Beneath Carcassonne’s fortified castle, on the left bank of the River Aude, is the city’s second half, Ville Basse. It’s a mostly modern town that conceals a medieval heart: the Bastide St-Louis, which was built during the 13th century, using the characteristic grid of streets set around a central square, place Carnot. The lower town was later redeveloped during the 18th and 19th centuries, and is home to several impressive hôtels particuliers and religious buildings, as well as Carcassonne’s marvellous covered market , built in 1768.
