The medieval fortified city of Carcassonne is the largest in Europe and one of the best-preserved in the world. Fifty-two towers and two concentric walls totalling three kilometres of ramparts enclose an entire medieval town: the Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus, the Château Comtal, a network of narrow cobbled streets, artisan workshops, and restaurants. The whole ensemble is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Cité sits on a hill above the River Aude and has been continuously inhabited since the Neolithic period. It became a major fortress under the Romans, was the capital of the Visigoth kingdom, and passed through Frankish, Aragonese, and French hands before its final expansion under Louis IX in the 13th century. The massive restoration by architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the 1850s saved it from demolition — locals had been stripping it for building material — and gave it the skyline it has today.
Walking the lists — the open ground between the inner and outer walls — gives the best sense of the military architecture. Entry to the outer walls and the walkway is free; the Château Comtal and tours of the inner towers require a ticket. Come early morning or in the evening when the day-trippers have gone, or stay the night: the Cité is genuinely inhabited and has a different character after sunset.