Discover the Lastours Castles, breathtaking views from the belvédère, then we hike through the vallée to discover these structures one by one…They sit on a rocky spur above the village of Lastours, isolated by the deep valleys of the Orbiel and Grésilhou rivers.  After a 25-minute climb along the exposed hillside, you will explore the inside of each of the four ruined castles. Climbing up a spiral stone staircase you can peer through ancient arrow slits and ceiling gaps — nicknamed murder holes — through which defenders dropped rocks and poured boiling liquids. The site was classified as an historic monument by the French Ministry of Culture in 1905 and archaeological digs are still in progress. These four castles constitute one single entity, even though they are four separate structures.  The construction of each is different reflecting the range of alterations made to the castles.