Scheduled Week Tours.
This is a tour aimed at English-speaking adults with an interest in the
Cathars. No prior knowledge is assumed, though in practice most people
who attend these tours will have read one or more popular books on the
Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade.
June 2026:
9 am, Saturday 13 June — 5 PM, Friday 19 June.
September 2026:
9 am, Saturday 12 September — 5 PM, Friday 18 September.
June 2027:
9 am, Saturday 12 June — 5 PM, Friday 18 June.
September 2027:
9 am, Saturday 11 September — 5 PM, Friday 17 September.
Group Size.
Groups sizes are variable but seven is typical.
Topics Covered
Who Were the Cathars?
Cathar Beliefs
Gnosticism and Early Christianity
Historical Context - The High Middle Ages
Sources
Where did Catharism come from?
Medieval warfare & siege techniques
The Albigensian Crusade
What are "Cathar Castles"?
The Inquisition and the end of Catharism
Some Interesting Questions
Consequences, Vestiges and Ramifications
Included is information on related topics such as techniques of medieval warfare, castle architecture, heraldry, feudalism, the role of the Catholic Church, the Count of Toulouse, Occitan culture, medieval politics, and source documents.
Places Visited, Outline Itinerary.
Schedule over 7 days, 7 nights:
We start at 9am on Saturday, so recommend that participants arrive earlier and stay overnight in Carcassonne. (So a hotel night before the tour is included in the price)
Day 1 — Saturday — Lastours and Minerve In the morning we will visit the four castles at Lastours, where we will talk about the role of these castles in the wars against the Cathars - the Albigensian Crusade. We will also discuss the basics of Cathar belief. After lunch we will visit the picturesque town of Minerve and discuss the significance of events here in 1210.
Day 2 — Sunday — Fontfroide. Fontfroide is a beautifully restored Cistercian abbey which played an important role in many of the events associated with the Albigensian Crusade. We will discuss distinctive features of twelfth century Cistercians. Lunch is at the abbey restaurant, after which we visit the abbey gardens and discuss the role of monasticism, including military monasticism, specifically militias, Cistercian justifications for killing and warfare, Cistercians & crusading, fighting monks, and the Cistercian role in the foundation of the Knights Templar.
Day 3 — Monday — Fanjeaux and Saissac. In the morning we will visit the village of Fanjeaux, once a centre of Cathar belief. We will visit sites here and discuss the role of Saint Dominic (once the parish priest here). In the afternoon we will visit another importance centre of Cathar belief at Saissac.
Day 4 — Tuesday — Free day / Carcassonne. A free day is provided. You can enjoy a day enjoying local markets, food or wine, or catching up with postcards. Or visit Carcassonne, a World Heritage Site, and the largest surviving medieval walled city in Europe. You can visit the city walls, the site of several sieges, and also the Basilica, where Saint Dominic preached and Simon de Montfort was originally buried, see where the Inquisition had their headquarters, and do a self-guided tour of the Château Comtal, the Viscounts' castle within the Cité of Carcassonne.
Day 5 — Wednesday — Termes and Arques. We head through the Corbiéres to visit the castle at Termes, which was besieged for several months during the Albigensian Crusade and is one of the best attested sieges of the middle ages. Lunch is at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we will visit the castle at Arques, a spectacular donjon of the fourteenth century, built by the family of one of the crusade leaders and discuss the theory and practice of medieval crusading.
Day 6 — Thursday — Montségur and Puivert. In the morning we drive into the Ariege and climb to the iconic Castle of Montségur where over 200 Cathars were burned alive in 1244 after a ten month siege. We have lunch in the village a short drive from Montsegur. The afternoon is spent at the Château at Puivert, known for its troubadour history, where a famous canso was composed, possibly for Eleanor of Aquitaine. We will also discuss the Occitan language, the origin of Romance and Romantic Love, and the origin of the troubadour tradition.
Day 7 — Friday — Queribus and Puilaurens. In the morning we drive to the Chateau of Queribus, and discuss the international politics of the period, and the geo-political implications of the Crusade against the Cathars, including the deaths of two kings. We will visit the pretty village of Cucugnan for lunch, and then in the afternoon visit the Chateau of Puilaurens, and talk about its role during the Cathar period, after which we return to Carcassonne for the end of the tour.
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On the tour we stay at two locations (in Carcassonne and Esperaza), the price of which is included in the cost of the tour for the nights of days 0,1,2,3,4,5 and 6. The accommodation is ☆☆☆, and selected for the typical Southern French charm - an hotel in Carcassonne and a gÎte in Esperaza, both still privately owned and run, and highly rated by guests
For ease of travel the tour starts and finishes in Carcassonne, which has good railway and autoroute links, and an airport. It is easy to get to from Toulouse which has an international airport (Blagnac).
The tour starts on 9am on day 1 and ends in Carcassonne at 5pm on on Day 7. Included is a night at the hotel in Carcassonne on the night of day 0 (before the tour). You might want to arrange to stay on the night of day 7 (after the tour).
Cost (one-week tour)
The current cost (per person) is 3,500 Euros.
[or 6,500 Euros for two people sharing an hotel room].
We will send you a more detailed schedule on booking, which will include full details of the accommodation, including location and contact details
INCLUDED: tour transport & lunches on tour days (1,2,3,5,6), hotels for tour nights other than the last day (ie, days 0-6), all entry fees.
EXCLUDED: Travel to and from the Languedoc; Lunch on day 4; breakfasts and suppers; hotel accomodation after the end of the tour.
Other
There are no age or health restrictions, but you should be aware that there is some uphill walking. The most demanding is Montségur - about 40 minute uphill walk, but we go slowly and take several stops. A few people chose to skip this.
Of the total cost you may pay the total on booking, or if you prefer 40% on booking and 60% 60 days before the start of the tour.
Prices are revised each year. If you book and pay a deposit this year, the price is fixed at that rate for the following year.
We aim to be as flexible as possible. Just let us know if you have any special requirements and we will try to accommodate them.
