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Carcassonne: Short time - To See or Not to See?

The honeymoon countdown has begun... 12 days! My new dilemma is whether or not to spend a night at Carcassonne.

The current tentative plan is driving from Moustiers to spend 2 nights in the Nimes/Arles area, concentrating on Roman sights. Then, driving to Carcassonne for dinner and spending 1 night. The next morning, we would drive to Collioure via Peyrepertus&Queribus (which I am very excited about seeing).

However, I am considering skipping Carcassonne and spending a 3rd night in the Nimes/Arles area instead. If you have been to Carcassonne, how did you find it? Magical? Inspiring? Hokey? Letdown? If you had to choose between 3rd night in Nimes/Arles or 1 night in Carcassonne, which would you go with?

Posted by
7123 posts

Congratulations on your wedding/honeymoon!

We stayed in Avignon two years ago for 4 days with daytrips to Nimes, Pont du Gard, & Luberon villages. Then we stayed one night in Carcassonne before heading to Toulouse to fly home. We loved all of our activities around the Avignon area but were disappointed in Carcassonne - very touristy & not much to do at night except walk around in a circle inside the walls. Also, our hotel (comparable rates) was much nicer in Avignon.

Posted by
552 posts

I do think the best time to visit is in the evening. I wish I'd spent a night instead of being there around lunch time with everyone else. Once the busloads of daytrippers gone, the central square would be a much different 'Place'.

I would stay outside of the walled fortress, in a countryside gite, with the intention of having a sunset picnic where I could come away with a nice photo of the floodlit edifice.

Posted by
3387 posts

IMHO Carcassonne is a fun place to visit in a Disneyesque sort of way...parts of it are authentic but a lot of it is a reconstruction. It's very touristy with shops and stands selling all kinds of "castle/fortress" merchandise. If you have time it's a nice stop and it is impressive to see and walk around. If you are short on time though, don't think twice about skipping it. There are far better things to see in the other destinations you mention.

Posted by
141 posts

Thanks Jean & Bill & Anita. I was on the fence and your comments really helped. With the little time we have, it sounds like we won't miss out by skipping Carcassonne. We still plan to visit Les Baux, Peyrepertuse & Queribus, and those should give us a good taste of medieval history.

Posted by
10116 posts

Actually, it's impossible to compare Peyrepertuse & Queribus to Carcassonne, while Les Baux can be just as Disneyesque, depending on circumstances.

Carcassonne is a restored defensive town with inner and outer walls, an intact castle, and is still inhabited. The most recent scholarship says the restoration is quite accurate. Before the restoration, after the Cite's initial purpose--defense against Spain was no longer necessary--stone from its walls were re-used to build the lower town, but it has been an occupied site for a couple of thousand years. It's a totally different type of site from the castle ruins if you are interested in medieval history.

If you enter Carcassonne via the Narbonne Gate, you will indeed be hit with a string of the most awful tourist shops--buildings and shops that were bought by Parisian speculators in the 19th C. when it became known that Carcassonne would be restored. These Parisians knew that this would become a place many people would want to visit. Instead, climb the hill and go in through the Courtine Entrance on the other side. You'll work to get up there but will have a completely different experience. We spent two weeks in a gite below the Courtines while we explored the region and walked up the hill into the cite several times.

As for Les Baux: we attempted to go there one spring break back in the 1980s when we lived in Paris, but turned around and left when we were engulfed in a sea of people, all on break with their kids as we were, and all we saw were signs for crepes, pizza, and hot dogs on the main street along with tacky shops. On the other hand, so many people have reported relaxed visits there that we may attempt it again, but in May or June, not a school vacation. So you see impressions can be different depending on the circumstances.

A word about restoration: many of the sites tourists visit were in ruins but restored in the 19th C., including Notre Dame de Paris and Vezelay.

Posted by
564 posts

We visited Carcaaone on th RS tour. I'd arrive for the end of the day to sight see and after the tour buses leave, and enjoy the evening there. Then get up early for more great scenery without the masses of tourists. It's quite a historical and an impressive fortification.

Posted by
141 posts

Hi all, thanks for the additional views on Carcassonne and tips on where to enter! If I had an extra day or two, I would definitely spend the night there. I am just concerned I am cramming too much into my short trip, and leaving out Carcassonne seems to be the best way to ease the schedule... But I wasn't going to leave it out if people unanimously agreed that it is a super-duper awe-inspiring magical place that can't be missed. It's still on my list of possibilities in case the weather is bad around Queribus/Peyrepertuse, or I decide 2 days in Provence is enough (I doubt that is going to happen but one never can tell)!

Posted by
149 posts

Count me as among those that found Carcassonne underwhelming. We stayed overnight on our way between Albi and Cadaques. I'd suggest spending the additional night in Nimes and doing more in the area (Orange, Uzes, Pont du Gard, etc). There's also a fortified city nearby that Ed recommended but unfortunately I can't remember the name.

Posted by
10116 posts

Riverain, It's good that you have mentioned weather because that could impact your plans going in March. You could be subjected to the icy Mistral winds that come out of the Alps and down the Rhone valley to Moustiers, Nimes, Arles, etc. These kick up a couple days a week. Further west, Carcassonne, Peyrepertus, and Queribus are on a very windy plain, particularly Carcassonne. You may want to leave your exact plans open, including how many days you stay in a city, in order to allow for indoor activities on any windy days. We spent six months in Cassis and felt the winds a few days a week, not necessarily consecutively. We ran into winds in Carcassonne thirty years ago and again last year. I can't tell you if Collioure gets these winds or not. My SIL, who lives to the east of Nice, says they don't get the winds.

Posted by
6428 posts

I've been to Carcassonne and liked it, haven't been to Nimes/Arles area, but from what I've read I'd spend the extra day there. Carcassonne is interesting and evocative, especially in the evening when it's emptied out some, but not magical or inspiring. Somewhat hokey in places (Bets has a good entry strategy) but not a letdown. But to answer you directly, I'd do the third night in Nimes/Arles.

Posted by
373 posts

Carcassonne is nice to visit, definitely historical and impressive looking, but if I was in your shoes I'd skip it. One nite stays are tiring, and you won't exhaust the possibilities in the Nimes/Arles area in 2 nites. In fact given that you are starting in Moustiers by the time you arrive, check in, etc. it is likely to be lunchtime so really you have 1.5 days in Nimes/Arles, so I'd want to add an extra day.

Arles has some interesting streets and squares to visit. One other bit of advice is to check restaurant reviews in the RS book or on tripadvisor before dining. Some of the places with wonderful outdoor seating know they are catering to the one-time-visitor crowd and serve terrible food. We ended up eating at one such place.

Posted by
11294 posts

For me, Arles at night was much nicer than Carcassonne at night, and there's LOTS to see in Nimes and Arles themselves, not to mention the surrounding area. So, I'd definitely skip a night in Carcassonne and put it toward Nimes or Arles instead.

Posted by
4132 posts

Your timing would actually be perfect for a Carcasonne visit. You'd have the post-crowds afternoon, evening, & morning. Then split for the Hautes Corbieres, pretty close by.

I found it magical that way, personally. And you'd be well placed for the next day of your trip.

It's not really worth more time that that. The tour of the keep is worthwhile if it fits your schedule. but not essential.

It wouldn't be wrong to spend an extra night in Provence either. But if you want to see Carcassonne your plan is just about ideal. Have a nice dinner in the old cite.