Every design for Carcassonne

Carcassonne rises from the plain of the Aude, at the crossing of two ancient routes: one linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, the other running from the Massif Central to the Pyrénées. That position made the hilltop worth fortifying long before it was a city. The Volcae Tectosages built a hill fort here, the Romans walled it, and the Visigoths turned it into a city of their own.

What makes Carcassonne unlike anywhere else is the Cité de Carcassonne, a medieval fortress restored by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc between 1853 and 1879 and listed by UNESCO in 1997. Inside, the Château Comtal and the Basilique Saint-Nazaire keep the story going; below, the Pont Vieux crosses the river to the lower town. Near the Narbonne Gate, a sculpture of Lady Carcas recalls the legend behind the name.

For anyone from the Aude, the first glimpse of those towers from the motorway or the train means one thing: you are nearly home.