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Surrounding Area : Corbières - Pays Cathare
Arques (4km) is renowned for its 13century castle, forest and red soil so beloved of artists.
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| Cathare museum
Arques is the birthplae of the Cathare historien Déodat Rocher. In the museum you can discover the cathar history of this reagion. The museum ticket also includes entry to the chateau d'Arques.
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château de Peyrepertuse |
Le Pays Cathare is named after a religious sect of the 12century. The area is full of the ancient castles of this period. These are dramatically perched high on cliff tops to give clear views over the surrounding countryside, the Mediterranean and towards Spain and the Pyrenees.
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For lovers of history there are also ancient abbeys, Roman churches, walled villages and of course the famous walled cité of Carcassonne to discover. |
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The Gorge de Galamus must not be missed with its hermitage and cave transformed into a church. |
At Esperaza there is the biggest dinosaur site in Europe with its own museum. |
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Nearby is mysterious Rennes le Chateau one of the two great unsolved mysteries of France. |
Day trips can be made to the long sandy beaches of the Mediterranean (50mls), the Pyrenees (45mls), Andorra (70mls) and the fantastic Salvador Dali museum, designed by himself, at Figueras in Spain (95mls). |
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The region is renowned for its fine wines. Visits can be made for tastings at the AOC vineyards of Corbiéres, Fitou, Minervois, Roussillon and Limoux, the latter being famous for La Blanquette the predecessor to Champagne. There are some fine restaurants in the area many of them small and family run serving local produce.
The colourful markets should not be missed. |
Useful links : additional information on "the Pays de Couiza"
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Le site de référence sur Rennes le Chateau.
Information on the mysteries of Rennes le Château |
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