Place Carnot

Place Carnot is the main square of the lower town of Carcassonne, the Bastide Saint-Louis, and it is the place where daily life in the city happens, in contrast to the medieval fortress that attracts the crowds. The two parts of Carcassonne stand on opposite banks of the Aude river. The Cité on its hill is the walled citadel familiar from postcards, while the Bastide, on the flat ground to the north, was founded in 1260 under King Louis IX, after the townspeople had been expelled from the Cité in the wake of the Albigensian Crusade. A bastide is a planned town laid out on a grid, with a central square, and Place Carnot occupies that central position.

The square is a large open space, planted with trees and framed by cafés, restaurants and shops, with a fountain of Neptune at its centre, put in place in the late eighteenth century. It is a place for sitting on a terrace with a coffee, for watching the people and for enjoying the southern sunlight. The streets around the square form a pleasant grid, lined with houses of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the pedestrian-friendly layout makes it easy to explore on foot.

A market is held in the square several mornings a week, filled with local produce such as fruit and vegetables, cheeses, olives, sausages and flowers, and it is a good place to buy the ingredients for a picnic, or a southern speciality such as cassoulet, the slow-cooked dish of beans, sausage and duck for which Carcassonne is famous. The covered market, Les Halles de Carcassonne, is close by, and the Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation offers a different perspective on the town's history.

From the square it is a short walk to the Pont-Vieux, the fourteenth-century bridge over the Aude, which leads to the Cité on the other bank. The route takes about 15 to 20 minutes and gives good views of the fortress. The Canal du Midi runs along the edge of the lower town, and the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire in the Cité and the Château Comtal can be reached by the same route. Admission to the castle and the ramparts is charged, with seasonal hours.

The square is public and open all day. It suits visitors who want to experience everyday Carcassonne, to eat well and to rest after the climb to the Cité. It also makes a good base for a stay, with a wide choice of hotels and restaurants nearby.