The Donjon d'Arques

Tour of the well-preserved fourteenth century Donjon at Arques - inside and outside.

Tour Options
Tour Access Difficulty Rating
Scheduled Tour Dates
What You'll See
What You'll Learn About
Tour Start Point
Your Tour Leader

 

 

 

Tour Options

  • One-day scheduled tours
  • One day of one-Week scheduled tours
  • One day of Private tours

This tour is usually combined with a visit to Termes, Lagrasse or Villerouge.

 

 

 

Difficulty Rating

Very easy 5 minute walk slightly uphill. Spiral Staircase

 

 

 

Scheduled Tour Dates & Times

Available as scheduled and private tours

Times for the day tour: 9am - 5 pm (including a second location in the morning)

 

 

 

What You'll See and Do

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of a castle complex constructed by a Crusader lieutenant of Simon de Montfort. Interior (three stories) + exterior.

 

 

 

What You'll Learn About

   Simon de Montfort and his Crusade lieutenants

   Thirteenth century castle architecture

   Life in a thirteenth century castle, defense v comfort

   Arques and Catharism

   Fashions in castle building in the Languedoc

 

 

 

Tour Start Point

Small bridge on the track from the Car Park below the Donjon d'Arques to the donjon

Lat N 42.951803
Long E 2.366270

 

 

 

 

Tour Leader

The tour is lead by the author and historian James McDonald >>>

 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques

 
 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques
 
 
 

The Donjon d'Arques - Interior of the keep of the castle at Arques
 

 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques - vaulted ceiling
 
 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques

 
 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques - Interior
 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques - Doorway
 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques - Interior
 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques - Interior
 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques - Interior
 
 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques - Exterior
 
 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques - Interior
 
 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques - corner tower Interior
 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques - Exterior
 
 

The Donjon d'Arques - the keep of the castle at Arques
 
 
 
 



Our Tours

A selection of our tours and other services. Click on one of the boxes for more information

Scheduled One-Week Tours

Join one of our scheduled week-long tours which take place in May/June and September each year, including iconic sites such as Montsegur.

Private Tours for Individuals

Customised Tours for 1 person to 5 people: you get to chose how long the tour is, where you visit, and what topics you want to learn about.

Private Group Tours

Customised Tours for groups of 6 or more: you get to chose how long the tour is, where you visit, what topics you want to learn about, and where you stay.

One-Day Scheduled Tours

Join one of our limited number of scheduled day-tours which take place in May/June and September each year, including iconic Cathar sites such as Montsegur.

Talks, Lectures, Seminars

If you want an entertaining but intellectually rigorous and historically accurate account of Catharism, the Albigensian Crusade and the Medieval Languedoc..

Other Services

We offer a Concierge service to help you plan tours focused on the Languedoc / Occitania (including topics other than the Cathars). We also offer services to established Tour Operators organizing visits to Cathar Country.