The Cathar castles
You will enjoy the numerous castles around Axat!
Small tour of the famous Cathar castles:
The castle of Carcassonne
In Carcassonne, if there is an obligatory passage, it is the castle of the city. This castle, with its keep and its buildings, was the center of the city’s defense system.
Also known as “Palatium”, the castle of Carcassonne is a defensive fortress site of the resistance and the 12th century.
In 1997, it was declared a UNESCO World HeritageSite.
The castle of Carcassonne is located at only 1 hour or about 60 kms from the campsite La Crémade.
The castle of Foix
Located in Ariège, perched on its rocky peak, it is the witness of an exceptional and tumultuous past. It is one of the great sites of Occitania not to be missed!
The castle of Fois is located at less than 1h30 or about 70 kms from the campsite la Crémade.
The castle of Peyrepertuse
A breathtaking view!
The castle became a French possession in 1240. Peyrepertuse is an advanced royal fortress on the Spanish border and thus on the kingdom of Aragon…
The Château de Peyrepertuse is ideally situated at an altitude of nearly 800 m on a limestone ridge.
The access is partly by car and then by a shaded path that leads to the castle.
The castle of Peyrepertuse is a must see!
At only 1 hour from the campsite, that is to say 45 kms from the campsite La Crémade, by the departmental road 117.
The castle of Queribus
The castle of Queribus is the last bastion of the Cathar resistance!
Standing at an altitude of 728 meters, the castle offers an exceptional 360° view from the Mediterranean to the Pyrenees.
Its good state of preservation allows us to discover the rudiments of daily life at the time and the elements related to military architecture.
Despite the ruins, you can see its magnificent Gothic hall in the keep, built more than 700 years ago.
The castle of Quéribus located in the commune of Cucugnan is only 30 minutes or less than 40 kms from the campsite.
The castle of Puilaurens
A citadel of Vertigo perched at 697m on its rocky spur, the Castle of Puilaurens is a remarkable example of military architecture.
“Each of these stones is loaded with history, marked by time…
The castle of Puilaurens is located only 1o minutes from the campsite la Crémade at less than 10 kms by car.
You can also reach the castle by taking the Cathar trail from the campsite.
A beautiful walk of 1h30 and 6 kms!
The castle of Montsegur
The castle of Montségur awaits you at 1207 meters of altitude from the top of its “pog”. It is the witness of a tumultuous past which marked so much the southwest of France, when the Catholic Church undertook to eliminate the “heretics” The Cathars!
Montségur is surrounded by the “castrum” of the Cathar period and offers a breathtaking panorama of the Pyrenees.
To get there, you have to climb 170 meters and count on ½ hour of walking!
The castle of Montségur is located at 1 hour from the campsite la Crémade, that is to say less than 60 kms.
The castles of Lastours, Arques, Aguilar, Termes, Lordat, Saissac, Usson… are waiting for you perched on their rocky massifs!
To prepare your vacations, you can install on your phone the application ” the travel guide, the sites in Cathar country “.
For more information about the castles, we have brochures at the reception desk that we will be happy to give you. A summer branch of the tourist office is also located 1 km from the Crémade campsite at the Ours traffic circle.
