The first thing to say about Carcassonne is that there is a lot more to it than just the magnificent old city (La Cite) but to be absolutely honest that’s all we wanted to see when we went last year and so we spent the full day looking around it.  Hindsight is always a wonderful thing and if I’d known what I know now then I would have spent 2 days or more there and then I would have seen something of the new Carcassonne.  What you need to know is that adjacent to the Cite walls is an Aire de Service that has around 75 or so parking spaces just for Motorhomes and where for 10 euros you can stay for 24 hours.  It’s actually right next door to the main entrance, Porte Narbonnaise.

If you approach Carcassonne from the east on the A61/E80 autoroute you get a magnificent view of the Cite looking North. Once you get past junction 24 there is an Aires that has a viewing point overlooking the Cite that is well worth visiting.  You need to leave the autoroute at junction 23 to travel into the City and follow the signposts for La Cite.

I approached the Cite through the newer part of Carcassonne and down the Avenue du General Leclerc turning right at Montee Combeleran.  There was a sign for coach parking but I didn’t see anything for Motorhomes.  You drive down Montee Combeleran and come to a mini roundabout and turn right – by now you can see the Cite walls right in front of you – and the Aire de Service is on the right.  You need to have a 10 euro note by the way to operate the automatic barrier.  There is also a water filling and disposal unit in the Aire.  Once you get parked it’s a minutes walk to the main entrance.  The Aire de Service is in a magnificent position and although the parking spaces are laid out next to each other it wasn’t full when we were there so there was plenty of room.

Warning note here : be careful of the trees in the Aire, some of them are in the parking bays and you end up being very close to them.  Whilst you’re busy looking at the trunk to make sure you miss it the top of the branches are liable to scrape along the top of your van; I speak from experience.

Looking at the walls gave me a strange feeling of wonderment to think that this Cite was under siege for so long and eventually taken not by battle but by lack of food.  The historical side of Carcassonne is fascinating and I’ll post another blog on that subject soon.  The inside of the Cite conjures up just as many feelings of wonder and the Cite is in fact double skinned and there are actually two walls around most of the Cite to ensure their defences were unbreachable.  In fact when the Cite was taken the walls were not breached but the siege prevented food from being taken into the Cite and the people were starving and surrendered.  The Cite has 52 towers and 2 rings of town walls making a total of 3km of battlements so it’s no wonder it’s easy to defend.

Inside the walls is a fascinating mix of history and retail.  There are shops galore, some good and some bad, plenty of restaurants and plenty to see.  You can join a guided tour around the walls, there is an amphitheatre, a Cathedral and the Chateau Comtal.  The Chateau Comtal is a defended fortress within a defended fortress and even has it’s own moat and it’s certainly the place to be in times of war.  Inside the Chateau is a museum that is very worth visiting and you can hire the English speaking electronic guide so you don’t miss anything of interest.

The Cite fully lived up to my expectations and I’m so glad I went and I’m looking forward to going back.  When I do go back though I’ll stay over at the Aire and spend two days sightseeing because one day doesn’t do it justice.

In a previous post I give you a link to a great Aire de Service guide book so click here to have a look.