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Château d'Aguilar
Photo: Hien Le · CC BY 2.0
Castles & CatharsWorld Heritage (UNESCO)France

Château d'Aguilar

The lowest sentinel, among the vineyards of the Corbières

A hexagonal 13th-century outer wall on a hill above Tuchan, looking out over the Fitou vineyards and away towards Canigou. The easiest of the castles to visit – a short walk from the car park.

The history of the Cathars

Aguilar belonged to lords sympathetic to the Cathars before it became a royal fortress and one of the lookout posts facing Aragon.

UNESCO World Heritage

Royal Capetian Fortresses of Languedoc

World Heritage since
2026

Eight fortresses that the French kings built or rebuilt in the 13th and 14th centuries after the Albigensian Crusade, to hold the border with the Kingdom of Aragon: the castle in Carcassonne and seven sentinels on rocky ridges – Aguilar, Lastours, Montségur, Peyrepertuse, Puilaurens, Quéribus and Termes. They are often called Cathar castles, but the walls you see today are mostly the king's, built after the fall of the Cathars. World Heritage since July 2026.

Visit: All the castles charge an entrance fee and sit on steep summits – allow a 15–45 minute walk uphill in sun and wind. Peyrepertuse and Quéribus may close when the tramontane is blowing hard.

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42.8906° N, 2.7469° E

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