CARCASSONNE - Unesco World Heritage Site - Walks Nature and Heritage Photography : Paul Palau, Mairie de Carcassonne, Office de Tourisme de Carcassonne de Carcassonne, Office de Tourisme : Paul Palau, Mairie Photography www.tourisme-carcassonne.fr Nature and Heritage Bram Canal du Midi D 33 Mazamet Castres Canal du Midi Castelnaudary Toulouse D 118 D 6113 Carcassonne 8 Aude 413 Foix Aéroport Sud de France Mirepoix D 119 Le Pon t Vie ux Lézignan 2 7 56 Narbonne A61 D 6113 A61- Narbonne 2 Montpellier N LA BASTIDE SAINT LOUIS An unexpected heritage revealed at last 1Km LA CITÉ MÉDIÉVALE A61 We promise you will discover its myths 1 and legends Circuit D 118 LE PORT & LE CANAL DU MIDI start Limoux Heritage at the water’s edge A61-Toulouse Bordeaux L’ÎLE & LES RIVES DE L’AUDE “Carcassonne, Grand Site Project” Nature in the heart of the town or an Working towards a more responsible type of tourism which respects the environment enchanting walk on the banks of the Aude. and works in harmony with the places and people who live there in order to provide a better quality welcome and service. Get involved, let us know what you think at LE GRAND PAYSAGE www.grandsite-carcassonne.fr Local produce-growing area Walking Spirit! The walking spirit in Carcassonne is the desire to discover the Medieval City, the Bastide Saint Louis, the landscape or the banks of the water in a different way: from the edge of the Canal du Midi, the Aude or the Lac de la Cavayère. LA BASTIDE SAINT LOUIS SAINT BASTIDE LA An unexpected heritage revealed at last CITÉ MÉDIÉVALE LA promise you will discover its myths We and legends DU MIDI & LE CANAL LE PORT edge Heritage at the water’s DE L’AUDE RIVES & LES L’ÎLE Nature in the heart of town or an Aude. enchanting walk on the banks of PAYSAGE LE GRAND Local produce-growing area There’s a lot to explore with your family and friends! The town and the surrounding area can be discovered through the hiking routes like the GR36, which joins the Bastide Saint Louis to the Lac de la Cavayère and passes by the Medieval City, or the GR78, which is the Piémont Pyrénéen route towards Saint-Jacques de Compostelle… All you need are good shoes, water and… …Voilà! Happy Hiking! 1 From the Bastide to the Cité Pages 4-5 2 At the water’s edge 6-7 3 Riverbanks and locks 8-9 4 In the shade of the canal du Midi 10-11 5 City and landscapes 12-13 6 Landscapes and lake 14-15 7 From the City to the St Foulc priory 16-17 8 Grapes, fragrances and discoveries 18-19 PRACTICAL INFO AND RECOMMENDATIONS 112 : European emergency number 15 : SAMU (ambulance) 17 : gendarmerie (police) 18 : pompiers (fire brigade) “Carcassonne, Grand Site Project” Site “Carcassonne, Grand Working towards a more responsible type of tourism which respects the environment and works in harmony with the places people who live there order to provide a better quality welcome and service. Get involved, let us know what you think at www.grandsite-carcassonne.fr 3250 : Météo France (weather) +33 (0) 4 68 71 50 50 : Taxi Bike Hire: Evasion 2 roues – 85 allée d’Iéna : +33 (0)4 68 11 90 40 Génération VTT – Port du Canal du Midi : +33 (0)6 09 59 30 85 On towpaths, non-cycle paths or voie verte (green route), cycle traffic is, according to current regulations, subject to the authorisation of the VNF. Email your query to [email protected] 3 The crusade against Albi lead to the King of France’s victory over the Viscount of Carcassonne. The city was then radically modified and the two districts, Saint-Vincent and Saint-Michel, which were at the foot of the ramparts, were destroyed. To rehouse the population, Saint Louis built a fortified town (ville neuve on the regular map), which is still visible today. SNCF Station ᕡ Mazamet Castres 1 From the station, Toulouse ᕢ cross the canal du M i d i (locks and port) et enter the jardin des plantes from the right. Reach the marble Chapelle column des Carmes 2 (Caunes- Minervois ᕣ quarries, towards Grand Trianon). Foix Mirpoix Place Carnot ƻ ᕤ Ƽ n a Hotel t e l de l e P Roland d ᕥ ᕦ ᕧ B ᕨ ᕩ R des 3 Couronnes Limoux ƺ Narbonne Follow rue Albert Tomey opposite. 3 Pass in front of Saint-Vincent church (xıve), the Halle aux grains 4 the Saint-Michel cathedral 5 (xıııe-xıve) and end up at promenade Barbès. Take a left, passing in front of the portail Ƹ des Jacobins (xvıııe) 6 (to the right, caserne CIRCUIT INFORMATION Laperrine where the 3rd RPIMA is based). C ƹ Go straight ahead to pass in front of the ôte d µ e la e C i t Distance : 5,5 km Montmorency bastion (xvı ) . Cross and é on the right there is the dome of the old MEDIEVAL CITY Difficulty Level : Easy hospital, 8 the rue des Trois Couronnes. ¸ Cemetery Duration : 2 h Cross the pont-Vieux over the Aude of the City (Notre-Dame de la Santé chapel, xıve ). ¹ Start : SNCF station After the bridge, turn right and follow the rue Barbacane to the Saint- Gimer church (built by Viollet-le-Duc). Pass this and work Signage : 1 - 2 unsigned, your way up the cobbled road which enters 2 to 11 : the Cité from the porte d’Aude . 11 to 1 : unsigned. 4 From the Bastide to the City Enter the ramparts (first group of medieval The ville basse fortifications in Europe. Some stretches of the gallo- roman wall from the ıııth century neighbour the or bastide Saint Louis. fortifications of the xıııth century). Viollet-le-Duc’s restorations in particular (xıxth) support the summit of The origin of the Bastide SNCF Station the buildings. Turn right and take in the Saint-Nazaire comes from the decision ᕡ Mazamet basilica (xııth-xıvth) remarkable stained-glass Castres to construct a second town Toulouse windows, one of the oldest gothic constructions on the left bank of the ᕢ south of the Loire. If you go left, follow the rue du Plô to the place Marcou, then go left towards Aude after the destruction the entrance to the Château comtal (ancient of the neighbourhoods residence of the Trencavel viscounts, largely around the Cité between Chapelle reconstructed, HQ of the royal administration). 1255 and 1260. The “bourg des Carmes Go down the rue Cros-Mayrevieille and exit the neuf”(new neighbourhood) ramparts through the Porte Narbonnaise (tourist created on royal order in ᕣ office in the left tower). 1247 is modelled on the Go straight ahead, then descend left at the fortified towns of the South roundabout. Go down the monté Combéléran, then West. On a given perimeter turn off to the left on rue Trivalle. Pass the maison right-angled plots called Foix de Montmorency, then the Notre-Dame de l’Abbaye Mirpoix Place “carrons” were designed. Carnot church and arrive back at the pont-Vieux 9. ƻ Cross the Aude, take rue des Calquières on the right This space is dedicated not ᕤ and go straight across the Square Gambetta . only to housing, but also to Ƽ n a Hotel t gardens and farming. The e l de l e P Roland churches are situated on d B the same north-south axis ᕥ ᕦ ᕧ ᕨ ᕩ and organised around a R des 3 Couronnes Limoux large central square which ƺ sometimes has covered Narbonne market stalls where the daily market takes place, which highlights the economic role of this type Ƹ of urbanisation. Le Pont Vieux with its C ƹ ôte d µ 14 stone arches was e la C th i t é constructed in the xıv MEDIEVAL CITY century to link ville basse ¸ Cemetery with ville haute. of the City ¹ Follow rue de Verdun, pass the musée des Beaux- Arts , then take rue Courtejaire on the right. Walk through the place Carnot (Neptune fountain), then go back up rue Clémenceau to get back to the station. 5 Les Hauts de Crazaille Castelnaudary Hippodrome Toulouse Canal du Midi ᕤ La Fageole SNCF Station Rocade Nord Est Pont de l’Avenir ᕣ Domec The Bastide Mirepoix Foix Pont Neuf Pont Vieux CAF Paicherou The Medieval City Narbonne l’île Pont Garigliano l’Aude Plaine Mayrevieille ᕢ Start Païcherou de lachemin Jasso 0 500m Campsite D 104 N ᕡ Bois de Piboulette Limoux From the Medieval City to the Bastide Saint-Louis, the banks of the Aude will seduce walkers in search of tranquillity and freshness. There are several kilometres of riverbank and a “parcours de santé” (fitness route) which will satisfy fitness fanatics. Boucle 1 : 2,2 km Durée : 10 mn en VTT, 40 mn à pied Balisage : flècheLOOP 1 :verte BOIS DE(La PIBOULETTE Piboulette) Itinerary : follow the green arrown signs From the carpark of the stade la plaine Mayrevielle, follow the green arrow signs towards the “Plaine Mayrevieille – Centre de Loisirs”; first, go along the stadium on your left and the river on your right, then the Centre de Loisirs building; At the fork, turn right; go along a playground. At the crossing, turn off left and walk the length of a low stone wall on your right. Return to the fork. Go straight ahead to return to the starting point. As this circuit is very short, it can be combined with other loops. CIRCUIT INFORMATION Difficulty level : easy - Start : Plaine Mayrevieille Loop 1 : 2,2 km Loop 3 : 8 km Duration : 10 mn, 40 mn Duration : 1h, 3h15 Signage : La Piboulette Signage : Domec Loop 2 : 7 km Loop 4 : 15 km Duration : 40 mn, 2h15.