We have 4 days in Toulouse before going to Paris. Two of those days must be spent in Toulouse, so we have 2 free days for day trips. We've booked our train to Albi, but not yet for Carcassone. I'm now thinking that they're too similar (medieval), and kept on thinking that we could do a beach day instead (Narbonne or somewhere). We are traveling in early April, with 2 kids under 4, and no car. Any suggestions? Should we still do Carcassone? Thanks so much!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Carcassonne and Albi are quite different. As an adult, I preferred Albi with its Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, but your kids might prefer the "ye olde Europe" look of Carcassonne. Albi is all red brick, rather than stone, so it doesn't "read" as medieval, regardless of when it was built. Carcassonne's double walls and towers, on the other hand, look like a movie set, which kids will appreciate.
From Toulouse to all of these places should be possible on regional trains (I know Toulouse to Albi was definitely regional), so you don't need to plan in advance. I think young kids will like a beach day more than another city day, but you know your children better than anyone else, so it's your call.
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3391 posts
Harold is correct...both places are very different from one another.
Carcassone is a massive, stone fortress of a city. It's been heavily restored and reimagined but it still worth the trip if you have the time.
Personally, I find Albi to be far more interesting. As was stated above, it's entirely built of brick and is a nice contrast to the other towns in the region. The cathedral is especially unique. The outside looks like a hulking fortress but the inside is spectacular. It has one of the best preserved ceiliings I've seen in Europe - painted in the 1500s and looks like it was just done yesterday. At the front are murals with visions of hell that are truly beyond anything else in Europe. It's a truly great building. The town itself, the cathedral, and the Toulouse Latrec museum are good for a very full day. The elderly, distant cousin of Toulouse Latrec still gives tours of the family home that she still lives in (if she is still living - she was very old last time we were there - she would be in her early 90s now I think). You must set up an appointment but if you are able to, it's a very unique experience seeing his scribbles on the dining room walls and where he lived.
Posted by
OP
38 posts
Thank you so much for the input! I think we're going to see Carcassone after all :)
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10188 posts
There is more for the children in the Cite of Carcassone, including the old schoolhouse up in the fortress, which was in use until fairly recently. It's open as a museum to what education was like way back in the 1950s and before. My husband and I reminiscenced over the hard wooden desks with benches for two, ink wells, and outhouse in the schoolyard.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6501 posts
Just a thought, that a beach day in April might not be exactly warm and sunny. But with kids that young it may not matter.
I haven't been to Albi, I want to go, but I have been to Carcassonne and from what I've read they're very different. But, not to dwell on it, with kids that young it may not matter.
I'd say please yourselves and the kids will have a good time if you do.