Hello- I hope to travel to Carcassonne and Provence in early September. Any ideas on which is preferable access: Barcelona, Nice, or Paris? Transportation will be mostly by train.
Thank you, Humphry

Well, it depends on your travel plans, doesn't it? Carcassonne is on the Bordeaux St-Jean- Sčte Ville line. You can continue on from Carcassonne to Sčte and then switch to the line that runs along the Med through Montpellier and beyond. But where you begin your journey is up to you.

It doesn't make any difference if you are going by train, there is no city that is preferable for no reason. you aren't going to get there direct by train from any of those cities, so then you just get down to how long the trip is versus where you are staying and why you want to stay there, etc.

If you really want a city where it is easy and on a direct train, it would be toulouse.

Obviously it is closest to Barcelona, you can get there in less than half a day, from the other cities, it will be 5-8 hrs.

Where are you coming from?

Carcassonne airport has direct flights from London. Beziers, Toulouse, Perpignan airports are also good choices. Barcelona or Girona is a bit further, but it's still a direct train to Carcassonne.

Flying back you could depart from Nimes or Marseille.

Thanks- We have absolutely no plans yet. The only must see cities we are considering at this time are Carcassonne, Avignon and Arles. Any place else will be considered a bonus. We will probably have three weeks to spend on the trip. We are looking at other threads to see what other kind travelers may suggest.-Humphry

Keep in mind that most of us consider Carcassonne to be just a one-day visit, although it is nice to wander around within the walls at night when all of the tourists are gone.

Yes, but "most of us" don't go there to see anything but the Cité, which is a shame because the lower town is really quite vibrant and interesting. We spent 2-3 nights there for the Tour de France in 2018 and were quite enthralled by the lower town. Great cafés and restaurants, little alleyways with interesting shops and galleries, beautiful parks, a couple of worthwhile museums...and all the tourists were up in the Cité.

Thank you all for your tips. We have plenty of time to decide our approach to this city and the southern France region...-Humphrey

Someone recommended this woman's blog to me. . She and her family live near Carcassonne and also have 2 rental apartments in Carcassonne itself. I haven't there in a long time and I don't know the woman, but her blog shows how many interesting things there are to do in that area.

https://francetaste.wordpress.com/#jp-carousel-22611

Her apartments look wonderful. For comparison purposes, when my husband and I visited Carcassonne we camped at the soccer stadium. If we go back, I'm hoping for an actual bed.