The Aude, a department of the Languedoc Roussillon region of France, is the heart of Cathar country. It lies from the east of Toulouse to the Mediterranean at Narbonne and from the Montagne Noir in the north to the Pyrenees. It can be divided into a number of distinct areas each with its own character.

 Lauragais in the east is the land of windmills and corn fields, it is the Department Aude's granary and centre of poultry breeding. Castelnaudary, its capital, is famous for the regional dish, Cassoulet. It is also the tourist centre for canal cruising on the Canal du Midi.

Razes has a splendid landscape on the foot of the Pyrennees, vineyards, many abbeys, churches and caves. Its centre is Limoux, famous for its Moussoux de Limoux and excellent Chardonnay.

Montagne Noir, the highest being the Pic de Nore (1210 m). The countryside is composed of heathland, large forests of chestnut and beech trees, wide plains and lakes. There is an abundance of feudal castles and old fortresses of the Cathars.

Carcasse occupies the plain of the river Aude. The Cité, a unique fortress with 52 towers and a fascinating history, is on the outskirts of Carcassone. It is the ancient area of trade located between Atlantic Ocean and Mediterrenean Sea. The wines of the area are Minverois and Corbière

Pyrenees Audoise is the land of gorges, of small passes and high plateaus. It is renowned for rambling, canoeing and kayaking.

Minervois has plain and sea, heath, mountains and never ending vineyards. Minervois is the best known wine-growing area of the Midi. Grapes have been cultivated there since Roman times. There are also grottos, many Roman churches and the villages along the Canal du Midi.

Clape/Narbonnais. Narbonne, the region's capital, is the oldest city of Roussillon. Endless sandy beaches, modern holiday centres, traditional spas and fishermens' villages along the Etangs.

Corbières’ mountains are flanked by the Pyrenees in the south, the river Aude in the north and in the east by the Etangs of the Mediterranean. Dramatic rock formations, wild landscapes, strange looking mountain tops, the famous vineyards and the Mediterrean climate, make the Corbières a unique region. 

There are excellent communications to Carcassonne with daily Ryan Air flights to and from London (Stansted) and the A61 Bordeaux-Toulouse-Narbonne and the A9 Orange-Narbonne-Barcelona autoroutes.

The weather is greatly influenced by the Mediterranean, Montagne Noir and the Pyrenees. The average temperature ranges between 5° and 10° in December and January, rising to 16° to 28° in the summer. The rainfall peaks in April to about 7 cms. falling to 3 cms. in August.