Pont-Vieux (Old Bridge)

The Pont-Vieux is the old bridge of Carcassonne, a stone structure that crosses the river Aude and links the lower town, the Bastide Saint-Louis, with the foot of the hill on which the medieval Cité stands. It was built in the fourteenth century, in the years when the lower town was growing and needed a more solid crossing than the earlier wooden bridges, and it has served the town ever since, first for carts and travellers and now for pedestrians. The bridge is made of local stone and rests on a series of pointed arches with pointed cutwaters, the angled piers that split the current of the river, which helps explain how it has lasted through centuries of floods.

The main reason to cross it is the view. From the middle of the bridge, the whole hill of the Cité rises on the far bank, with its double ring of walls, its fifty-odd towers and the roofs of the Château Comtal and the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire behind. This is the classic postcard view of Carcassonne, and it is at its best in the late afternoon, when the light on the stone turns golden, and in the evening, when the walls are lit. The river below is lined with trees and gardens, and the water often reflects the towers, which makes the scene a favourite of photographers.

The two parts of Carcassonne grew in different ways. The Cité is the ancient fortified hilltop, rebuilt several times and restored in the nineteenth century by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. The Bastide Saint-Louis, laid out on a regular grid from 1247 after Louis IX had the inhabitants rehoused on the other side of the river, is a planned town of straight streets around the Place Carnot, with its fountain and market, and of canals and shops. The bridge connects the two and makes it possible to walk from one to the other in about fifteen minutes. The route from the Place Carnot passes through the shopping streets, crosses the Pont-Vieux and then climbs the road to the Cité gate, so the bridge is an easy way to see how the two halves of the city relate.

The bridge is open at all times, free and used as a public thoroughfare. Cars do not cross it, so it is quiet. A visit takes only a few minutes, but it is worth pausing to look at the view and the old stonework, and it is a pleasant part of a longer walk. The river banks have paths for walking and gardens where you can sit. In the heat of summer, the early morning and the evening are the best times.

Other places close by include the Place Carnot, the Halles de Carcassonne, the Jardin des Carmes, the Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation and the Canal du Midi, which passes through the lower town. The bridge suits walkers, photographers and anyone planning a visit to the Cité.