Aigues Mortes: the historic fortified city
It is a small village nestled in the Camargue Natural Park, a magical place to stroll along the medieval ramparts surrounded by lagoons.
Where is it
This famous city of France is located in the Occitanie region, which occupies a large part of the south of France, up to the border with Spain. To the east, a few steps from the city, lies the Camargue Park, where it is possible to admire panoramas rich in suggestions and unpublished natural beauties.
The peculiarity of the city
Aigues Mortes is famous in France for its historic fortified walls, which still preserve and surround the entire historic city center.
A few steps from the ramparts, in the surrounding marshy area, there are also large salt marshes, which give the city its name and they surround the city and form a perfect outline to the ramparts and historical monuments present on the site.
The city offers many historical sites, all located more or less close to each other, so it does not take long to visit the places and then move to the Camargue Natural Park to enjoy breathtaking natural views and relax in contact with nature
The historical and cultural offer
Places of interest in the city are:
Constance Tower
Built in the 13th century and 30 metres high, to which is added that of the small 11-metre turret built on its roof, is directly connected to the historic city walls, by a stone bridge that spans a small moat.
The tower is accessible on foot and is spread over two floors, with impressive stairs inside that allow you to reach the roof to enjoy the highest viewpoint over the entire city and the surrounding countryside.
Inside the second floor of the Constance Tower, in the 17th century, the Huguenots, the French Calvinist Protestants, were imprisoned. The Constance Tower, wanted by Louis IX, had the main purpose of offering protection to the city of Aigues Mortes and an observation point on what was happening in the surroundings.
The saltworks of Aigues Mortes
From the top of the ramparts, but also when arriving towards the city, one cannot fail to notice the salt pans of Aigues Mortes. About a kilometer from the city, the large pink pools stand out against high white mountains of salt that sparkle in the sun.
If you are very attracted by this natural spectacle, it is possible to visit it in several ways. The most practical and quickest is certainly to use the little train that ventures into the salt pans and which, equipped with a guide, explains the history of its birth and how salt is still extracted from the waters that flow into this system of canals and locks.
The train tour lasts about an hour and a quarter and at the end it is possible, afterwards, to visit the small salt mine museum.
The ramparts and gates of the city
Among the particularities of Aigues Mortes are the long walls that surround the entire historic center; their construction dates back to the second half of the 13th century.
The six access gates to the city interrupt almost regularly the more than 1,600 meters of richly decorated walls with towers built on the walls themselves.
Place Saint-Louis
Dominated by Notre Dame des Sablons. The square, in the centre of the town, offers a multitude of shops and restaurants around it, and in the centre stands the statue of Saint Louis.
A few steps away is the church, which is one of the oldest monuments in the town and dates from 1246, although the current Gothic style of Notre Dame des Sablons is also the result of various interventions carried out over the centuries.
The most important restorations took place in the 18th and 20th centuries, when it was closed during the French Revolution. At the time it housed a barracks and a salt depot.
Chapels of the Penitents
A short walk from the church are two chapels not far from each other, dating from the 17th century and built of limestone. The difference between the two churches is that one belonged to the Grey Penitents and the other to the White Penitents, two distinct and opposing monastic orders.
Both are privately owned but open to visitors; the Chapelle des Pénitents Gris is set in a pretty garden on Place Paul Bert and has a single rectangular nave inside, dominated by a huge, richly decorated altarpiece depicting the Passion of Christ.
A taste of the Camargue Natural Park
At the end of the visit of the cultural heritage of the city, you can head to the Camargue Natural Park, one of the most beautiful places that France has to offer, establishing itself as the largest area of wild plains in all of Europe.
From a naturalist point of view, it is one of the wildest and best preserved places: here migratory birds can rest and feed, while the native fauna and flora live in a protected and preserved territory. The entire western part of the Camargue is full of stables, equestrian centers and farms offering horse rides.
Indeed, the fame of the white horses of the Camargue is such that it has made them a tourist emblem today. The same goes for the black bulls and the pink flamingos. A true earthly paradise where you can admire nature in all its beauty and fully enjoy your afternoon in contact with it!
Do not miss this
historic fortified city full of beautiful monuments, all within walking distance of the Natural Park of Camargue,
where you can immerse yourself at the end of the city tour!
If you want to immerse yourself in the historical, natural and sporting beauties of France, visit our
site web https://planetazur.com/activites-tours/ ,where you will find many routes and experiences that will make you completely love the region!
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