Place Carnot is the main square of the Bastide Saint-Louis, the planned lower town of Carcassonne on the left bank of the Aude, across the river from the medieval Cité. Shaded by plane trees and lined with cafés, it has been the town's meeting point for centuries. At its centre stands the Neptune Fountain, finished in 1770, with naiads, tritons and dolphins that spout water from their nostrils.
Place Carnot at a glance
- Where: in the centre of the Bastide Saint-Louis, the lower town of Carcassonne, between the Canal du Midi and the river Aude.
- Created: as the central square of the bastide, founded in 1260 under King Louis IX; the square was rebuilt on a smaller scale after the town was burned in 1355.
- By: the Neptune Fountain is the work of the Barata family, an Italian father and son of sculptors.
- What it is today: Carcassonne's everyday central square, with cafés, a food and flower market and seasonal events.
- Time needed: 15–20 minutes; longer if you come on a market morning or stop for a coffee.
A royal new town and a fountain for Neptune
In the 13th century Carcassonne grew in two parts. After an ordinance of Louis IX in 1247 allowed people to settle on the left bank of the Aude, a new town was laid out there in 1260: a bastide with straight streets on a quadrangular plan around a central square. That square, today's Place Carnot, became the commercial centre of the lower town while the old Cité kept watch from its hill.
The bastide's early history was violent. In 1355 the army of Edward, the Black Prince, looted and burned the lower town during the Hundred Years' War, leaving almost nothing standing. When it was rebuilt, the square took on a smaller footprint than the original, which had reached as far as today's Rue de Verdun and Rue de l'Aigle d'Or. The Neptune Fountain was added in the 18th century and completed in 1770, giving the square the centrepiece it still has.
What to look for
- The statue of Neptune, god of the sea, at the centre of the fountain.
- The base of the fountain: two naiads (water nymphs), tritons and dolphins that spout water from their nostrils.
- The decorative masks (mascarons) and garlands carved around the fountain.
- The plane trees that shade the square and frame the market stalls.
- The straight streets leaving the square at right angles, a reminder that the bastide was planned on a regular layout.
Market mornings and a winter rink
Place Carnot is at its liveliest on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, when fruit, vegetable and flower stalls fill the square under the plane trees. In December the square changes again: a Christmas market and an ice rink are set up around the fountain, and it becomes the focus of the town's festive season.
Tips for your visit
- Come on a market morning for the most local atmosphere, then sit at a café terrace once the stalls pack up.
- For a full picture of Carcassonne, combine the square with a walk across the Pont Vieux and up to the Cité.
- Look at the fountain from the shade of the café terraces: the dolphins and tritons are easier to see from a few metres away.
- In December, expect crowds around the Christmas market, especially in the evening.
Nearby
- Saint-Vincent Church: a Gothic church of the bastide with a tall, massive bell tower.
- Saint-Michel Cathedral: the cathedral of Carcassonne, a Gothic church in the south of the bastide.
- Pont Vieux: the medieval bridge over the Aude that links the bastide with the slope up to the Cité.
- Musée des Beaux-Arts: the city's fine arts museum, a short walk from the square.
See Carcassonne with World City Trail
Our Carcassonne scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 46 minutes of walking. It includes La Cité and its ramparts and the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Carcassonne.
Play the Carcassonne scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Carcassonne →
Play the outdoor escape game in Carcassonne →
Facts checked in October 2026.