Carcassonne - Getting To

We took the train, here are the options

Train Paris to Toulouse to Carcassonne
Or
Train Paris to Narbonne to Carcassonne
Fly Nice to Toulouse
Train Toulouse to Carcassonne
Fly Paris Orly to Toulouse
Train Toulouse to Carcassonne

I don't know what you mean by from elsewhere.

From Paris or Nice to Carcassonne my preference would be to take a train if relying on public transport. Use the website sncf-connect.com for train schedules, prices and ticket purchase. Buy your tickets 4 months in advance for the cheapest prices since ticket prices increase as your travel date approaches and the discounted tickets sell out. See the website seat61.com to learn about rail travel in Europe.

Carcassonne now can be reached from Paris Montparnasse by fast TGV trains in as little as 5.5 hours The route from Nice is shorter in distance, but the route is less direct, and takes about 6 hours. You can get the best deals on tickets buying them as soon as you know your date of travel at www.SNCF-connect/en
www.TheTrainline.com has tickets for sale now even for trains through September.
Have a great trip!

Paris Orly to Montpellier flight 1H20m.
Transavia airlines. @ 7:05 & 4:10 around €50.

Car, drive Montepellier to Carssonnae 1H 50m.

Allow 30-60 minutes to get from Paris to Orly (depending on taxi vs. public transport and time of day and your starting point in Paris) and arrive at Orly 2 hours before your flight to Montpellier. Everyone has their preference but when taking planes you've got to consider the travel time involved to get to/from an airport and the recommended time to arrive at check-in prior to your flight, which most folks consider to be 2 hours for flights within Schengen and 3 hours for other international flights. Sure, maybe you could arrive at check-in an hour before your flight if you only have carry-on but do you really want to chance that? In regards to driving from Montpellier to Carcassonne you need to consider the cost of a rental car. Flight plus car rental seems logistically challenging and expensive vs. just taking the train to Carcassonne, though certainly if you want to explore the region near Carcassonne then a rental car is the best way to do so.

Thanks so much for the fabulous help! I'm starting to plan for October, it's definitely half the fun :))

Here's what people who live in Carcasssonne do: they drive or take the train to Toulouse and fly back and forth to Paris. Carcassonne to Toulouse is one hour. Toulouse, being the center of the aeronautic industry in France, has many more flights to and from Paris a day than Montpellier. In fact, they are about every hour or half hour.

Flying to Montpellier, whether Easyjet or Air France, is longer than the train with airport and transfer downtime; the train is only 3.5 hours. Further, getting off the train in Montpellier doesn't make sense, when the same train goes to Narbonne, which is much closer to Carcassonne. You can switch to a local train or rent a car in Narbonne. Montpellier would make sense if you were staying overnight. Then you could pick up the Intercitiés train that takes 1.5 hours to Carcassonne.

Unfortunately, they didn't build Carcassonne in a convenient location LOL. I'd do as the locals in Carcassonne do: fly to Toulouse and either drive or take a train.

As for Nice--that's a tough one. The train from Nice to Montpellier, along the coast, takes longer than the TGV from Paris. It's a real slog getting across the country. I'd definitely look into flying to Toulouse if you could get a direct flight. Otherwise, you should rent a car in Nice and drive. The reason is that the tracks along the coast from Nice to Marseille cannot handle high-speed, so it's three hours just to Marseille. You have to change trains in Marseille, hopefully to this Intercités and not a local train. It's about 3.5 more hours to Carcassonne if you get the Intercités, much longer if you are stuck on a local train.

Bets, You’d make a fantastic transit planner for Americans headed for France this summer!

I haven't been to Carcassonne, but I really liked Toulouse--in case you have some extra time. And then there's Albi as well.

As Bets told you, from Paris take a flight to Toulouse. Approximately between 20 and 25 flights per day with EasyJet or Air France (from CDG or Orly).

If you rent a car at Toulouse airport you will be in Carcassonne about 1 hour later (except traffic jams on the Toulouse ring road)

@kenko. Aw shucks. Jolui and I just happen to live in this area of France, one of us at each end. And then, I have family near Nice, so I have to deal with that awful train trip a couple times a year.

Hi Joanne,
Just a couple additions. The actual town of Carcassonne outside the citadel is a worthy visit too.
And those seeking that special tiny French village might check our Olargues, which is in the same vicinity.
I am done. the Torontonian