Villefranche de Conflent medieval city fortified by Vauban

Villefranche de Conflent is classified as one of the most beautiful villages in France at the foot of Mont Canigou, one hour from Perpignan.

The medieval town of Villefranche was built in the 11th century to protect the surrounding valleys from invasion. In 1681, Vauban fortified the town by raising the ramparts and especially by building Fort Libéria. The "1000 steps" underground was built later under Napoleon III. The proposed tour begins with a visit to the town, which will allow you to immerse yourself in the medieval atmosphere. We will continue with the visit of the ramparts, which will give an overall view of the city. We will finish with the Liberia fort which dominates the city. If there is still time, there are still the caves "Les canalettes" to visit. For lunch, we can recommend the restaurant "le Patio" at 32 Rue St Jean with its large interior patio and its Catalan specialties. Site de Villefranche de Conflent

Interest: ratinggood (1 user)
Difficulty: difficulty
Duration: 4 h.
Departure point (Google Maps)

Yellow train station

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Yellow train station
The two means of access are the car and the yellow train. The yellow train is a small tourist train that leaves from Perpignan. It is preferable to park in the car park of the train station. By road, count 1 hour from Perpignan.

Entrance to the village

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Entrance to the village
At the exit of the car park, take a path along the railway towards the village. The path leads to Fort Liberia and the town.

View of the village

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View of the village
The village has kept its medieval aspect. The visit of the ramparts allows to make the complete tour of the city.

Visit of the ramparts

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Visit of the ramparts
The tour of the ramparts takes about 45 minutes. Use the passes provided by the region to benefit from reduced rates when visiting several monuments.

Main entrance

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Main entrance
View of the main entrance of the city. We pass above during the visit of the ramparts.

View of the fortifications

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View of the fortifications
View of the fortifications from the main entrance.

View of the ramparts

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View of the ramparts
View of the ramparts on the interior of the city. At the end of the visit, direction the Liberia fort by leaving the city by the same way as on the way out.

Fort Liberia

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Fort Liberia
The last stop is Fort Liberia. It can be reached either by an underground passage from the city or by a path through the mountain. You can choose to go by the path and return by the underground.

Entrance to the fort

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Entrance to the fort
After a 20-minute walk with a good difference in altitude, we reach the entrance to the fort.

Visit the fort

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Visit the fort
The visit of this beautiful fort allows to appreciate the defensive system of the fort with the route of the covered way and the powder magazine. In the distance, you can see the Canigou mountain.

Fort Liberia

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Fort Liberia
The tour also includes a visit to the bread oven, the officers' barracks and the women's prison where famous poisoners ended their lives. The fort also houses a colony of bats that can be observed with an infrared camera.

Underground of the "thousand steps".

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Underground of the "thousand steps".
The underground allows direct access to the city with a difference in level of 180 meters. The most courageous will take it in the direction of the rise...

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