ETR // Stage 49 // Arles - Carcassonne

43°40'40.0"N 4°37'51.3"E
43.677786, 4.630924
Arles - Carcassonne
VR EXPO - 60 Stages
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Distance

Arles - Carcassonne
Radius 100 km
288 km

Highlights

Arles Amphitheatre
Saint-Gilles
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
Aigues-Mortes
Canal du Rhône à Sète
Le Grau-du-Roi
La Grande-Motte
Montpellier

Ride slowly through The Camargue

Leaving Arles, you'll visit the ancient Camargue towns of the Bouches-du-Rhône department by the Mediterranean Sea, including Saint-Gilles, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, and many others.

The medieval walled town of Aigues-Mortes, situated on the junction of the Canal du Rhône à Sète and the Chenal Maritime to Le Grau-du-Roi is a transit center for canal craft and Dutch barges where medieval city walls surrounding the city are well preserved. Follow the canal through Camargue national Park to Le Grau-du-Roi on France’s Mediterranean coast. From here, it's just a stone's throw (or a nice ride) to La Grande-Motte in the Hérault département in Occitanie.

Magnificent Montpellier

On the road to Carcassonne you should visit Montpellier, one of the few large cities in France without a Gallo-Roman background. At the time of the Reformation in the sixteenth century, many of the inhabitants of Montpellier became Protestants (or Huguenots as they were known in France) and the city became a stronghold of Protestant resistance to the Catholic French crown. The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the seventeenth centuries. By the end of the 17th century, roughly 200,000 Huguenots had been driven from France by a series of religious persecutions, and relocated to many different areas of Europe, Africa and North America.

La Cité du Carcassonne

Carcassonne!!! A spectacular hilltop town in southern France’s Languedoc area, became known for its role in the Albigensian Crusades when the city was a stronghold of Occitan Cathars. In August 1209, the crusading army of the Papal Legate Abbot Arnaud Amalric, forced its citizens to surrender. Carcassonne is recognisd by its medieval citadel, La Cité, with numerous watchtowers and double-walled fortifications. The first walls were built in Gallo-Roman times, with major additions made in the 13th and 14th centuries. Château Comtal, a 12th-century castle within the Cité, offers archaeological exhibits and a tour of the inner ramparts.

Stronghold of The Cathars

The Festival de Carcassonne is one of the biggest summer events in France and held in the awe-inspiring Théâtre de la Cité by the ramparts. Be sure not to miss the Banquet du Livre, a literature and philosophy festival in Lagrasse Abbey.

The complex of Carcassonne and the Citadels of Vertigo has been classified among the Great Sites of Occitania, with 2 UNESCO World Heritage sites: the medieval town of Carcassonne and the Canal du Midi. An architectural wonder due partly to the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. Major construction work began in the mid-19th century to restore the medieval town's fortifications and physiognomy after being damaged over the centuries, and the works lasted over 60 years.

1000 years of military architecture

As you approach the walled city from any direction on your motorcycle, Carcassonne emerges like a dream above the Aude plain as a perfect vision of ramparts and towers, set in a crown on a hill in the middle of the vineyards. This vision, straight out of a fairy tale, takes shape as you approach the City. 1000 years of military architecture awaits you.

Park your motorcycle outside, or better still, find a hotel and leave it there for a couple of days! You can enter through the Porte de la Narbonnaise, the main gate to the city, entirely reserved for pedestrians. Walk around the town, soak up the buzzing restaurants and boutiques, stop in the 12th century count's château built by the Trencavels and visit Saint-Nazaire Basilica. Carcassonne, its 52 towers and 3km long double city wall encapsulates how everyone imagines a medieval town.

Take some time strolling around the little lanes, bustling with shops, cafes and restaurants. Discover the beautiful houses and the exceptional heritage of a city which, since Roman times, emphasised its strategic location, at the crossroads of the routes linking the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Spain.

Photos

Dave O'Byrne
European Touring Route AS

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Highlights

La Cité du Carcassonne
Festival de Carcassonne
Canal du Midi
Saint-Nazaire Basilica
La Bastide Saint-Louis
Lastours Citadel
Quéribus Citadel
Peyrepertuse Citadel
Aguilar Citadel
Termes Citadel
Puilaurens Citadel
Corbières Vineyard

Float slowly back through time

Inseparable from its scenic setting, Carcassonne lies between the Corbières mountain range, the foothills of the Black Mountain and the edges of the Mediterranean.

Take a boat trip in the surrounding moat and dive into the extraordinary history of this unique UNESCO structure.

Venture outside the medieval town with a stop at the medieval La Bastide Saint-Louis. Its perfectly straight streets are packed full of Carcassonne life around the Halles and the Canal du Midi port.

Welcome to Carcassonne's kingdom of vineyards

Around Carcassonne, you'll find a veritable treasure trove of Cathar Country châteaus, and the hilltop citadels of Lastours, Quéribus, Peyrepertuse, Aguilar, Termes, Puilaurens. The vines and vineyards sculpt the landscapes, and have been doing so since Roman times. Wines from the Cité, AOC Cabardès, Corbières, Fitou as well as AOC Minervois, Limoux and Malepère.... Difficult decisions!

Spend a night in a wine estate and wake up in the middle of the vineyards, and meet the winemakers themselves, and listen to them tell you about the art of the vine. Experience a food and wine pairing in a land that is packed with Michelin-starred chefs.. The more wines you sample, the longer you'll have to stay here :)