Forget your heels! You don’t drive up to Cordes-sur-ciel in a car either! The climb is on foot, through the steep, cobbled streets. Immerse yourself in the medieval atmosphere: fortified gates, ramparts, sculpted gothic facades and hidden corners. The charm works from the first step. From the top of this medieval town, you can look out over the world and contemplate the history.
Up high and impressive!
Heaven could wait no longer. What a joy it was when, in 1993, its name was officially added to that of Cordes [Cordes-sur-ciel means Cordes in heaven]. Their marriage dates back to the Middle Ages when the stone city on a promontory figuratively rose to the heavens. A heady spiral of love and beauty.
On the way up to the top of the town, stop to visit the artists’ and craftsmen’s workshops. Painters, writers, ceramists, sculptors and jewellers have long found artistic inspiration here.
On certain mornings when the pink mist invaded the valley, Cordes-sur-Ciel deserves its name and floats above the skies. Early in the morning, go out of the village to admire it at daybreak, it is splendid. In winter, the fog sometimes envelops and isolates it from the world below. An almost mystical experience.
History and mediaeval festivals
Since it originated, the usually merciless centuries have spared the stones of the old town clinging to its rocky outcrop. As you walk up the Rue Droite, you pass an incredible line of Gothic houses, including the very remarkable houses of the Grand Fauconnier and the Grand Veneur. For a full immersion in the Middle Ages, don’t miss the Grand Fauconnier festivals in July, during which everyone, including you, will have fun in period costume.
…The traveller who observes the summer night from the terrace of Cordes knows that he has no need to go further and, if he wants, the beauty here, day after day, will remove all sense of solitude.”
– Albert Camus
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