That is what we did. It worked out great. We stayed just outside the gates of Carcassonne.

We have also done this and it worked out great. Once inside the old city and once outside.

So much history in all these areas, including Carcassonne.

So you're both saying I should break up the drive with a stay in Carcasonne I take it? Any recommendations on places to stay?

Not a STAY in Carcassonne, just a stop.

It's boring, hellish drive,so you need to break it up with something.

Our first time in Carcasonne we stayed in hoteldelacite.com Great place. But you could also look at booking.com/carcasonne

Depends on how much time you have. If you are looking for history of the region, we loved the old town.

We parked outside the gates of the old town and were met by the hotel van. They drove the car to parking and when we left the city it was easy to navagate to our next destination.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/carcasonne

This is where we stayed just across from the entrance.

http://www.lemontmorency.com/#/en/services/

I can see that it's probably pretty boring (motorway most of the way) but what makes it hellish? Depending on the site it seems to be between 5 and 6 hours. I am also doing the same trip (also in July) and am wondering if there's anything other the fact that it's a 5-6 hr highway trip.

We took the Autoroute past Carcasonne but didn't stop to tour the city. Having spent a week in the Dordogne, staying literally next door to the Chateau de Beynac, and toured other chateaux in the Dordogne, we'd seen enough fortified walls. It was nice to see the walled city from a distance, but I don't feel like I missed much by not stopping in the middle of the day and fighting bus loads of tourist. If we'd had more time, I might have spent the night so as to see Carcasonne in the evening when the crowds had subsided, but we didn't have time for that. Instead of spending time there, we pushed on to Pont du Gard and toured that on our way to St. Remy.

I think everyone's point is valid.

But for us it was the history of this great city.

Yes, torists are everywhere, but there is a reason for that--it's wonderful.

But no doubt St Remy and the sorrounding sights are also wonderful

Isabel - where did you find out it was 5-6 hours ? I used Francethisway.com and i think iit came up with about 8 hours! 5-6 I can handle

Sorry just checked again and it did say 5 hours. I must have been tired when I did this. Makes sense to just push on then.

You should check again. www.viamichelin.com says 8 hours.

But we have done eight hous before.

You can make this drive in one day.I have done this with a lunch stop in Carcassonne. The driving time is 6 hours. Use the route given by viamichelin.

http://www.viamichelin.com

fr.mappy.com says 5h45 via mostly autoroute Sarlat - Toulouse - Carcassonne - St. Rémy.

Whatever the OP is comfortable with, but the web site you suggested does say 8 hours.

I think it is doable perhaps with a lunch stop or an overnight.

Depends on the time the OP has.

And 'dugi', if I am wrong, sorry.

Thanks all, I will check both sights again and see if routes differ. Dugi_otok you said you've actually driven it in 6 including lunch? I'll take that

The drive is 6-7-8-9 hours, depending on stops. The sun is in your face the whole way. There are parts of the autoroute that are about 6 lanes wide, with trucks, loads of trucks...not my idea of a fun drive, even though French speed limits have been reduced in recent years. That's what I meant by hellish. There's no scenery to speak of; it's just a gun-it rush on a big, busy highway. I hate that, but maybe it wouldn't bother you much.

Sorry if there is confusion. The drive is nominally 6 hours(actually 5h45m on viamichelin) plus time for stops. The driving is as described by StCirq.

We did this drive, but in the opposite direction, starting in the Luberon.
Originally we thought we might make a stop to see Carcassonne along the way. However once we had started we just decided to get to Sarlat and settle in.
Of course we did stop every 2 hours or so to change drivers etc.
The drive was easy, good roads and it took us 6 hours.

Thanks everyone. I think we'll do it. Sounds like a few people have done it without too much pain and it will then allow us to get where we're going and stay put for a bit.

StCirq, dugi - If you wanted to get from Sarlat to St Remy would you just do the boring, hellish highway or would you opt for a more scenic route? Is there a more scenic route? Both google maps and viamichelin show a few alternate routes, they add a couple of hours but if it were a lot more pleasant I would consider that. Or is it best to just bite the bullet and get it over with as quick as possible.

Sure, there are lots of more scenic routes, and yes, I would always choose one. I really, really loathe that sprint among the trucks on the 6-lane highway, though it's better now that the speed limit has been reduced.

I'd prefer to take the route through Figeac and Rodez and over to the bridge at Millau, then down the A75 to Montpellier, then over to St-Rémy.