Carcassonne is a hilltop city in southwestern France's Occitanie region, the right bank of the Aude river, and it is quite simply magical. Its crowning glory is a fairytale castle, which is part ...

Major cities, like Carcassonne, have guided, history-focused walking tours. But consider stepping out of those areas and visiting the Cathar Castles that are riddled throughout the region.

This system is made up of eight monuments situated between the departments of Aude and Ariège: the ramparts of Carcassonne and the nearby castles of Lastours, Termes, Aguilar, Peyrepertuse ...