Were the Cathar castles built by the Cathars?

No. The name comes from the 13th-century Albigensian Crusade, during which these places were besieged or served as refuges. What you visit today was mostly rebuilt or strengthened afterwards by the King of France to guard the border with Aragon.

Cathar castles: which ones are open all year?

4 are listed as open all year: Château comtal de Carcassonne, Peyrepertuse, Puilaurens Castle and Château de Puivert. The others open in season, and winter hours are often shorter.

Cathar castles: how much is admission?

Across the 9 places whose prices we know, adult admission ranges from €4 to €19.

The Cathar castles

14 châteaux listed

14 fortresses in the Aude and the Ariège, with admission prices, opening seasons and a route.

“Cathar castles” is the name given to the fortresses of Languedoc caught up in the Albigensian Crusade and its aftermath in the 13th century. The name tells their history rather than their architecture: what stands today was mostly rebuilt or strengthened by the King of France after the southern lords were defeated.

The sieges are dated. Simon de Montfort took Termes in 1210; Puilaurens held out against him. On 16 March 1244, after the royal army’s siege of Montségur, more than two hundred Cathars died at the stake. In 1321 it was the turn of Guilhem Bélibaste, the last known Cathar “good man”, at Villerouge-Termenès.

Then came the border. The Treaty of Corbeil in 1258 brought the region under the French crown, facing the Kingdom of Aragon: Peyrepertuse remained royal property until 1781, Quéribus received a garrison of twenty men-at-arms in 1255, and Aguilar became a royal stronghold in 1260. With Termes and Puilaurens, these are the five castles around Carcassonne.

Most are hilltop ruins, visited in the open air along steep paths. This page lists all 14, with the adult admission price where we know it, the opening season, a map and an order of visit starting from Carcassonne.

The places, one by one

From the best known to the most discreet. Prices are for one adult; the season comes from the opening periods each place publishes.

Château comtal de Carcassonne
Carcassonne, Aude
Built in the 12th century as the residence of the Trencavel viscounts, later the royal seneschal’s seat, restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century.
Adult admission: €19Open all year
Opening hours and access Tickets
Peyrepertuse
Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse, Aude
Saint Louis had a second keep and a rock-cut stairway built here in 1242; royal property from 1258 to 1781.
Adult admission: €8Open all year
Opening hours and access
Château de Quéribus (Quéribus Castle)
Cucugnan, Aude
An outpost of Peyrepertuse at 728 metres, held by a royal garrison of twenty men-at-arms in 1255.
Season not published
Hours to be confirmed
Opening hours and access
Château de Montségur (Montségur Castle)
Montségur, Ariège
On 16 March 1244, after the siege by the royal army, more than two hundred Cathars died here at the stake.
Season not published
Hours to be confirmed
Opening hours and access Tickets
Puilaurens Castle
Puilaurens, Aude
It held out against Simon de Montfort during the crusade, then became a royal fortress after the Treaty of Corbeil in 1258.
Adult admission: €7Open all year
Hours to be confirmed
Opening hours and access Tickets
The four castles of Lastours
Lastours, Aude
Four castles in a row on one ridge, perhaps held by four co-lords; the towers you see date from the 13th century.
Adult admission: €9Open February to December
Opening hours and access
Château de Termes (Termes Castle)
Termes, Aude
Besieged and taken by Simon de Montfort in 1210, then a royal fortress, dismantled in 1653.
Adult admission: €6Open March to November
Opening hours and access
Château d'Aguilar (Aguilar Castle)
Tuchan, Aude
Probably in royal hands from 1240 to 1250, returned to Olivier de Termes, then a royal stronghold facing Roussillon from 1260.
Adult admission: €4Open February to November
Opening hours and access
Château de Villerouge-Termenès (Villerouge-Termenès Castle)
Villerouge-Termenès, Aude
Guilhem Bélibaste, the last known Cathar “good man”, was burned at the stake here in 1321.
Adult admission: €7Open March to December
Opening hours and access
Château de Puivert (Puivert Castle)
Puivert, Aude
Taken by Simon de Montfort’s troops in the early 13th century; its great square keep dates from the end of that century.
Adult admission: €7Open all year
Hours to be confirmed
Opening hours and access
Château de Roquefixade (Roquefixade Castle)
Roquefixade, Ariège
A refuge for the Albigensians in the 13th century, seized by the king after the Count of Foix surrendered in 1272, demolished on Louis XIII’s orders in 1632.
Season not published
Opening hours and access
Château d'Arques (Arques Castle)
Arques, Aude
A fortified house built after the crusade by the Voisins family in the late 13th century, around a four-storey keep.
Season not published
Opening hours and access Tickets
Château de Saissac (Saissac Castle)
Saissac, Aude
Already recorded in 960; the crusade dismantled it at most, without destroying it, and its defences were strengthened in the 16th century.
Adult admission: €6Open February to December
Opening hours and access
Château de Montaillou (Montaillou Castle)
Montaillou, Ariège
Partly razed in 1244 after the fall of Montségur, then rebuilt; demolished on Louis XIII’s orders in 1638.
Season not published
Opening hours and access

The map

The 14 places on this page. Tap a point to open its page.

Loading the map…

The route

A loop from Carcassonne: the Montagne Noire first, with Saissac and Lastours, then the Corbières, the Fenouillèdes and the Pays de Sault into the Ariège. Three or four castles a day is plenty, since each one means a climb on foot.

Stop	From the previous stop
1.Château de Saissac (Saissac Castle) · Saissac
2.The four castles of Lastours · Lastours	17 km
3.Château comtal de Carcassonne · Carcassonne	14 km
4.Château d'Arques (Arques Castle) · Arques	28 km
5.Château de Termes (Termes Castle) · Termes	16 km
6.Château de Villerouge-Termenès (Villerouge-Termenès Castle) · Villerouge-Termenès	6 km
7.Château d'Aguilar (Aguilar Castle) · Tuchan	16 km
8.Château de Quéribus (Quéribus Castle) · Cucugnan	12 km
9.Peyrepertuse · Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse	7 km
10.Puilaurens Castle · Puilaurens	22 km
11.Château de Puivert (Puivert Castle) · Puivert	24 km
12.Château de Montaillou (Montaillou Castle) · Montaillou	20 km
13.Château de Montségur (Montségur Castle) · Montségur	11 km
14.Château de Roquefixade (Roquefixade Castle) · Roquefixade	10 km

203 km in a straight line overall

Frequently asked questions

Were the Cathar castles built by the Cathars?: No. The name comes from the 13th-century Albigensian Crusade, during which these places were besieged or served as refuges. What you visit today was mostly rebuilt or strengthened afterwards by the King of France to guard the border with Aragon.
Cathar castles: which ones are open all year?: 4 are listed as open all year: Château comtal de Carcassonne, Peyrepertuse, Puilaurens Castle and Château de Puivert. The others open in season, and winter hours are often shorter.
Cathar castles: how much is admission?: Across the 9 places whose prices we know, adult admission ranges from €4 to €19.