILLAQUIER Tél : +33 4 68 11 66 04 – Email : [email protected] www.audetourisme.com