Narbonne car rental
Aug 2nd, 2017, 08:00 AM
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Narbonne car rental
I've booked 4 nights in Narbonne and might want to rent a car for 2 or 3 days. Should I book a car ahead of time or can I just walk in and rent a car? I plan on doing day trips in and out of Narbonne. Or is just using the train and bus easier? Thanks
Aug 2nd, 2017, 09:10 AM
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When are you travelling to Narbonne? Now or off season?
Do you want a manual or an automatic?
Where are you planning to go on day trips? You don't need a car to visit Carcassone but you'll need one if you want to visit the Cathar castles.
Without more information, it is very difficult to answer your questions.
Do you want a manual or an automatic?
Where are you planning to go on day trips? You don't need a car to visit Carcassone but you'll need one if you want to visit the Cathar castles.
Without more information, it is very difficult to answer your questions.
Aug 3rd, 2017, 01:45 PM
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As written above, you do not need a car to visit Carcassonne and Toulouse but you'll miss the surrounding areas (cathar castles among others) or lose a lot of time in waiting for buses or trains. I would book one a few days in advance.
Aug 4th, 2017, 07:47 AM
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YOu don't need a car if you don't want one. I visited all those places by train. Train from Narbonne to Carcassonne only takes 30 minutes and there are trains about every hour. So I would not say you will lose a lot of time waiting for trains. The train from Narbonne to Toulouse only takes about 1:15 hrs-1:30 and also run all the time, about every hour. In fact, It's the same train (at least the TER runs, even some of the TGVs), just stops in Carcassonne first.
But if you want to see other things not on the rail line, a car would work for you. In fact, I bet dealing with a car in Toulouse and Carcassonne will be a very bad idea. Now that could waste a lot of time, trying to figure out how to get to the center or wherever you are going, parking, etc.
But if you want to see other things not on the rail line, a car would work for you. In fact, I bet dealing with a car in Toulouse and Carcassonne will be a very bad idea. Now that could waste a lot of time, trying to figure out how to get to the center or wherever you are going, parking, etc.
Aug 4th, 2017, 09:09 AM
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Listen to Pvoyaageuse - she's French, over 55 years old, has traveled quite a bit, and lives near Narbonne in Perpignan.
Also, the train station for Carcassonne is not near La Cite - it's in the "other" section of Carcassonne perhaps a 30 min walk from the stuff you'll want to visit. We stayed in Trebes (next to Carcassonne) for 2 weeks in 2014. Best way to visit Carcassonne is to get there around 8:30 by car, park in the lot just a few steps from the entrance, wander the remparts & some of the old streets, visit the Chateau (1 hr) at 10am, walk around some more, then depart at 11:30 when it gets mobbed, or have lunch then.
Here is something I wrote:
Perhaps the best views of La Cite are from the Pont Neuf bridge between La Cite and the Bastide city (which is not part of the "walled" section) of Carcassonne. We did not walk over the older Pont Vieux - but the views from Pont Neuf of La Cite and Pont Vieux were spectacular. My wife took many of photographs of this view, and the best one ended up on the cover of her Shutterfly book that she made for our 2015 trip to the Languedoc. We also enjoyed walking through the Bastide city of Carcassonne. Lots of shops (including an excellent wine store) & outside cafes. Quite "active" also. I would not recommend it, however, if you are just visiting La Cite as a stopover between two other places.
If you are staying near Carcassonne for multiple nights, here are some recommendations:
Restaurants
- Our best meal (by far) in the region was at the Michelin 2 star Le Parc Franck Putelet** www.franck-putelat.com This hotel/restaurant is just outside the walls of Carcassonne.
- We had an excellent dinner at the Michelin 1 star Le Puits du Tresor* in Lastours. The Lastours Cathars castles are on a hill top above the village of Lastours, and you can see some of them lit up at night from the village. Driving to/from the village was not difficult.
- Also an excellent meal at Chateau Saint Martin in Montredon, just outside of Carcassonne www.chateausaintmartin.net
- We dined at the La Barbacane* in La Cite. The ambience is lovely as you would expect, but it was a little too pretentious for us, and the food was not as good as St Martin and most of the other Michelin starred restaurants we dined at in the region.
- We also dined at the Domaine d'Auriac*, which is also a hotel. We sat outside (a rarity for us) and perhaps the smokers, and other hotel guests "running around" the place distracted us too much to fully enjoy our dinner there.
- L'Ambrosia* in Pezens was a little disappointing for a Michelin 1 star restaurant.
- Our dinner at La Bergerie* was very pleasing. This is also a small hotel, but it seems to get less of a "star-power" type guest than the Domaine d'Auriac gets. The views of the village of Aragon were interesting. We wanted to explore Aragon more during the daytime, but we ran out of time. http://www.labergeriearagon.com/
Scenic drives
The countryside is prettier the farther north & south that you get from the A61 and Carcassonne. The following are scenic roads north of the A61. I will describe the scenic drives south of the A61 later in this itinerary.
1. Find Trebes on the map (just east of Carcassonne), and drive there on the A61 or D6113. Drive through Trebes (no reason for a visit) and cross over both the Aude River and the Canal du Midi. Then follow the signs (very carefully) to Laure-Minervois. Soon after you leave Trebes, this road will become scenic. You will be on the D135 leaving Trebes, and then in Laure, angle left to the D111. When the D111 hits the D620, turn north/right. Continue on the D620 through Caunes-Minervois and keep driving north on the D620 to Lespinassiere, where you will branch left to Castans, and then either the D9 or the D89/D211 and the D211 through the Gorges de la Clamoux. Once you get to Villeuvois, the countryside is not as scenic as what you just experienced.
2. Find Centeilles on the map and drive there. There are many, many small short roads in this area, so I'll just describe the ones we found to be the most scenic. This route is in the Michelin Green Guide. From Centrelles, take the D56 north to Fornes, then the D181 east to D10E1 to Minerve* – another TMBVoF, and the site of a Cathars stronghold (only 1 tall tower remains). Park in the large parking lot, take pictures from the lot, and then walk downhill into Minerve. The setting is lovely – it’s in a ravine at the confluence of two rivers, surrounded by deep gorges and situated at the end of a limestone plateau. It was an old Cathars bastion destroyed by Simone de Montfort in 1210 as part of the Albigensian Crusade. There is a picture in the Green Guide – but that’s not what it looks like. We almost didn’t visit Minerve in '04 because the picture didn’t look that interesting. We actually visited it twice in '15 - once the day after we had just arrived from San Francisco and were still in a jet-lag "fog", and again a week later when the weather was better & no fog. Wander in Minerve - it is really quite small. Make sure you walk over the bridge at the south end of town, and then walk left/east for some great views of Minerve. Or course, the quality of the views will depend on the position of the sun - perhaps best in the AM from this venue, and better in the afternoon from the parking lot. There are some places to grab a bite to eat in town. There is also a small Cathars museum, where various scenes are presented with miniatures. It's a little hokey, but we enjoyed it. Minerve is about a 1 to 1 1/2 hr visit.
3. There are very interesting and thought-provoking views of a cluster of several Cathars castles near the town of Lastours. It is an easy/short drive from Carcassonne through Conques-sur-Orbiel to the village of Lastours. Then take the D701 west/left to the lookout across a valley to the castles. You'll park the car, pay an admission, and walk to a viewing area.
More that I wrote:
Route #2 – cute village, scenic gorges, wonderful countryside, and Cathars castles.
This is an ambitious itinerary, so get an early start. We followed the D117/Peyrepertuse/Gorges de Galamus/Gorges St Georges portion of this "Route #2" in 2015 when we stayed near Carcassonne, in addition to when we stayed near Ceret in 2004.
If you’re staying in Collioure, drive toward Ceret on the D114, D618, and then D115. Take the D615 north of Ceret towards Thuir. Use the map & get on the D48 west to Castelneu+. Explore Castelnou (GG under Perpignan). One of my guidebooks described it as “St Paul de Vence without the tourists”. It’s a cute town. After a visit, take the D48 west and then the D2 to Ille-sur-Tet. Continue past Ille-sur-Tet on the D2 and when it crosses over the N116, you will approach les Orgues+. There is a picture of les Orgues in my Michelin Guide under Perpignan. You may have to take the D21 a bit towards Belesta to get some good views. Turn around on the D21 and then take the D2 back to Ille and get on the N116 heading west (you will have to go through Ille a little to do this – follow the signs to Prades). Continue west to Prades, taking a picture of Eus if you have not done so yet. Take the loop north around Prades and then take the D619 north. Look up Fenouilledes** in the Green Guide. Follow the described route from Prades to St Paul – it’s quite picturesque. When you intersect the D117 at St Paul, take the D117 west – this road is quite scenic too. At Axat, take the D118 south through the Gorges de St Georges*. When you get as far as the D16 fork near Rouze, turn the car around and retrace your route all the way back to Axat on the D17. Head east on the D117, and shortly you'll see signs for Puilarens and the Chateau de Puilarens*. Turn right/south and drive on the D22 to this chateau for the view. We visited the interior, and it was not as interesting as the exterior or the setting which were quite remarkable. Return to the D117 and conntinue east to Maury. I know - you have driven on this road already, but the stretch from St Paul to Maury is very scenic, plus when we were enjoying this drive in '15, cars were only allowed to drive north to south through the fantastic Gorges de Galamus. I believe that there are some sorts (don't know all the details) of traffic control through July & August - so be aware.
As I indicated above, we've done this Route #2 twice - once from Ceret and once from Carcassonne. In the summer, this region can get very hot. Standing in the sun and walking long distances uphill and over rocks to & through Chateaux can become very exhausting. Therefore, I suggest that you only hike to and visit the interior of one Cathars Chateau - Peyrepertuse would be my choice. If you get too tired from walking to several chateaux and exploring the interiors, you may run out of gas and cut this route short, which would be very unfortunate. Actually, this route is my favorite in the Roussillon region.
If you have not already done so, read about the Cathars faith and history in the Green Guide (or other guidebook) and learn about their religion, life, and fate.
My wife took a series of pictures of each of the Cathar Castles - beginning when each was just a speck on the top of the jutting rocks & then as we advanced closer & closer. Honestly, viewing these chateaux from the road allows you to focus on, and appreciate the awesome settings and the majesty of the ruins.
At Maury, drive north on the D19 through the Grau de Maury** to Chateau de Queribus**. The views from the parking lot area are outstanding. You may want to walk into a field near the parking lot to get even better views. Continue driving counterclockwise on the D123/D14. This is an extremely scenic road. Now, drive to Chateau de Peyrepertuse***. Take lots of pictures on the way there. Visit the interior, but be aware that some climbing & walking is necessary, so you’ll have to walk along dirt paths, over rocks, & through some low hung trees to get to the chateau. Also, walking around the Chateau is treacherous at times – but worth it. Plan on a 2 hour visit. Then continue driving west and then south to the fabulous Gorges de Galamus**. At times, the road is only 1 car width wide. We were there in mid June twice & we didn’t encounter another car – I don’t know what happens in July or August when there are more tourists. Actually, if I had it to do over again, I would find a place to park the car and walk along this gorge on foot. Many other people were doing that, and since it is flat and in the shade at times, it will not be as exhausting as climbing up to a Cathars castle. At the south end of the Gorges, there is a large parking lot with many "lookouts". Park the car there and view the bridge with the small "hermitage" below. You can actually walk to this hermitage - several people were doing it - but not us.
Take the D117 (again!!) back to your hotel. If you are staying near Carcassonne, drive northwest along the very scenic D14 from Cubieres sur Cinoble to Montazels. The proprietor of our Gite told us about this road - it's a gem. If you have time, visit Rennes le Chateau just south of Montzales - but it is only "so-so". Could be skipped
Stu Dudley
Also, the train station for Carcassonne is not near La Cite - it's in the "other" section of Carcassonne perhaps a 30 min walk from the stuff you'll want to visit. We stayed in Trebes (next to Carcassonne) for 2 weeks in 2014. Best way to visit Carcassonne is to get there around 8:30 by car, park in the lot just a few steps from the entrance, wander the remparts & some of the old streets, visit the Chateau (1 hr) at 10am, walk around some more, then depart at 11:30 when it gets mobbed, or have lunch then.
Here is something I wrote:
Perhaps the best views of La Cite are from the Pont Neuf bridge between La Cite and the Bastide city (which is not part of the "walled" section) of Carcassonne. We did not walk over the older Pont Vieux - but the views from Pont Neuf of La Cite and Pont Vieux were spectacular. My wife took many of photographs of this view, and the best one ended up on the cover of her Shutterfly book that she made for our 2015 trip to the Languedoc. We also enjoyed walking through the Bastide city of Carcassonne. Lots of shops (including an excellent wine store) & outside cafes. Quite "active" also. I would not recommend it, however, if you are just visiting La Cite as a stopover between two other places.
If you are staying near Carcassonne for multiple nights, here are some recommendations:
Restaurants
- Our best meal (by far) in the region was at the Michelin 2 star Le Parc Franck Putelet** www.franck-putelat.com This hotel/restaurant is just outside the walls of Carcassonne.
- We had an excellent dinner at the Michelin 1 star Le Puits du Tresor* in Lastours. The Lastours Cathars castles are on a hill top above the village of Lastours, and you can see some of them lit up at night from the village. Driving to/from the village was not difficult.
- Also an excellent meal at Chateau Saint Martin in Montredon, just outside of Carcassonne www.chateausaintmartin.net
- We dined at the La Barbacane* in La Cite. The ambience is lovely as you would expect, but it was a little too pretentious for us, and the food was not as good as St Martin and most of the other Michelin starred restaurants we dined at in the region.
- We also dined at the Domaine d'Auriac*, which is also a hotel. We sat outside (a rarity for us) and perhaps the smokers, and other hotel guests "running around" the place distracted us too much to fully enjoy our dinner there.
- L'Ambrosia* in Pezens was a little disappointing for a Michelin 1 star restaurant.
- Our dinner at La Bergerie* was very pleasing. This is also a small hotel, but it seems to get less of a "star-power" type guest than the Domaine d'Auriac gets. The views of the village of Aragon were interesting. We wanted to explore Aragon more during the daytime, but we ran out of time. http://www.labergeriearagon.com/
Scenic drives
The countryside is prettier the farther north & south that you get from the A61 and Carcassonne. The following are scenic roads north of the A61. I will describe the scenic drives south of the A61 later in this itinerary.
1. Find Trebes on the map (just east of Carcassonne), and drive there on the A61 or D6113. Drive through Trebes (no reason for a visit) and cross over both the Aude River and the Canal du Midi. Then follow the signs (very carefully) to Laure-Minervois. Soon after you leave Trebes, this road will become scenic. You will be on the D135 leaving Trebes, and then in Laure, angle left to the D111. When the D111 hits the D620, turn north/right. Continue on the D620 through Caunes-Minervois and keep driving north on the D620 to Lespinassiere, where you will branch left to Castans, and then either the D9 or the D89/D211 and the D211 through the Gorges de la Clamoux. Once you get to Villeuvois, the countryside is not as scenic as what you just experienced.
2. Find Centeilles on the map and drive there. There are many, many small short roads in this area, so I'll just describe the ones we found to be the most scenic. This route is in the Michelin Green Guide. From Centrelles, take the D56 north to Fornes, then the D181 east to D10E1 to Minerve* – another TMBVoF, and the site of a Cathars stronghold (only 1 tall tower remains). Park in the large parking lot, take pictures from the lot, and then walk downhill into Minerve. The setting is lovely – it’s in a ravine at the confluence of two rivers, surrounded by deep gorges and situated at the end of a limestone plateau. It was an old Cathars bastion destroyed by Simone de Montfort in 1210 as part of the Albigensian Crusade. There is a picture in the Green Guide – but that’s not what it looks like. We almost didn’t visit Minerve in '04 because the picture didn’t look that interesting. We actually visited it twice in '15 - once the day after we had just arrived from San Francisco and were still in a jet-lag "fog", and again a week later when the weather was better & no fog. Wander in Minerve - it is really quite small. Make sure you walk over the bridge at the south end of town, and then walk left/east for some great views of Minerve. Or course, the quality of the views will depend on the position of the sun - perhaps best in the AM from this venue, and better in the afternoon from the parking lot. There are some places to grab a bite to eat in town. There is also a small Cathars museum, where various scenes are presented with miniatures. It's a little hokey, but we enjoyed it. Minerve is about a 1 to 1 1/2 hr visit.
3. There are very interesting and thought-provoking views of a cluster of several Cathars castles near the town of Lastours. It is an easy/short drive from Carcassonne through Conques-sur-Orbiel to the village of Lastours. Then take the D701 west/left to the lookout across a valley to the castles. You'll park the car, pay an admission, and walk to a viewing area.
More that I wrote:
Route #2 – cute village, scenic gorges, wonderful countryside, and Cathars castles.
This is an ambitious itinerary, so get an early start. We followed the D117/Peyrepertuse/Gorges de Galamus/Gorges St Georges portion of this "Route #2" in 2015 when we stayed near Carcassonne, in addition to when we stayed near Ceret in 2004.
If you’re staying in Collioure, drive toward Ceret on the D114, D618, and then D115. Take the D615 north of Ceret towards Thuir. Use the map & get on the D48 west to Castelneu+. Explore Castelnou (GG under Perpignan). One of my guidebooks described it as “St Paul de Vence without the tourists”. It’s a cute town. After a visit, take the D48 west and then the D2 to Ille-sur-Tet. Continue past Ille-sur-Tet on the D2 and when it crosses over the N116, you will approach les Orgues+. There is a picture of les Orgues in my Michelin Guide under Perpignan. You may have to take the D21 a bit towards Belesta to get some good views. Turn around on the D21 and then take the D2 back to Ille and get on the N116 heading west (you will have to go through Ille a little to do this – follow the signs to Prades). Continue west to Prades, taking a picture of Eus if you have not done so yet. Take the loop north around Prades and then take the D619 north. Look up Fenouilledes** in the Green Guide. Follow the described route from Prades to St Paul – it’s quite picturesque. When you intersect the D117 at St Paul, take the D117 west – this road is quite scenic too. At Axat, take the D118 south through the Gorges de St Georges*. When you get as far as the D16 fork near Rouze, turn the car around and retrace your route all the way back to Axat on the D17. Head east on the D117, and shortly you'll see signs for Puilarens and the Chateau de Puilarens*. Turn right/south and drive on the D22 to this chateau for the view. We visited the interior, and it was not as interesting as the exterior or the setting which were quite remarkable. Return to the D117 and conntinue east to Maury. I know - you have driven on this road already, but the stretch from St Paul to Maury is very scenic, plus when we were enjoying this drive in '15, cars were only allowed to drive north to south through the fantastic Gorges de Galamus. I believe that there are some sorts (don't know all the details) of traffic control through July & August - so be aware.
As I indicated above, we've done this Route #2 twice - once from Ceret and once from Carcassonne. In the summer, this region can get very hot. Standing in the sun and walking long distances uphill and over rocks to & through Chateaux can become very exhausting. Therefore, I suggest that you only hike to and visit the interior of one Cathars Chateau - Peyrepertuse would be my choice. If you get too tired from walking to several chateaux and exploring the interiors, you may run out of gas and cut this route short, which would be very unfortunate. Actually, this route is my favorite in the Roussillon region.
If you have not already done so, read about the Cathars faith and history in the Green Guide (or other guidebook) and learn about their religion, life, and fate.
My wife took a series of pictures of each of the Cathar Castles - beginning when each was just a speck on the top of the jutting rocks & then as we advanced closer & closer. Honestly, viewing these chateaux from the road allows you to focus on, and appreciate the awesome settings and the majesty of the ruins.
At Maury, drive north on the D19 through the Grau de Maury** to Chateau de Queribus**. The views from the parking lot area are outstanding. You may want to walk into a field near the parking lot to get even better views. Continue driving counterclockwise on the D123/D14. This is an extremely scenic road. Now, drive to Chateau de Peyrepertuse***. Take lots of pictures on the way there. Visit the interior, but be aware that some climbing & walking is necessary, so you’ll have to walk along dirt paths, over rocks, & through some low hung trees to get to the chateau. Also, walking around the Chateau is treacherous at times – but worth it. Plan on a 2 hour visit. Then continue driving west and then south to the fabulous Gorges de Galamus**. At times, the road is only 1 car width wide. We were there in mid June twice & we didn’t encounter another car – I don’t know what happens in July or August when there are more tourists. Actually, if I had it to do over again, I would find a place to park the car and walk along this gorge on foot. Many other people were doing that, and since it is flat and in the shade at times, it will not be as exhausting as climbing up to a Cathars castle. At the south end of the Gorges, there is a large parking lot with many "lookouts". Park the car there and view the bridge with the small "hermitage" below. You can actually walk to this hermitage - several people were doing it - but not us.
Take the D117 (again!!) back to your hotel. If you are staying near Carcassonne, drive northwest along the very scenic D14 from Cubieres sur Cinoble to Montazels. The proprietor of our Gite told us about this road - it's a gem. If you have time, visit Rennes le Chateau just south of Montzales - but it is only "so-so". Could be skipped
Stu Dudley
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