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A cobblestone street leading to a historic castle with a tower. 1
Carcassonne 's Medieval Walls: A Self-Guided Audio Tour 2
Carcassonne 's Medieval Walls: A Self-Guided Audio Tour 3
Carcassonne 's Medieval Walls: A Self-Guided Audio Tour 4
Carcassonne 's UNESCO Walls: A Smartphone Audio Tour 5
By VoiceMap Audio Tours

Reviews

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional
Free cancellation available
The previous price was €26 and current price is €13 per adult
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Features

  • Free cancellation available
  • 3h
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation

Overview

  • Carcassonne is the largest fortified medieval city in Europe with its double walls still intact — a UNESCO World Heritage Site most visitors only skim between coach stops. On this self-guided audio tour, historian James McDonald leads you through its history: the legend of Dame Carcas, said to have tricked Charlemagne into lifting his siege with a well-timed pig; the Cathar heretics who made their last stand here; and the Papal Inquisition that followed. From Dame Carcas's statue, pass through Narbonne Gate and trace the ramparts past Chateau Comtal and the Church of Saints Nazaire and Celse, spotting the killing zones built to trap besieging soldiers. Roughly three hours (3km), guided by a historian with twenty years' research into this history, go at your own pace with lifetime, offline access.

    Highlights:

    • The legend of Dame Carcas and Charlemagne's siege
    • The Cathars and the Papal Inquisition that followed
    • Medieval killing zones built into the walls

Activity location

  • Buste de Dame Carcas
    • 11000, Carcassonne, Occitanie, France

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • Buste de Dame Carcas
    • 11000, Carcassonne, Occitanie, France

Check availability

Carcassonne 's Medieval Walls: A Self-Guided Audio Tour in English

  • Activity duration is 3 hours3h
    3h
  • Opening hours: Fri 00:00-23:59
  • English
Language options: English
Price details
€25.67
€12.84 x 1 Adult€12.84
Total
The previous price was €25.67 and current price is €12.84
50% off

What's included, what's not

  • Inclusions
    In-depth history of Carcassonne's UNESCO defence walls
  • Inclusions
    Directions to the starting point so that when you're in the right place, the tour will start
  • Inclusions
    Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
  • Inclusions
    Self-guided (with GPS) audio tour, by Historian James McDonald to be enjoyed at your own pace.
  • Inclusions
    Lifetime access to this tour in English before your booking date and after it on android & IOS apps
  • Exclusions
    Smartphone and headphones
  • Exclusions
    Food and drink
  • Exclusions
    Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
  • Exclusions
    Live guide not included

Know before you book

    • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
    • Please note: You won't be guided through any museums or other attractions mentioned en route. If you choose to enter and visit such places, you'll need to pay for it independently of this tour.
    • In accordance with EU regulations about consumer rights, activities services are not subject to the right of withdrawal. Supplier cancellation policy will apply.
    • This activity is provided by a professional trader (a party acting within their trade, business or profession).

Activity itinerary

La Cité Médiévale (Pass by)

This self-guided audio tour takes place around the medieval city of Carcassonne.

Buste De Dame Carcas (Pass by)

On this tour, you'll see the Buste de Dame Carcas (a sculpture of Lady Carcas) and tell you the storey of how she saved the city from Charlemagne.

Porte Narbonnaise (Pass by)

As you enter the city through Porte Narbonnaise (Narbonne Gate, you’ll begin following the wall, which encircles the old city. Along the way, you’ll also learn about the Cathars who flourished here in the twelfth century, the crusade launched against them, and some of the sieges that took place here.

Château Comtal (Pass by)

The Château Comtal is the castle-within-a-castle at Carcassonne's medieval Cité. Built around 1130 by the Trencavel viscounts as a fortified residence, it was reinforced during the 1209 Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars, gaining a moat, barbican and inner wall so its lords could hold out even if the outer ramparts fell. After Carcassonne passed to the French crown in 1226, it became home to the royal seneschal. Left to decay for centuries, it was restored in the 1800s by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. Today it's a national monument and museum, entered separately from the free ramparts walk.

Walls of Carcassonne (Pass by)

As you follow the wall around the city, you'll learn about medieval warfare and locate the various “kill zones” that enemies risked finding themselves trapped in when attempting to siege the city.

Monument Jean-Pierre Cros-Mayrevieille (Pass by)

You'll gaze upon the monument de la Jean Pierre Cros Mayrevieille, a doctor of law, a historian and an Inspector of Historic Monuments who saved the city from ruin.

Museum of the Inquisition (Pass by)

Carcassonne's Museum of the Inquisition is a modern themed museum, not a surviving Inquisition-era site, housed in a 17th-century building on Rue Saint-Jean inside the walled Cité. It explores the period through instruments of torture and interrogation spanning the 12th century to the French Revolution, alongside displays on the Cathars and the great Cathar castles of the Languedoc. A separate "Punishments" section walks visitors through an accused heretic's path from trial to execution — a curated, family-oriented attraction rather than a preserved historical monument.

Chateau et Remparts de la Cite de Carcassonne (Pass by)

You'll take in the impressive and almost century-old Château et Remparts de la Cité de Carcassonne, also known as the Château Comtal, where the castle meets the wall and its surrounding defences.

Chateau et Remparts de la Cite de Carcassonne (Pass by)

You'll take in the impressive and almost century-old Château et Remparts de la Cité de Carcassonne, also known as the Château Comtal, where the castle meets the wall and its surrounding defences.

Theatre Jean Deschamps (Pass by)

The Théâtre Jean-Deschamps is an open-air amphitheatre inside Carcassonne's medieval Cité, seating around 3,000 people beneath the backdrop of the city's towers and ramparts. It's the main stage of the Festival de Carcassonne, a summer festival hosting French and international music, theatre, dance, opera and classical performances. The venue is named after Jean Deschamps (1920–2007), a French stage and screen actor and director who staged numerous productions here over two decades, including adaptations of Julius Caesar and Othello. Its intimacy — far smaller than a typical arena — is often cited by performing artists as giving their shows an added dimension.

Basilique Saint Nazaire (Pass by)

On this two-hour tour, you won’t just trace the walls of Carcassonne, you’ll also venture into its centre through various gates including the Aude, Nazaire, and Toulouse Gates, and see the Church of Saints Nazaire and Celse, the city’s two patron saints.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Buste de Dame Carcas
    • 11000, Carcassonne, Occitanie, France

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Buste de Dame Carcas
    • 11000, Carcassonne, Occitanie, France

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