Tour of Montségur

Tour of the ruins of the hilltop Château-fort (castle) of Montségur III and vestiges of the castrum of Montségur II and the museum at Montségur.

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 Puivert or to Montaillou or to Foix

 

 

 

Difficulty Rating

Moderate walk, rough paths, mostly without handrails. c45 mins hilly access

 

 

 

Scheduled Tour Dates & Times

Available as scheduled and private tours

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

 

 

 

What You'll See and Do

  • See route taken by the crusaders who besieged Montségur
  • Walk the route up the Pog of Montségur
  • Visit the memorials to the events of 1244 at Montségur
  • Visit the Château-fort (castle) of Montségur III
  • Visit the Vestiges of the castrum of Montségur II
  • Visit the modern village of Montségur (if time allows)
  • Visit the museum at Montségur (if time allows)

 

 

 

What You'll Learn About

  • The history of Montségur
  • The medieval Lords of Montségur
  • The commissioning of Montségur II
  • Montségur and the Albigensian Crusade
  • "Faidits"
  • Medieval sieges of Montségur
  • The Viscount's War of 1240
  • Montségur and the The Count's War of 1242
  • The Massacre at Avignonet and its relevance
  • The residents of Montségur - Cathar "Perfects" and the military garrison.
  • The siege of Montségur, 1243-44 - siege warfare, weaponry, armour
  • The architecture and defence of the castle at Montségur - barbicans, castle design
  • The Roc de la Tor and its significance
  • Rendition of Montségur 1244
  • Massacre at Montségur 1244
  • Aftermath - the building of Montségur II

 

 

 

Tour Start Point

Information board at the start of the path to the château,
Montségur 09300
Ariège
Midi-Pyrénées
France.

Lat. N 42.874356
Long. E 1.827494

 

 

 

Tour Leader

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

 

Model of Montségur III when constructed.

 
 

Montségur
 
 
 

Memorial stone below the Castle of Montségur
 

 

Original quarrels + reproduction crossbow at the Museum at Montségur
 
 

The Museum at Montsegur - trebuchet stones recovered from Montségur

 
 

The Museum at Montsegur - Skeletons of a man and woman, killed at Montségur - probably Cathars shot during the siege of 1243-4.
 
 
 



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.

Audio Tours

Audio tours - just download an app onto your cell 'phone and do the tour at your own pace. These self-guided tours use GPS to direct you and trigger appropriate audio tracks.