Aigues Mortes

I visit the beautiful castle-walled town of Aigues Mortes. Photos, stories, and bucket list successes.

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Summer 2012

Train Through Provence

We visited a few walled-cities/castle-towns during our trip through France. The first one of these was the magnificent Carcassonne, and the second was Aigues Mortes.

I’m not sure which of these was my favorite, but Aigues Mortes was by far the more beautiful.

Before entering the town itself, we got a tour of the architecture of the walls and ramparts  that protected the village in medieval times. We learned about arrow slits and the other forms of defense.

Exploring Aigues Mortes

There was even a moat!

Touring Aigues Mortes

Eventually we made it to Tour de Constance (Constance Tower), which was built as a fortification of the town’s defense and which later was used as a Huguenot prison. We explored it from bottom to top.

Exploring the inner workings of Aigues Mortes

In a dusty tower

St Louis Statue in Tour de Constance

It was exciting to explore a place that was so quintessentially medieval, and to imagine what life must have been like during the dark ages.

Aigues Mortes window

In addition to seeing the castle portion of the buildings, we got to spend some time at a vantage point overlooking Provence.

Provence

Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi and the surrounding town

View from Aigues Mortes

Sunshine and a cool breeze hit us from all sides. This was absolutely one of my favorite views while traveling France. Second only to that from the top of the Eiffel.

Gorgeous views of a land lost in time

Right outside the main gates, there was a carousel, and I knew we were in for a lovely afternoon.

The town itself was beautiful. Much like Carcassonne, it contained restaurants, museums, and hundreds of shops offering medieval wonders. Aigues Mortes was a bit more upscale.

Strolling through Aigues Mortes

Here, my friend ordered a crepe with a strawberry flavored syrupy filling which made our tongues tingle. We weren’t sure if the sensation was pleasant. The views from our patio table certainly were, at least.

Strolling through the streets was wonderful. People lived here?! Such a gorgeous, romance-movie type of place. It didn’t seem real.

St Louis Square, the heart of the city.

Aigues Mortes storefronts

Restaurants and shops in Aigues Mortes

Bakeries, gelato shops, flowers hanging from balconies, and the warm sun all contributed to the town’s dreamy fragrance.

French Patriotism in the homes of Aigues Mortes

Of all the magical shops that we stumbled into, my favorite by far was La Cure Gourmande, an artisanal bakery and chocolate shop.

Line after line of hand shaped cookies and biscuits lined the shelves. Jars with colorfully wrapped candies beckoned to anyone passing by.

La Cure Gourmande, pure heaven

I got a few little chocolates to take home for my family (just kidding they were all eaten by myself).

COOKIES

Aigues Mortes was gorgeous. I feel so lucky to have been able to see this amazing town.