Travel through the land of the Crusaders

Duration

8 hours

About

Have You heard of Carcassonne? Famous for its role in the Albigensian Crusades, the city was a stronghold of Occitan Cathars. Its construction: a concentric design of two outer walls with 53 towers and barbicans to prevent attack by siege engines quickly transports any visitor back to the Middle Ages; back to the era of crusades and crusaders.

Lastours : 4 small castles built within a very close proximity – a testament to the terrible history of the Cathar people and Occitania – who were ruthlessly exterminated first through the Papal endorsement of the Albigensian crusade – and then the inquisition.

Albi: The “Red City” – where you can visit the famous Toulouse-Lautrec museum. Albi and Carcassonne were the 2 biggest strongholds of the Cathars. After exterminating the Cathars, the Catholic church built the largest red-brick cathedral in the world here as a show of power over the vanquished Cathar people.

Cordes-sur-ciel: The Count of Toulouse ordered the construction of this modern town – one of the first of the bastides of Southwest France. Bastides were “new towns,” originally conceived to resettle and shelter people who had been displaced by the crusade against the Cathars, to encourage agricultural and related market development. Today it is a lovely hilltop fortified village, home to many artists and cute little tourist shops.

St. Cirq-LaPopie & Cahors: One of “the most beautiful villages of France”

Inclusions

• Air-conditioned vehicle
• Private transportation
• Bottled water

Exclusions

• Lunch
• Gratuities
• Entry/Admission - Carcassonne Cathedral
• Entry/Admission - Chateaux de Lastours
• Entry/Admission - Musee Toulouse-Lautrec