Already ancient when a bunch of newcomers called the Romans came along, Carcassonne has been a strategic crossroads for civilisation for over 5,500 years. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Carcassonne was — incredibly — earmarked for demolition in 1850. Although its rescue has turned the remnants of an authentic ruin into a monument, this is one of those places that takes your breath away — and not just because you had to walk up that hill to get there.