Carcassonne 's Medieval Walls: A Self-Guided Audio Tour
Description
Explore Medieval Carcassonne at your own pace with this audio tour, without joining a group. This self-guided walking tour was written and narrated by historian James McDonald — real storytelling, not AI narration — with offline GPS, so no signal or data is needed. Perfect for history lovers, families, and independent travellers who'd rather go it alone. • Spot the "killing zones" where enemies were trapped besieging the city • Walk the medieval walls from Roman foundations through the Cathar era • Narrated by James McDonald, a British historian specialising in the Languedoc • Offline GPS-triggered audio with turn-by-turn directions • Go at your own pace over 150 minutes, with unlimited use before and after your visit Once booked, you'll get a code under "Before You Go." Install the VoiceMap app, enter it, follow directions to the start, pop in your headphones, and tap start.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This self-guided audio tour takes place around the medieval city of Carcassonne.
On this tour, you'll see the Buste de Dame Carcas (a sculpture of Lady Carcas) and tell you the story of how she saved the city from Charlemagne.
As you enter the city through Porte Narbonnaise (Narbonne Gate, you’ll begin following the wall, which encircles the old city. Along the way, you’ll also learn about the Cathars who flourished here in the twelfth century, the crusade launched against them, and some of the sieges that took place here.
As you follow the wall around the city, you'll learn about medieval warfare and locate the various “kill zones” that enemies risked finding themselves trapped in when attempting to siege the city.
You'll take in the impressive and almost century-old Château et Remparts de la Cité de Carcassonne, also known as the Château Comtal, where the castle meets the wall and its surrounding defenses.
You'll take in the impressive and almost century-old Château et Remparts de la Cité de Carcassonne, also known as the Château Comtal, where the castle meets the wall and its surrounding defenses.
You'll gaze upon the monument de la Jean Pierre Cros Mayrevieille, a doctor of law, a historian and an Inspector of Historic Monuments who saved the city from ruin.
On this two-hour tour, you won’t just trace the walls of Carcassonne, you’ll also venture into its centre through various gates including the Aude, Nazaire, and Toulouse Gates, and see the Church of Saints Nazaire and Celse, the city’s two patron saints.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please note: You won't be guided through any museums or other attractions mentioned en route. If you choose to enter and visit such places, you'll need to pay for it independently of this tour.
Reviews(47)
Self-guided tour of the castle with headphones. Worked very nicely and the castle is really worth the trip! Come early, when it opens, then it is a completely different experience!
The App worked perfectly - I was really impressed that it was so easy to use. It’s the first tour like this I’ve ever done and I would gladly recommend it to anyone
After some hesitation, we chose to take this "excursion". Do not hesitate… it is interesting and fascinating. The commentary explains the history of the city well. It is also a good walking exercise. Security is ever-present and reassuring.
Excellent ! Easy to use. Very informative. Nice to be able to stop And start……………..::::::::::::::::::
Atrocious and a total waste of money. The voice tour took nearly 30 minutes to start so we began the tour without it only to have to go back to the beginning again so that the spoken information could co ordinate with our position. And THEN it wouldn't sync with our location at all! Finally turned the bloody thing off as it was ruining the experience. And yes, location WAS on.
Hi there, I'm sorry that you were unhappy with your experience. When you were having technical difficulties, did you contact VoiceMap support via email or telephone? We are contactable by both telephone and email, so if you have technical difficulties, please reach out to us so we can identify what is going wrong. Can you email more information to support@voicemap.me? This way, we can identify exactly what went wrong. We can troubleshoot the issue and process a refund if you email us your details. I'm sorry for your frustrating experience. Best, Helene
Great tour, loads of info and keeps you away from the masses. Takes about 3 hours, great app with geolocation so it works at your pace.
This is a historic, special place and is a must see in France! A beautiful village with wonderful restaurants and shops and of course a true piece of history.
It was amazing, great commentary, very informative and the information about the site was accurate. As the commentator informed us at the beginning certain parts of the site maybe closed due to restoration and this was true on the day of our visit but it was easy to skip to the next chapter and pick it back up. Overall 10/10.
To do once in a lifetime is a beautiful place you still have to have good health for walks meals and drinks correct compared to 12 euros for parking c is too much
This was a total waste of our money. We could never get it to sync with the actual stops, me on an Android and my travel companion on his iPhone. We gave up after about 15 minutes of intense frustration. Neither of us is tech-illiterate.
Hi there, I'm sorry that you were unhappy with your experience. When you were having technical difficulties, did you contact VoiceMap support via email or telephone? We are contactable by both telephone and email, so if you have technical difficulties, please reach out to us so we can identify what is going wrong. Again, I'm sorry about the poor experience you had. Best, Helene
