Excellent shopping coupled with stylish restaurants and open-air cafes can be enjoyed in Narbonne. A twice-weekly outdoor market is held in the city centre, (please check with us which days).  There is also a wonderful indoor food market every morning.

Narbonne is an ancient Roman city, and among its splendid attractions is the Cathedral of Saint Just. The city has many Roman remains and museums

                       Narbonne cathedral

Narbonne has on offer a large modern sports complex with swimming pool containing many daring slides, an ice rink and bowling alley, multiplex cinema and theatre.

Activities

A few minutes drive away you will find boats for hire on the Canal du Midi at Le Somail, and this is the last port before the Canal de la Robine splits off and heads south towards Narbonne. The towpaths provide many miles of shade for cycling and walking. www.canal-du-midi.org Another good site to look at for half and full day hire of boats is www.rivedefrance.com and www.belledumidicruises.com we have used and enjoyed family outings with both of these companies.
We also have a contact with a local cycle hire company who will deliver bicycles to your Gite and collect them at the end of your hire period without extra charge. All equipment and suggestions for rides are included in their tariff. www.mellowvelos.com

We are in easy reach of lovely sandy Mediterranean beaches. Our nearest beaches are Narbonne Plage and Gruissan, both about 16 miles away, where you will be able to hire boats, and participate in water sport activities. Gruissan has a theme park during high season and a casino.

local beaches

The area has miles of beautiful sandy beaches and coastal lagoons where flamingoes abound and oysters and mussels are harvested. It is famous for its water sports with the many etangs offering safe coastal stretches of water for wind surfing and kite boarding, there are also many schools that offer tuition. Rivers, lakes and canals offer other water sport opportunities. There is a sailboard and double kayak that are available for use.

See the 3,000 different species of animals at the African wildlife reserve at Sigean, open all year.

Narbonne cathedral

There are exhibitions, local markets, fetes and Cathar castles. The Cathar stronghold of Minerve is located at the cirque where the deep gorge of the River Cesse doubles back on itself. There are many other interesting sites connected with the Knights Templars.

In the region:

Carcassonne

Carcassonne probably the best and most impressive medieval fortress City in the world is only a 40-minute drive away. It lies on the right bank of the River Aude and is featured on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. There is no restriction on access to this area of Carcassonne.

"La Cite of Carcassonne", is the largest walled city in Europe, a medieval city encircled by a double row of fortified ramparts. Although heavily restored, this 12th-century citadel town is still impressive, and one of France's most-visited attractions.

A Roman town that attacked by Barbarians in the III C AD it was heavily fortified in the IV C. The city housed the castle of the Count of Carcassonne during the 11th C. A second exterior wall was built around 1230. The citadel was further expanded in the XIII C by the King of France. It was completely restored in the XIX C by Viollet-le-Duc. website.

The Pyrenees and Spanish Border are 1 hour away.

mountain railway

Andorra with its stunning scenery and tax-free shopping is about 2.5hrs away.

Many glorious ski slopes are only approximately 1hr 45 min. Font-Romeu approximately 100 miles.

Pyrenees

Figueres houses not only the Dali museum, but also other exciting museums is about 1hr 30mins away.

Barcelona for sightseeing and its renowned shopping is 2hrs away.

The stunning gorges of Galamus are with in easy reach as is the Tarn and the Black Mountains that got their name from the charcoal burners.

The historic Chateau de Queribus and Castle of Peyrepertuse easily repay those with the energy to visit them. With both an insight into their position and past importance.

There are countless wine caves in the Corbieres, Fitou, La Clape, Rivesaltes and Minervois regions.

History of the Cathar Castles

The Cathar castles, Peyrepertuse, Quéribus, Puilaurens, Aguilar and Termes, were largely destroyed by Simon de Montfort, are in semi-ruins, but they remain impressive and you can admire the magnificent views from these fortifications high on rocky outcrops.

Catharism began in the XI th century and spread during the XII th C. These Christians condemned the wealth and the luxury of the religious dignitaries of the Church of Rome. The Cathar priests called themselves the Perfects and preached poverty and abstinence. They wandered the countryside dressed in rags and their spiritual ideals earned them sympathy among the population. (The word cathar comes from the Greek katharos = pure ; katharsis = cleansing.)

The movement became particularly well established in the south-west of France especially in the region around Albi (the Albigenses) where it received the support of the local barons, such as the Count of Toulouse, Raymond VI.

As the Cathars became more influential, the barons of Languedoc converted to the religion to mark their independence from the King. Along with the religious autonomy there developed a political autonomy. Eventually the Catholic authorities came to be see the Cathars as a subversive menace to he established church.

To counter this threat to the power of the Catholic church, Pope Innocent III and the King of France launched a crusade against the Albigenses in 1209, led by Simon de Montfort.

There followed the sieges of the fortified towns and the massacres (notably at Béziers where 20,000 were killed). Hundreds of Cathar believers were burnt at the stake. The Catholics finally eliminated this "heretical" movement with the fall of the last Cathar bastion, Quéribus, in 1255.

Visiting these castles takes you into the heart of the Corbières, and you can discover the villages and the unspoilt countryside of a bygone age.

chateau-peyrepertuse.com
cathares.org - payscathare

Abbeys

The Abbey of Fontfroide south-west of Narbonne, is a restored Cistercian abbey in a valley of the Corbieres hills. Founded by the Benedictines at the end of the XIth century, Fontfroide changed to the Cistecian Order in the XIIth century. During the crusade against the Albigeans, Fontfroide was a powerful stronghold of the Catholic orthodoxy against Catharism.

The abbey declined from 1500 onwards, but has been restored and there is a superb 13th century cloister. website.

Lagrasse is a monastery town in a valley in the Corbieres hills. Listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France it is now home to a number of artists.

The Abbey of Lagrasse was founded in the VIII th C and was important during the crusade against the Albigeans. From 1224 to 1230, the abbot, Benoît d'Aligan, mediated between the warring factions and finally obtained Carcassonne's submission to the king of France (1226).