Narbonne

Visit Narbonne, Languedoc-Roussillon

Narbonne is in the department of Aude in Languedoc-Roussillon. It is 150 kilometres south-east of Toulouse and 65 km north of Perpignan.

Narbonne was once the capital of the first Roman colony in Gaul. Up until the middle ages it was a prosperous city port but plague, war and a harbour prone to silting up led to a decline. However it remains an attractive city on the Mediterranean coast between Perpignan and Montpellier.

Nice shops, an attractive area around the cathedral (the Place de l’Hotel de Ville) full of cafés where you can stop for a coffee and a sandwich, the Canal du Midi (Canal de la Robine at this point) running through the centre of the town and a whole selection of beautiful buildings with interesting architectural features make Narbonne well worth a visit.

Exploring Narbonne

The main attractions in Narbonne are conveniently situated close together in the centre of town. They are:

Le Palais Vieux: (the old Palace). Le Cour de la Madeleine, the old palace courtyard, is entered through a gateway, and the area is dominated by the Saint Theodard bell tower and the cathedral. Excavations at the site have revealed three older religious structures predating the current cathedral.

La Cathedrale Saint Just et Saint Pasteur and the Palais des Archeveques together form a large and very attractive structure. Despite its size the cathedral is in fact unfinished with only the choir completed. Finishing would have involved demolishing part of the city walls and so work stopped in 1340.

On the outside the structure is lovely to see with its large flying buttresses. Inside it is the height of the cathedral which is impressive and it has some very impressive 14^th century stained glass windows.

You should also visit the cloister and the garden for particularly good views of the cathedral façade.

Le Palais Neuf is gothic in style and was built for the Archbishop.

Other attractions

- Outside of the Place de l’Hotel de Ville are the towers of St Martial, the Madeleine, and the Gilles Aycelin keep.

- Not far away L’Horreum (grain store) is the only building in Narbonne left from Roman times. Inside are lots of underground galleries in which goods were stored. Various remnants of other Roman buildings are displayed inside the Horreum.

- On the edge of the town centre is the Basilique Saint Paul, an early Gothic church which has been built on the site of a 4th-century necropolis.

- Les Halles is an award winning covered market open every day and a great place to stock up on local fresh produce. The market in Narbonne is one of the best in France.

Museums

Le Musee Archeologique situated in the archbishop’s palace has a gallo-romain section which includes lots of remains illustrating the life of Narbo-Martius when the town was a Roman colony in 118 BC. Well worth a visit.

Le Musée d’Art et d’Histoire includes a visit to the apartments of the archbishop arranged as they were in the 17^th and 18^th centuries.

Attractions close to Narbonne

Near Narbonne we suggest you visit the Abbaye Fontfroide, a beautifully preserved monastic estate complete with church, cloister, chapter hall and laybrother’s buildings.

Children and adults alike will enjoy a trip to the Sigean nature reserve at 20 kilometres south of Narbonne.

Photos of Narbonne (click any picture to start the gallery)

Tourist classifications for Narbonne: Village in bloom (ville fleurie) 2*; Listed town of Art and History; 'Historical protected town centre' (secteur sauvegardé);

Suggested places to visit near Narbonne, France

Distances shown are direct, driving distances will be greater.

More suggestions: Bize-Minervois 18km; Port-la-Nouvelle 20km; Aigne 22km; Beziers 25km; Saint-Chinian 27km; Minerve 28km; Leucate 30km; Lagrasse 33km; Roquebrun 35km; Cap d'Agde 39km; Fort de Salses 39km; Agde 41km; Olargues 42km; Pezenas 46km; Marseillan 47km; Carcassonne 53km;

See these places and more on a map at places near Narbonne

Narbonne tourism: sights and attractions nearby

Abbaye de Fontfroide (Narbonne) - religious monument (12km) : Narbonnaise en Méditerranée - regional natural parc (14km) : Jardin des carrières de Saint-Adrien - remarkable garden (36km) : Parc et jardin du château de Margon - remarkable garden (42km) : Etangs du Bagnas - site of natural beauty (45km) : Gouffre de Cabrespine - site of natural beauty (48km) : Fraisse-sur-Agout - ville fleurie 4* (50km) : Haut-Languedoc - regional natural parc (51km) :

French version: see Narbonne (Francais)