Carcassonne castle is the best-preserved medieval fortress in the world and has served as inspiration for countless castles that have been invented in fairy tales. Carcassonne boasts magnificent ramparts with watchtowers, a portcullis, a drawbridge, and elevated defences built on top of a hill.

Is Carcassonne worth visiting? The answer is a resounding yes! Apart from just visiting the fortifications and castle of the medieval Old Town, the city has a bustling market and a large number of interesting museums to visit.

This was the time of troubadours and courtly love. In 1209, a crusade from Pope Innocent III began against the Cathars, who were under the protection of Viscount Raymond Roger Trencavel. Carcassonne was under siege for fifteen days, Trencavel was poisoned and died in his own château's prison, aged just 24 years old.

Carcassonne (/ˌkɑːrkəˈsɒn/, US also /-ˈsɔːn, -ˈsoʊn/, French: [kaʁkasɔn], locally [kaχkaˈsɔnə]; Occitan: Carcassona [kaɾkaˈsunɔ]; Latin: Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, region of Occitania. It is the prefecture of the department.