Carcassonne?

Just wander around the city. It's a beautiful walled city and especially fun late at night or early in the morning before the crowds arrive. A tip, there at least used to be a Mercure (Think Holiday Inn quality) just outside the walls which was A LOT cheaper than staying inside them.

The city is the sight.

There is a tour of the castle that is worthwhile. There are many tacky tourist attractions that are not.

Several days may be a lot of time to spend in Carcassonne. If you have a car you might venture away during the middle of the day when the crowds are thickest.

A day for Carcassone fortress is perfect then venture out to surrounding area. I was ther elast summer. The fortress is unforgetable. Try to have Paella in the cafes in town it is their specialty.

with Carcassonne I really felt like I was in Disneyland. It is very "restored," and not much to my liking.

I had a much more authentic and fascinating time seeing the real castle ruins of the nearby Cathar castles. Just Google "cathar castles in france" and you'll find a wealth of info and amazing history.

I loved seeing Carcassonne, but one day is sufficient. We had a private tour of the Cathar ruins (found through the RS 2003 book, but our guide is now only giving tours inside Carcassone). It's one of those "aha" moments, to hike up the mountain to Peyrepertuse or Queribus and imagine what the Cathars went through in the name of religion. We stayed in Caunes-Minervois, about 15 min. from Carcassonne, at L'Ancienne Boulangerie. Had the best meal of our 3 week trip at Hotel d'Alibert, which is in the same village. Very small village, very few tourists, with an 8th century abbey. Next time I will stay at Hotel d'Alibert and eat every meal there!