"Cathar Region - Day Trip out of Carcassonne" Top 5 Page for this destination Carcassonne Travelogue by Roadquill

Just a short 20 minute drive North of Carcassonne towards Lastours one quickly finds themselves in the forest and mountains. The narrow roads are easy to drive, although occasionally the road signs don't quite point to the road you are supposed to take. As I wound through the hills there were numerous photo ops.

Montolieu

One of the small towns between Carcassone and Sassaic is Montolieu. The town borders on a deep gorge and the homes and buildings are built right out over the side of the gorge.

Sassaic Castle

The long abandoned Chateau Castle at Saissac was part of the Cathar system of castles. It is currently being slowly restored. The first reference to the castle goes back to 960 AD. In the early 1100's the Castle was taken by the Crusaders.

Looking rather run down on the outside, the Church almost looks as abandoned as the Castle next door. However, inside it is quite charming and warm.

To reach the four towers of Lastours and the remains of the cite, one must hike up a rugged path a good 500 feet higher up than the information center.

Located a short drive South of Carcassone is the delightful, small town of St. Hillaire featuring the Monastery St. Hillaire. There is a small information room where you can obtain a great deal of information as to the history of the Monastery. The small church is subtley awesome and there is a quaint cloister. There is also a small wine cave where supposedly sparkling wine was first created.