The Aude is a multitude of particular atmospheres shaped by its history, its climatic diversity and its relief.
Here are my favorites, the must-sees and must-dos during your stay.
Let’s set off together to discover this magnificent region and believe me, the Aude really keeps all its promises.
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The Canal du Midi
This very bucolic landscape invites you to stroll and slowly discover, to the rhythm of the waves, closer to the nature it offers us. On foot, by bike or by boat you will appreciate the many bridges, the locks, the landscapes of this jewel of history listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A stopover is essential at the Somail library “find everything from the book”.
Carcassonne
Carcassonne, a unique medieval city, rich in 2500 years of history and listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO , is a must-see in the Aude. Epicenter of the Cathar country, crossroads of several remarkable regions, it opens the door to the Black Mountain and its thick forests, the Minervois and its sun-drenched vines and the Corbières with its mineral landscape.
The Corbières and the Cathar country
22 exceptional and inspiring sites make up the historical, cultural and natural heritage of the Cathar country in Aude. Vertiginous castles, vestiges of a tormented era and abbeys follow one another to form a large format history book. Between 1h and 1h30 of winding roads from Minervois to Corbières, breathtaking witnesses of the natural beauty of our planet, the 1st Cathar castles impose their power and their magnificence but also their fragility, the pain and the wounds of the madness of Men.
The Châteaux de Lastours , the citadels of vertigo, the Château de Peyrepertuse, the royal vessel, the Château de Puylaurens , the elegant eminence, are my favorites without forgetting the abbey and the medieval city of Lagrasse with its timeless charm.. Fontfroide Abbey a few km from the house, one of the most beautiful and best preserved in France is a place of peace and inspiration.
Between sea and ponds
The lagoons, jewels of the littoral zone, are called here “sea ponds” and constitute an ornithological zone of1st plan. From the massif of La Clape, take the time to walk along the hiking trails, get some height to embrace in one glance 360° of wild nature, the lagoons echoing the infinite ribbons of the Mediterranean beaches. These stretches of water as far as the eye can see are internationally renowned surfing spots where kite surfing and windsurfing are honored each year during competitions such as the Mondial du vent and Défi Wind.
Since the 1970s, the Sigean reserve has been a high place for the preservation of African wildlife, a total change of scenery for young and old.
The vineyards and the gastronomy
Nine controlled designations of origin share the territory of the Aude, which makes it a department of great wine culture with a thousand-year-old tradition. Cassoulet from Castelnaudary, oysters from Leucate, eels, charcuterie from the Montagne Noire, snails from the Languedoc, black truffles from the Minervois…and many other delights to enjoy with the specialties of the land.
Narbonne la Romaine
In Narbonne, crossed by the Robine canal, go taste oysters in its superb market hall elected most beautiful market in France in 2022 and get lost in the maze of streets full of history.
Narbonne the Roman, last Latin city before Perpignan the Catalan at the gates of Spain, for those who want to go further in the discovery.