Squatting on a low hill near the village of Tuchan, Aguilar features six corner turrets and a hexagonal outer wall. It’s the smallest of the Cathar castles and in a fairly poor state of repair. The castle is 35km northwest of Perpignan via the D12.
Château d’Aguilar
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
29.2 MILES
Built on a steep spur of rock, Carcassonne’s rampart-ringed fortress dates back more than two millennia. The fortified town is encircled by two sets of…
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Roussillon had its artistic heyday around the turn of the 20th century, when Fauvist and cubist artists flocked here, attracted by the searing colours and…
15.5 MILES
Perpignan’s most dominant monument, the Palace of the Kings of Mallorca sprawls over a huge area to the south of the old town. Built in 1276, the castle…
15.77 MILES
These rock formations must be one of the most striking geological wonders in Occitanie, though they have remained well under the tourist radar. They…
18.05 MILES
Founded by Cistercian monks in 1093, Fontfroide Abbey became one of southern France’s most powerful ecclesiastical centres during the Middle Ages…
7.38 MILES
Perched 728m up on a rocky hill, Quéribus was the site of the Cathars’ last stand in 1255. Its structure is well preserved: the salle du pilier (pillars'…
23.54 MILES
In a lofty location 63km northwest of Perpignan via the D117, turreted Puilaurens is perhaps the most dramatic of the Cathar fortresses. It has the full…
9.89 MILES
Peyrepertuse is the largest of the Cathar castles, teetering on a sheer spur of rock with a drop of 800m on either side. Several of the original towers…
Nearby attractions
1. Musée de Préhistoire de Tautavel
5.21 MILES
The cave-riddled cliffs above Tautavel, 34km northwest of Perpignan along the D117, have yielded a host of prehistoric finds, most notably a human skull…
7.38 MILES
Perched 728m up on a rocky hill, Quéribus was the site of the Cathars’ last stand in 1255. Its structure is well preserved: the salle du pilier (pillars'…
9.89 MILES
Peyrepertuse is the largest of the Cathar castles, teetering on a sheer spur of rock with a drop of 800m on either side. Several of the original towers…
4. Le Castillet & Musée Casa Païral
15.1 MILES
Like many medieval towns, Perpignan was once encircled by defensive walls. Today all that remains is the red-brick town gate of Le Castillet, at the…
15.16 MILES
Three fine stone structures flank place de la Loge. The 14th-century La Loge de Mer was rebuilt during the Renaissance; it was once Perpignan’s stock…
15.16 MILES
The 14th-century La Loge de Mer, rebuilt during the Renaissance, was once Perpignan’s stock exchange, then its maritime tribunal.
15.16 MILES
Perpignan’s old town has several intriguing churches, but the most impressive is the Cathédrale St-Jean, begun in 1324 and not completed until 1509…
15.17 MILES
The Hôtel de Ville has a typically Roussillon pebbled façade of river stones.