Pyrenees Guide

Capital of Narbonne Gaul, then residence for the Wisigoth kings and archiepiscopal city, this Ville d'Art, located in the ancient Roman Via Domitia, has retained its importance as a communications cross-roads. Its museums house many rare treasures, especially Roman paintings. The shaded boulevards and the banks of the canal de la Robine are pleasant places for walking in this typically Mediterranean town, which is also renowned for its wines.

Around the place de l'hotel de ville with its facade that was reworked by Viollet le Duc (19th century), the Palais des Archeveques and the Basilica. The Palais des Archeveques includes the passage de l'Ancre, the interior courtyard of the Madeleine, the Gilles Aycelin sonjon (13th century), the archaeological museum; in the old apartments of the archbishops, the art and history museum houses collections of French, Flemish and Italian paintings from the 16th century to the 19th century. In the flamboyant gothic style Saint Just et Saint Pasteur basilica, exhibition on the Grand Retable.