Carcassonne: France’s famous Medieval Walled City
Carcassonne is a fortified medieval walled city in southwestern France. It was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 and welcomes more than 3 million visitors annually (about the same amount of people who visit Mont Saint Michel each year).
While there are a way too many touristy souvenir shops hawking tacky medieval inspired wares, once you’re inside walking the narrow cobblestoned streets and taking in the sights you won’t mind dodging the other tourists you may encounter.
Carcassonne is a fortified medieval walled city in southwestern France. It was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 and welcomes more than 3 million visitors annually (about the same amount of people who visit Mont Saint Michel each year).
While there are a way too many touristy souvenir shops hawking tacky medieval inspired wares, once you’re inside walking the narrow cobblestoned streets and taking in the sights you won’t mind dodging the other tourists you may encounter.
Carcassonne is essentially a castle that is also a city (La Cité de Carcassonne) around which the modern city, or Ville Basse, grew.
The Cité de Carcassonne’s double row of fortified walls run almost two miles long and accentuated by 56 imposing watchtowers.
