Narbonne

Narbonne has 2500 years of history!

Narbonne is located in the Aude department of the Occitanie region of South France and its only 25 minutes from La Souqueto accommodation! Its one of the lesser-known cities in France and yet it has over 2500 years of history! Strolling through the streets of the city is a real journey back in time. Start with the polished cobblestones of Via Domitia (in the square outside the Cathedral). This was the first Roman road built in Gaul, to link to Italy.

Narbonne was built by decree from Rome as a trading post in 118 BC, eventually becoming one of southern Gaul’s most important cities. The sixth century saw it become the capital of the Visigoths, only for disaster to strike in the Middle Ages in the form of the plague, bursting dykes and a silted-up port.

There is the wonderfully Gothic Archbishop’s Palace, now the home of the town hall, as well as the incomplete – but still impressive Cathédrale Saint-Just-et-Saint-Pasteur de Narbonne. It took until the mid-19th century for the city’s fortunes to again brighten, with the arrival of the railway and a blossoming wine industry.

The City nicknamed the Daughter of Rome is situated on the Canal Robine, listed as part of World Heritage by UNESCO

There are many museums to satisfy most tastes, the Roman Horreum Museum is an underground labyrinth of old warehouses, left over from the city’s days as a Roman port. Narbo Via is the latest most impressive Roman Museum opened in 2021. The Blue Penitents Chapel, the former Carmelite convent is well worth a visit as is the indoor Market of Les Halles.