I found Cesky Krumlov to be way over-crowded and it really took away from the experience. Now I'm in the beginning stages of planning my first trip to France and wonder if I should bother with Carcassonne. The France trip will be the same month as Czech Rep. was. Thanks in advance for any input.
Posted by
Lewiston, Idaho, USA
2092 posts
If you didn't like Cesky Krumlov, I don't think you'd like Carcasonne. We really enjoyed Cesky Krumlov (stayed 2 nights in 2004) but didn't care for Carcasonne; although we didn't stay the night to be able to make a true comparison, we don't care to.
Posted by
Newburyport, MA
683 posts
There are many Cathar castle towns in the area near Carcassonne. It is the most touristed of all. While we enjoyed our time there, that was bcuz we stayed and were able to enjoy Carc in the evenings, after the hordes. Altho it is not a castle town, we enjoyed Narbonne for its flavor of small-city France and its location along a canal (great walks alongside) plus its wonderful market
Posted by
Portland
3643 posts
Maybe "hated" is too strong a word, but we really did not care for Carcassonne. Not only is it jammed,
the streets are lined with shops selling tacky tourist goods. There are many charming towns in the region. If you let us know your interests, I'm sure you'll get tons of recommendations.
Posted by
OP
Peterborough, ON, Canada
1634 posts
Thanks everyone. I was worried I'd be skipping a "must-see", but apparently not.
Rosalyn -- I'm not even sure I'm going to spend time in the region. I might take a connecting flight from CDG to Marseille or Montpellier and start the trip from there, going east to the Riviera, then up to Chamonix, through Switzerland to Colmar area, ending in Paris. Right now Air France has the connecting flight for about $40 CAD per person, and we certainly cannot drive or take the train to the south of France for that cost.
This option of course means I'd also have to give up the Chateaux of Loire, which hold immense interest to both me and my husband. (we can go for three weeks, maybe stretch an additional day or two).