Cordes-sur-Ciel
Member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
Raymond VII of Toulouse founded Cordes in 1222 as a bastide for people displaced by the Albigensian Crusade, on a hill above the Cérou. Spared heavy damage in the Wars of Religion, it keeps fine 13th- and 14th-century Gothic houses, such as the sculpted Maison du Grand Veneur. The 'sur-Ciel' was added in 1993 for the poet Jeanne Ramel-Cals, who saw the town rise above clouds pooling in the valley.
Highlights
- Maison du Grand Veneur, one of the most richly carved facades in town
- The Grand Fauconnier festival every 14 July, with medieval costumes
- Saint-Michel church, Southern Gothic with 19th-century frescoes (FR)
- The Musée Les Arts du Sucre et du Chocolat
- Croquants de Cordes, the town's own biscuits
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Cordes-sur-Ciel (FR), Cordes-sur-Ciel (EN), Cordes-sur-Ciel (IT)), Wikivoyage (Cordes-sur-Ciel (FR), Cordes-sur-Ciel (EN)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 879
Things to see
Events through the year
- Médiévales de CordesCostumed parades and medieval entertainment across the town
- Festa OccitanaTwo days of Occitan language, music and dance in the streets
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Cordes-sur-Ciel). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Specialities of Occitania
Typical of the region rather than of this village.
- Petit pâté de NîmesBread and pasta
- Fish soup of SèteDishFish cooked with vegetables, white wine and olive oil, served with rouille croutons
- Pain paillasse de LodèveBread and pasta
- BajanaDishTraditional chestnut soup of the Cévennes
Adapted from Wikipedia (Cuisine occitane). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
7 places to stay within 3 km
- Hotels 4
- Campsites 3
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Monestiés · 12 km
- Castelnau-de-Montmiral · 15 km
- Najac · 18 km
- Puycelsi · 21 km
- Bruniquel · 23 km