Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies 849 km (528 mi) from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about 15 km (9 mi) from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was historically a prosperous port. It is marginally the largest commune in Aude, although the prefecture is the slightly smaller commune of Carcassonne.

Geography

Narbonne is linked to the nearby Canal du Midi and the Aude River by the Canal de la Robine, which runs through the centre of town. There is also a recently renovated train station which serves the TGV to Spain, Paris and Calais, which in turn connects to the Eurostar. Narbonne is only 10 km from Narbonne Plage (beach), but it is only 2km from the nearest open water, at La Nautique, although there is no sand, rather pebbles.

Transport

The Gare de Narbonne railway station offers direct connections to Paris, Barcelona, Toulouse, Marseille and many regional destinations. An extensive local system of buses and routes operated by Citibus.fr allow for easy public transport within Narbonne and surrounding communities. Travellers wishing to connect by plane arrive by airports in nearby Béziers, Carcassonne, Perpignan, Toulouse or Montpellier, as Narbonne does not have an airport.

Sights

• The cathedral dating from 1272
• The Palais des Archevêques, the Archbishop’s Palace, and its donjon with views over Narbonne
• Musée Archeologique, an archaeological museum in the town centre (currently closed – November 2019, most sections will be moved to new museum Narbo Via which is planned to open in September 2020)
• Archaeological Site Clos de la LombardeClos de la Lombarde – an archaeological site presenting the vestiges of Roman townhouses, bath houses,
• The Roman Horreum, a former grain warehouse, built underground as a cryptoporticus
• Remains of the Via Domitia in the city center
• The canal, Canal de la Robine, running through the centre of the town
• The Halles covered market operates every day. The busiest times are Sunday and Thursday mornings.
• The nearby limestone massif known as La Clape and the beach at Narbonne plage

What to do

There are plenty of dedicated cycle routes in the Narbonnaise, such as a gentle 15km seashore stretch north of Gruissan, but there’s nothing like riding with someone on their own patch. Someone such as jovial Roland Bisman of mountain biking company Sportguida, who offers daily trips around these lagoons, islands and canals. Attracted by the motto “quality of time lived, not distance covered”, we met Roland near Port-la-Nouvelle to tour Ile de Sainte-Lucie nature reserve – riding pine-shaded paths, climbing a hill for a view of two lagoons and the canal, then slightly scaring ourselves with our speed on the rocky track back down.

Beaches

South and east of the city, the parc naturel régional de la Narbonnaise is 800 sq km of protected vineyards, lagoons, islands – and 50km of fine sand beaches.

Gruissan, 20 minutes from Narbonne, is a fishing village on a hill between two lagoons, with narrow alleyways encircling the ruins of a 12th-century tower. A marina was added in the 20th century, with apartments, restaurants and berths for 1,300 boats.

The most southerly beach of the Narbonnaise is at Leucate, 10 minutes by car, or a longer but panoramic walk or bike ride over Cap Leucate, spotting tiny sandy criques (coves, some clothing-optional) below. From here and from La Franqui you get great views to Spain and the Pyrenees, even spotting sharp-flanked 2,786m Canigou on a clear day.

Sport

Narbonne is home to the rugby union team RC Narbonne founded in 1907. They play at the Parc des Sports Et de l’Amitié (capacity 12,000). They wear orange and black.