Castle of Montsegur - Toulouse

Route: Andorra La Vella - Castle of Montsegur - Toulouse - Andorra La Vella
Duration: 12 h
The first stop of our tour will be at Montségur castle, which is the symbol of Cathar resistance rebuilt at the start of the 13th century, was once a refuge for Cathars hunted down by the Inquisition. Montségur fortress is perched on top of a rocky spur at an altitude of 1,207 metres and can be reached on foot in 30 minutes. The stronghold was besieged for 10 months before being taken by the royal army in March 1244, the month of the Prat dels Cremats ("field of the burned") tragedy when 225 Cathars who had refused to renounce their faith perished on a funeral pyre. A history and archaeology museum in the village of Montségur traces the history of the site and of Catharism through a rich collection of objects found during excavations at the castle. In addition to its medieval remains, it offers visitors a magnificent panoramic view over the village below and the surrounding scenery. The next stop of our tour will be at Toulouse. Situated in the heart of south-west France, Toulouse is very aptly known as the “Pink City”. The pinkish colour of the bricks of its buildings and houses gives the city a unique charm. Our walking tour will open to you the main historical monuments which tell us about a very agitated story of the city but also the romantic troubadours. During the tour you will see the city hall square of the Capitole, the amazing  the Saint-Sernin basilica and its octagonal bell tower, the largest Roman church in France and one of the main step on the Santiago de Compostella path,  the Jacobins cloister, a gem of Languedoc Gothic art, with its beautiful brick-built church and its main cloister building, gothic masterpiece built by the period of inquisition, the Assézat mansion, which is today home to the Bemberg foundation, a private museum hosting a collection of paintings; the Bernuy mansion flanked with an octagonal tower; The Vieux-Raisin mansion; the Clary mansion or Pierre mansion,  the Capitol, a prestigious, 8-columned 16th-century building housing the town hall and theatre. Behind it is a 16th-century keep, the former Archives tower, the pretty banks of the Garonne river, especially the Henri Martin walkway and the Daurade distric and The full-of-life streets in the historic centre are lined with a large number of cafés and shops. After that we will return to Andorra La Vella.
Price: per person