We will be traveling by train from Barcelona to Provence and are thinking about a quick detour to Carcassone. Can we see some of the main sights in 5 hours or would we be wasting our time?
Posted by
Tualatin, OR, USA
123 posts
Marianne,
You should be prepared for lots of tourists, but it was one of my favorite sites in all of France. I loved Carcassone. If you like old medieval walled cities, this is a wonderful place to visit. Yes, 5 hours would be enough. Try to get a guide, so you can go into places tourists normally aren't allowed. If not, just use the RS book. But the tour guide really makes the place come alive.
Enjoy!
Deb
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
7004 posts
The ideal way to do this would be to arrive at Carcassone mid-afternoon. Check in, drop your bags, and go explore the city as you watch all the crowds of day-trippers head for their buses. By sunset, the city will be empty and wonderful, and all yours. Spend the night (it's spectacular all lit up), get up early and enjoy the city again before all the tour buses roll in, and when they do, head on your way.
Carcassone is like so many of the great sights of Europe: clogged with mass tourism between 10 am and 4 pm, and blissfully empty outside the crush of mid-day day-trippers. There are two completely different experiences at places like this, all depending on how you time thinks.
Good luck.
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
If all you have is 5 hours, you can do it. It's well worth a quick walk around and lunch. As others have sad, it's very touristy but there's room to spread out. The restaurants cater to tourists, of course, but they're proud of their Southwestern cuisine.
Posted by
Nice, France
108 posts
It's definitely worth doing, Carcassone and its area is a beautiful spot. 5 hours actually is not bad, and I trust you wouldn't end up thinking you wasted your time! Go there, enjoy!