The territory of Castelnaudary Lauragais Audois, ideally located at the crossroads of 4 departments (Aude, Haute-Garonne, Tarn and Ariège) offers a multitude of possibilities to do and visit.
Within a 1 hour radius, from the sea to the mountains via the pink city, we deliver our TOP 10 to you.
1. Toulouse and the city of space
- 50min by car
- 40min by train
- accessible by bike via the Canal du Midi
The pink city is the essential stopover in the heart of South West from France.
Yesterday the capital of the Visigoths, today the aeronautics and space capital, Toulouse invites you to discover its two thousand years of history and has many surprises in store for you! The pink city is also a gastronomic capital which benefits from a wide variety of products reflecting its region, theOccitania. If you are lucky enough to be there on the day of a rugby match, immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of the largest rugby club in Europe, the Stade Toulousain !
Visit the City of Space and discover real spacecraft, train like an astronaut, travel to the confines of the cosmos, admire space treasures and uncover all the secrets of space... With its 4 m² of exhibitions, its 000-hectare gardens, its IMAX cinema on a giant screen and its planetarium, exploring space and the wonders of the universe has never been so easy!
2. Carcassonne and the medieval city
- 30min by car
- 20min by train
- accessible by bike via the Canal du Midi
Carcassonne is a city with many facets thanks to several districts which offer you a multitude of activities diverse and varied. Between the story medieval of the City, the conviviality of local life in the Bastide Saint-Louis, the nature side with the Canal du Midi and the beach side with the Lac de la Cavayère.
A few kilometers away, take a detour via Montolieu the famous book village which will offer you a walk cultural between art galleries and small bookstores, then end your journey with the Brousse and Villaret paper mill.
3. Foix
- 1 hour by car
The destination Foix Ariège Pyrenees, is a living territory of culture, entertainment and heritage, nestled in a corner of quiet and preserved nature in the heart of the Regional Natural Park of Pyrenees.
Set out to conquer the Château de Foix, or immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a village of yesteryear at the Forges de Pyrène, or on an adventure in the underground river of labouiche.
4. Mirepoix and Fanjeaux
- 40min and 20min by car
- accessible by bike via the greenway
Classified as a Grand SiteOccitania, warm and welcoming, the charming bastide of Mirepoix is pleasant to live in all seasons: the agenda is full of events all year round: it comes alive with concerts in July, flower and tree markets, flea markets or festivals to the rhythm of the seasons. Emblematic center of Cathar Pyrenees, the beautiful bastide of Mirepoix is labeled Country of Art and History.
The superb village of Fanjeaux, witness to the significant events of the 13th century, such as the preaching of Saint Dominic, the preserved village of Fanjeaux still rustles with its medieval history. Along the tour route, the contemporary sculptures of Loïc Tellier stimulate the imagination and awaken the old stones. From the old market halls to the panorama of Seignadou, come and experience Cathar history and immerse yourself in the spirituality of the cradle of the Dominican Order.
5. Gruissan chalet beach
- 1 hour by car
The chalet beach is regularly voted as the most beautiful beach on the coast audois : immense, preserved, timeless with its chalets on stilts and the Massif of the Clape as a backdrop. The sea is often calm, serene and surprises with its 50 shades of blue. A pier has been built. It allows you to walk, jog, roller skate... or simply enjoy the laughter of the seagulls.
Lovers of sensations, Gruissan, it is also a high place for the practice of nautical sports such as wind surfing, kite surfing or any other floating objects pulled by the wind!
6. The Cabrespine chasm and the Limousis cave
- 1 hour by car
Le Giant abyss of Cabrespine, of exceptional dimensions, allows you to admire the most magical and spectacular things the underground world has to offer. Overcome your vertigo by venturing onto a glass walkway overlooking the 250m of emptiness.
A few kilometers away, complete your underground adventure at the Limousis cave, rich in its numerous remains of cave bears, tools, pottery and Neolithic bones as well as scratch marks left by the bear on the walls of the first rooms.
End the visit with the treasure cave with its chandelier made up of millions of aragonite crystals, an exceptional polymorph of calcium carbonate (calcite), which was formed in the last room making this unique. caves, placing it at the world rank of geological curiosities.
7. The sites of the Cathar country
- from 10min to 1h40 by car
23 monuments to discover ! Castles, abbeys and medieval towns, a collection of 23 monuments brought together around a shared history, that of cathars, perfect people, good men and good women.
Sites which are so many symbols, witnesses, places of memory and life. 23 fascinating remains with crossed destinies, imbued with values of resistance, tolerance, conquest or rebellion. An authentic landscape which gives Pays Cathare all his character...
8. Narbonne
- 1 hour by car
- 45 minutes by train
- accessible by bike via the Canal du Midi and the Robine
Narbonne, a great city of antiquity. Discover the grandeur of Rome in the Aude. Narbonne (Latin name Narbo Martius), founded in 118 BC, was the first, and one of the richest, Roman colonies outside Italy. It preserves a real treasure: a piece of the Via Domitia, well highlighted, which you will discover in the center of the city. Then go to Narbo Via, the museum dedicated to the origins of the city, open since May 2021. Designed by the Foster + Partners agency on the initiative of the Occitanie region, this new museum has a collection of nearly 10 pieces. It offers an exhibition space of 000 m², including remarkable mural paintings discovered at Clos de la Lombarde (a Gallo-Roman domus unearthed during archaeological excavations in the city center of Narbonne) as well as an exceptional set of 760 funerary blocks.
The existing sites of the Roman Horreum in the center of Narbonne, and of Amphoralis “the village of Gallo-Roman potters” in Sallèles-d'Aude are associated with Narbo Via to form a major center of Ancient history in the South from France. Narbonne also has its market halls, voted the French's favorite market in 2022.
9. Revel and Lake Saint Ferréol
- 25 min by car
- accessible by Véloccitanie
The city of Revel is organized around a central square where the streets organized in a checkerboard converge. This square with its polychrome galleries of brick, wood and stone is a real setting for a splendid market hall. medieval.
The 39th century market hall is one of the largest in France. The hall measures 79 m on each side and is supported by 100 oak pillars. It is at the heart of the life of the people of Revel, particularly on Saturday mornings where one of the XNUMX most beautiful takes place markets of France.
Come stroll, visit or swim on this historic site of the Saint-Ferréol lake, registered in World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, surrounded by its green setting.
Nestled in a valley on the course of Laudot, the lake is a water reserve for the Canal du Midi. It makes it possible to compensate for the temporal irregularity of the water needs of the Canal du Midi and the vagaries of rainfall the Black Mountain. The site is surrounded by the first tree-covered peaks of the Montagne Noire with their shades of green.
10. Mazamet footbridge
- 1 hour by car
Want thrills? Here is a dizzying proposition: in the Tarn, 1 hour from Castelnaudary, take the metal footbridge Mazamet, suspended 70 meters above the valley of Arnette. It will sway gently under your feet and will take you on a journey through time, guiding you to the medieval streets of Hautpoul, this hilltop village where the memory of the Cathars still floats. An experience not to be missed!
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