If you fancy a luxury break in France, head for Carcassonne in the Languedoc. It not only has a sumptuous hotel, it was also the historic heart of Cathar Country.
The Languedoc, in the south-west part of France, is one of the quieter corners of the country today. However, in the middle ages, it was an independent region with a powerful nobility and courtly tradition. It was also a region where the heretical Cathars were allowed to practice their beliefs. And the capital of Cathar Country was Carcassonne – which today is the oldest walled medieval city in Europe. Carcassonne is in the foothills of the Pyrenees and gloriously picturesque. It makes a stunning base for a luxury short break in France.
Carcassonne inspired Walt Disney
The countryside is tranquil and ideal for a culinary tour: you can, for example, find plenty of restaurants to taste the local speciality, cassoulet; visit a farm that makes goat's cheese, and go to a honey farm. But you could easily spend a day or so exploring Carcassonne itself. The town has a 13th-century ‘new town’, which sits down by the Canal du Midi, while the ancient citadel itself (which has Roman origins) is perched on a hill. The cité, as it’s known, looks just like a fairytale fortress, with towers and turrets and little winding streets. In fact it’s so picturesque that it is widely claimed that it inspired Walt Disney to create his version of Sleeping Beauty’s castle.
Hotel de la Cite
In summer the cité itself gets incredibly busy (well, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site) but it’s much quieter out of season. The best place to stay in Carcassonne is the luxurious, ivy-clad, Hotel de la Cité. Place Auguste Pont (T 00 33 04 68 71 98 71) from 300 euros per room. Situated on the site of a former Episcopal palace, it’s an elegant Orient Express hotel. It has a Michelin starred restaurant, quiet gardens that offer great views of the castle, and rooms with private terraces. Even better, if you stay at the Hotel de la Cité, you can easily enjoy Carcassonne at night – when most tourists and day-trippers have left.
The Cathars
Catharism sprang up in the 10th-century. Cathars were Christian, but they were considered heretics: they didn’t worship the Cross, believed in Christianity based on example (an a more open society), and were vegetarian. The Catholic Church didn’t approve. Carcassonne was at the heart of Cathar Country – and consequently at the centre of the fighting when Pope Innocent 111 launched a Crusade against the unfortunate Cathars. The cité was besieged and eventually fell in 1209. The Inquisition moved in, making their headquarters in Carcassonne (you can see them today) and torturing Cathars and anyone else they considered a heretic. Gradually other Cathar castles in the region fell to Crusaders. If you’re keen to explore, the hotel can arrange tours of historic sites in the surrounding countryside, or you can get maps of the area from the local tourist office and hire a car.
Restored Fortress
The French kings turned Carcassonne into an impregnable fortress, with state-of-the-art medieval military features. When you visit the cité today you can walk around the double walls, see the mighty entrance gate and the slits in the towers from which arrows could be fired. It’s impressive but looks almost impossibly perfect – the legacy of 19th-century restoration. So perfect, in fact, that during the day Carcassonne can seem like a fantasy land – you half expect Rapunzel (or Minnie Mouse) to appear at a turret window. But when darkness falls, time rolls back. The cobbled streets take on a more mysterious atmosphere and the whispers of the long dead Cathars seem to ripple through this magical medieval city.
