Hôtel Le Parc
Why we like it: Five-star hotel with seven rooms 800 m from the Cité, next to Franck Putelat's two-star restaurant, with suites with private jacuzzis.
Duration2 nights
Best timeApril – June and September – October
Budget€200–320 pp
Getting thereCar or train with a change at Narbonne
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to leave on Friday after lunch and return on Sunday afternoon. Sleeping two nights inside or at the foot of the Cité is what changes the trip: first thing and at dusk, without groups, the streets are something else. The canal boat runs from April to October; outside that season, swap Sunday for the Lastours castles.
Friday
- 119:00Arrival and the Cité at dusk
Drop your luggage and enter through the Porte Narbonnaise when the groups have gone. Make a first circuit of the streets, with the shops now shut, and have dinner on the place Saint-Jean, at Le Saint Jean, facing the castle: cassoulet or tapas, with a €21 set meal and a €24 menu.
Saturday
- 19:30The lists, gate to gate
Before the crowds arrive, walk the lists, the passage between the two walls, from the Porte Narbonnaise to the Porte d'Aude. An hour and a half, free, and the best way to understand how the city was defended.
- 211:00Count's castle and ramparts
The castle of the viscounts and the wall walk along the top of the ramparts, with the Centre des monuments nationaux. Two hours. Under-18s do not pay, and neither do EU citizens aged 18 to 25, with ID.
- 313:15Saint-Nazaire and lunch in the Cité
The basilica, Romanesque and Gothic, with 13th- and 14th-century stained glass: half an hour, free. Eat nearby, in the Cité, or leave lunch for the Bastide.
- 416:00Down to the Pont Vieux and the Bastide
Leave by the Porte d'Aude, go down the cobbled slope, cross the Aude by the Pont Vieux, which can only be crossed on foot, and keep straight on to the place Carnot and its Neptune fountain. Coffee, shops and the real city.
- 520:30Dinner in the Bastide
Chez Fred, twenty metres from the canal, does seasonal bistro cooking and a cassoulet with the seal of the Académie Universelle du Cassoulet: book. If you would rather not book, the Brasserie à 4 Temps, by Franck Putelat, serves non-stop from 6:30 to 22:30. Walk back to the Cité at night over the Pont Vieux: the illuminated rampart is the photo of the trip.
Sunday
- 110:30Boat on the Canal du Midi
The Croisière Cité leaves from the port, next to the station: an hour and a half, two locks and the Cité in the background. Board a quarter of an hour early. April to October; in October, at 10:30 only.
- 212:30Lunch in the Bastide
The Brasserie à 4 Temps is open every day: cassoulet, mussels marinière or veal sweetbreads.
- 314:30Peyrepertuse, on the way home
An hour and a quarter south, through the Corbières. The fortress occupies a whole ridge: twenty minutes' climb from the car park, two enclosures and the St Louis staircase up to the highest point. In strong wind it closes. From there to Girona is about two hours via Perpignan.
Carcassonne is two hours twenty from Girona and a little over three from Barcelona: far for a Sunday, perfect for two nights. It is two cities. On the hill, the Cité, a citadel with two rings of walls, 52 towers and a castle, restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century and a World Heritage Site since 1997. On the plain, the Bastide Saint-Louis, the 13th-century town where people live, with the Canal du Midi alongside. This plan splits the weekend between the two and adds, on the way home, Peyrepertuse, a Cathar castle on a rocky ridge.
How do you get there?
By car, take the AP-7 and the French A9 to Narbonne and the A61 towards Toulouse: two hours twenty from Girona, three hours twenty from Barcelona, with tolls on both sides. In the Cité you park in car parks P1 and P2, next to the Porte Narbonnaise: €1 each quarter of an hour for the first two hours and free at night. By train, from Barcelona it is about three hours with a change at Narbonne; the station is in the Bastide, by the canal port, twenty minutes' walk from the Cité. Without a car, leave Peyrepertuse for another trip.
What do you pay for and what is free?
| What | Price | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Streets of the Cité, the lists and Saint-Nazaire | Free | 2 h |
| Count's castle and ramparts | €19 from April to September, €13 from October to March · free for under-18s | 2 h |
| Pont Vieux and Bastide | Free | 1 h 30 |
| Boat on the Canal du Midi | €10.50, children aged 3 to 12 €8 · April to October | 1 h 30 |
| Peyrepertuse Castle | From €8 | 2 h, with a 20-minute climb |
Where to sleep
The best thing is to sleep in the Cité or at its foot, to have it empty at dusk and first thing. If you come by train, the Bastide is closer to the station and the canal. The list of places to stay in Carcassonne, with prices and who each suits, is on the destination page. If you want something special, La Table de Franck Putelat, with two Michelin stars since 2012, at the foot of the Cité, also has a hotel; the restaurant closes on Sunday and Monday, so book it for Friday or Saturday night.
What to eat
The dish is cassoulet: white beans in an earthenware pot with duck confit and sausage, long and hearty. Order it once, preferably at midday. To drink, the wines of the Languedoc and Roussillon, which in the Bastide's brasseries are ordered by the glass.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Carcassonne, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Carcassonne
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
From Girona, on the A9, in two and a half hours
Carcassonne is very easy by car from Catalonia: the A9 motorway to Narbonne and the A61 towards Toulouse, both toll roads. The car stays in the car park and the Cité, the Pont Vieux and the Bastide are done on foot; pick it up again for Lastours or Peyrepertuse.
80–160 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayHôtel Le Donjon, inside the…
- Getting aroundPark in P1 or P2…
- Where to eatLe Saint Jean, in the…
- ServicesCarcassonne Tourist Office
Where to stay
- Hôtel Le Donjon, inside the Cité, with the car at the Porte Narbonnaise
- Camping de la Cité, 15 minutes' walk from the ramparts
Getting around
- Park in P1 or P2, free at night
- Lastours 20 km away; Peyrepertuse, 1 h 15
Where to eat
- Le Saint Jean, in the Cité, open on Sundays
- Brasserie à 4 Temps, in the Bastide, every day from 6:30 to 22:30
Services
- Carcassonne Tourist Office
- Car parks at the Cité
A night inside the Cité and a two-star table
Luxury in Carcassonne means sleeping where the groups go home from: inside the Cité or at the foot of the hill, next to Franck Putelat's two-star restaurant.
From €350per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayHôtel Le Parc, five stars…
- Getting aroundOn foot between the Cité…
- Where to eatLa Table de Franck Putelat…
- ServicesCar parks at the Cité…
Where to stay
- Hôtel Le Parc, five stars, seven rooms, some with a private jacuzzi
- Hôtel Le Donjon, four stars inside the walls
Getting around
- On foot between the Cité, the Pont Vieux and the Bastide
- Canal du Midi cruise from the port
Where to eat
- La Table de Franck Putelat, two Michelin stars, Tuesday to Saturday
- Brasserie à 4 Temps, by the same chef, for the other days
Services
- Car parks at the Cité, free at night
Fly to Toulouse and take a train or car to Carcassonne
Toulouse-Blagnac is the airport with the most useful direct flights from Spain for Carcassonne: from Madrid all year round and, depending on the season, from other cities. From there, a good hour on the A61 motorway. From Barcelona the train or car is better than flying.
- Getting thereToulouse-Blagnac (TLS), with direct flights…
- Getting aroundHire car in Toulouse if…
- Where to stayHôtel Le Donjon, inside the…
- ServicesCarcassonne station, next to the…
Getting there
- Toulouse-Blagnac (TLS), with direct flights from Spain
- Carcassonne (CCF), the city's airport, a few minutes from the centre
- Direct train from Toulouse to Carcassonne
Getting around
- Hire car in Toulouse if you are going to see Cathar castles
- Without a car: train to the station, in the Bastide, and everything on foot
Where to stay
- Hôtel Le Donjon, inside the Cité, to arrive and not move the car
Services
- Carcassonne station, next to the Canal du Midi
- Tourist office
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingin styleif you're flying
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Camping de la Cité
Why we like it: Campsite 15 minutes' walk from the ramparts, with 80 m² pitches, mobile homes, cabins for cyclists and a motorhome area open all year; dogs welcome.
Hôtel Le Donjon
Why we like it: Four-star hotel with 43 rooms inside the medieval Cité, in stone houses with interior gardens, a bar and its own brasserie, Chez Christine.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Carcassonne
Le Saint Jean
What to order: The cassoulet, if you come for a meal; for a snack, the tapas on the terrace.
Chez Fred
What to order: The cassoulet, with its Académie Universelle du Cassoulet label, and the house foie gras.
Brasserie à 4 Temps
What to order: The Carcassonne cassoulet; for dessert, the omelette norvégienne.
La Table de Franck Putelat
What to order: The lunch menu is the most affordable way to try the house.
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Bring comfortable footwear: the Cité is cobbled and the climb to Peyrepertuse is rock. And a jacket for the Cathar castle: in the Corbières the wind blows.
We'd skip it
July and August at midday in the Cité: heat, groups and queues at the castle. If you go in summer, do the Cité first thing and at dusk, and the canal and the Bastide in the middle hours.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Girona?
About two hours twenty by car on the AP-7, the A9 and the A61. From Barcelona, three hours twenty. By train from Barcelona, about three hours with a change at Narbonne.
Do you have to pay to enter the Cité?
No. The streets, the lists and the basilica are free. You pay for the count's castle and the walk along the ramparts: €19 from April to September and €13 from October to March.
Where do you park at the Cité?
In car parks P1 and P2, next to the Porte Narbonnaise: €1 every 15 minutes for the first two hours and free at night.
When does the Canal du Midi boat leave?
From April to October. From April to June and in September, at 10:30 and 14:30; in October, at 10:30 only. It costs €10.50 for adults.
Can you go with children?
Yes. Under-18s enter the castle free, the boat suits all ages and the lists are a flat walk. The climb to Peyrepertuse, with small children, hand in hand.
Is it worth sleeping inside the Cité?
Yes, if you can. At dusk and first thing, without groups, is when the citadel looks like what it once was.