carcassone hotel

if you are driving, stay at the chateau de cavanac which is 20 minutes outside of carcasonne. My wife and I enjoyed the atmosphere and the dinner at the restaurant was very good. We were here in 2000. Check it out. plus it is easy to drive to carcasonne.
paul the man

It would be nice to stay inside the walls - but five years (or so?) ago we stayed at a little place outside the walls (although a short walk) with parking (as we had a car) and it was just a basic room with tiny bath. Not memorable enough to remember the name, obviously. When are you traveling? What do you want to pay?

It looks like we will stay in the city. We are traveling the third week of May as a college graduation gift to our younger daughter. I guess the follow-up question would be to ask about restaurants in the city. We love French food but some of us are not ready for tripe and such so just good food not fancy food will be fine.

I'd recommend the Hotel le Donjon, inside the walls. Can't think of a memorable meal anywhere in Carcassonne, ever, but usually I'm there to get in and out within half a day and am just looking for a sandwich or something simple. Probably down in the lower town are the places locals eat.

There are two hotels inside the walls, both fairly expensive and you have the hassle of parking. There are several right outside the walls. I think Le Chateau is the name of the "nicest" one. We stayed at one of the others, mainly because they have triples ( and quad) rooms and easy parking. Here's my review:

Hotel Espace Cite 132 Rue Trivalle www.hotelespacecite.fr
A perfectly serviceable hotel in a superb location, about a three minute walk from the main gate of the walled city. A modern hotel with no charm, the room was basic but clean, bathroom had a strange shower set up but it worked ok. The breakfast room had a wonderful view of the medieval city and was an excellent buffet – very good pastry, juice, cereal, coffee, tea, etc, yogurt, spreads. Free parking, TV, free wi-fi. Unless you are looking for quaintness or charm I highly recommend it.

I had the worst meal of my life at a restaurant inside the walls (La Taverne du Chateau, on one of the main squares) but an excellent meal just outside the walls (La Trivalu). I did a trip report with a little about Carcassone and link to photos. It's at www.fodors.com/community/europe/barcelona-to-carcassonne-isabels-spring-break-to-snowy-spain-and-france.cfm

Thank you so much for the info. We are still undecided whether to take our daughters to the Amalfi Coast or fly into Geneva and visit Carcassone and other areas in the South of France. Our daughters are ages 22 and 25.
Does anyone have an opinion about which choice would be more appealing to them?

We stayed within the walls at Hotel Belle Chapee (or similar name) and had a nice view of the church. Check-in is not until 4 pm and leaving luggage is not an option(owner does not answer door) so we had to schlep our luggage with us to a wine bar down the street to spend two hours but it worked out okay. We had dinner at a tiny restaurant, Daviejean, and it was excellent. The majority of tourists left by late afternoon.

I sure would not make Carcassonne the focus of your France trip. Geneva is a long ways away from Carcassonne also.

You could put an excellent itinerary together for both the South of France (Provence & Cote d'Azur), and for the Amalfi Coast, Rome & Tuscany (not both regions in 1 trip, unless it is for 3-4 weeks or longer). IMO, a lot more to do & see on the Cote d'Azur than the Amalfi coast.

Stu Dudley

Why would you fly into Geneva to visit the south of France? I thought you were traveling from Nice to Bordeaux?

Carcassonne should take you about 4 hours at most and should not be a priority destination in the south of France.

We adjusted the French trip because the connections out of or into Bordeaux were terrible. Yes Geneva is not near the South of France but the flights were direct. We were thinking of Geneva - Annecy - Orange - Carcassone - ? (and the sights around each). For those who are thinking we'll be in the car much of the time, so are we, which is why we may be leaning towards a week in one place on the Amalfi with day trips to the sights near there. As to the South of France, there is always a next time. Hopefully with 10-12 days to make a loop through Carcassone and then to Italy (Courmayeur - Chamonix and back to Geneva.

We also stayed at Hotel le Donjon within the walls, but in their annex. The room was nice but it was very noisy as it was next door to the youth hostel. Make sure you stay in the hotel's main property if you choose Le Donjon.

I don't know why you would consider an itinerary that starts in Geneva, a visit to Carcassonne, then back to Chamonix & Geneva. That makes no sence at all.

The Alps around Annecy & Mt Blanc would be real "iffy" in mid May - it could be a "wash out" if you get bad weather.

There is a 1:44pm TGV from Geneva that arrives at the Avignon TGV station (Provence) at 4:43. I would spend time in Provence instead of the Alps (in mid-may) or Carcassonne. If you or your daughters want some "beach time", head to the French Riveria (2 1/2 hrs away) and stay in Nice or Cannes (watch out for the film festival). Get back to Geneva by air from Nice or Marseille, or train from Aix (worthy of a visit).

I think a week on the Amalfi coast might be a little too long (been there 4 times). If you stayed in Sorrento - you might get really bored with a week there - although day-trips would be easier. Day trips form a more 'scenic" section of the Amalfi coast (Positano) would make day trips elsewhere difficult. Also, how would you get from Geneva to the Amalfi coast and back.

Stu Dudley

Your proposed itinerary gets stranger and stranger. Stu's right, it makes absolutely no sense to begin in Geneva, then go to Carcassonne, then Italy, and back to Geneva. Please get a good map and pore over it so you can see for yourself what a bizarre idea this is.

I would either take the TGV from Geneva to Avignon and explore Provence and the Côte d'Azur or take a flight from Geneva to Rome and divide your time between there and the Amalfi Coast.

Hi, this is the 22 year old daughter. I'm graduating from college in may, and all i want is good food wine and shopping AND some pretty sites and obviously some things for my parents to do. Also maybe a horse back riding tour. Which between the South of France or the Amalfi Coast would I have more fun?

Ditto Stu and StC

I can't imagine horseback riding on the Amalfi coast.

As you probably know - getting in & out of the Amalfi coast takes some doing as the road is narrow, twisting, and not for the faint of heart. If you stay in Positano, Amalfi, or any other pretty village on the Amalfi coast, doing something other than "hanging out" in the village with a day trip to a similar village, or an overnight to Capri, would be difficult. I would not stay in Sorrento. We go to the Amalfi Coast to pretty much just hang out, relax, do little, buy pottery (too much), and enjoy the scenery in our village (we stay in Positano). If you are an active person, you might get bored in a few days. The Amalfi Coast is more "confined" than the south of France.

On the other hand, Provence & the Cote d'Azur offer more diversity. There are, of course, the famous coast cities of Nice, Cannes, Menton, Villefranche, and Antibes that you can easily get to by train. St Tropez will need some other form of access. The four of you could head out in 4 different directions & spend the day by yourselves. Inland from Nice, the Alps provide a very scenic & interesting backdrop. There are loads of cute villages - touristy and not-touristy. There are canyons, river gorges, & mountain ridges. In Provence, you have Roman Ruins & interisting cities like Aix en Provence, Avignon, Arles, & Nimes. More cute villages, lots of farmer's markets, pretty countryside, and horseback riding.

My wife has purchased lots of pottery on the Amalfi coast - Vietri is a pottery center. She has also purchased pottery in the South of France, along with Provence tablecloths (over 70), decorating items, and tableware stuff.

If you want to plop in 1 place for 5 days - either the Amalfi Coast or the South of France would be fine. For longer periods and more diversity, I would choose the South of France. BTW, you can't stay in 1 location in the South of France & visit both the Cote d'Azur & the Provence region centered around Avignon - you'll need 2 locations.

Dinners on the Boardwalk in Positano and on the Cours Saleya in Nice are equally fun. I would give the edge in food at these locations to Positano. However, since you are pretty much confined to your "base" on the Amalfi coast, there are more choices for dinner & lunch in the South of France.

A BIG difference in the two locations is really how accessable they are. Getting to the South of France consists of a 3 hr train ride. Getting to Rome or Naples and then to the Amalfi Coast is much more complex and time-consuming.

Hope this helps.

Stu Dudley

The image of horseback riding on the Amalfi coast is hilarious, though I suppose anything is possible.

Provence and the Côte d'Azur fit all your criteria nicely, including horseback riding. You can do that in the Camargue, which is well worth a visit anyway. See if you can get a cheap flight from Geneva to Nice or Avignon; if not, take the TGV to Avignon and begin there.

Here is some info from a web site I use quite a bit

Horseback riding in Provence

http://tinyurl.com/horseback-riding


Stu Dudley