We plan to stay in Carcassonne as an overnight on our way from Dordogne to Provence.I'm thinking of booking La Maison Coste.
One reviewer says that it's in the "new city" . Some say that it's a short walk to La Cite, but I wonder if someone here has a feeling for the neighborhood it's in.

Can't help you with the "neighborhood", but here is an access map to them. They are in the lower village. I don't think I'd call it an "easy walk" to get up to the walled La Cite, but others may disagree with that. Although I wasn't particularly taken with Carcassone, I would personally only want to stay in Le Cite -- that's kind of what the whole place is really about.

www.maison-coste.com/coste-house-page-14.html

The website says it's in the lower town, and this is I guess the 'new city'. In other words, it is not located within the castle walls.

http://www.carcassonne.org/

If you open the interactive map, you can see "bastide St Louis" - this is where your hotel is.. to the lower right is a oval-shaped area - that is the castle and ramparts.

Hi J,

www.viamichelin.com says its about a 0:25 hr walk to the entrance of La Cité.

We stayed at the www.lemontmorency.com

It is about the same price, including private parking, and is just outside the walls of the old town.

Especially for just an overnight, I would definitely try to stay in or very near to the old city - like NeoPatrick said, that's what Carcassonne is all about. As I recall you can't drive into the old city, so you would need to leave your car outside the walls.

.25 hr walk but very uphill

the view from the lower or new town of the ramparts of the Cite Medieval up top is very impressive as well

I agree however that staying up in the faithful reproduction of a medieval fortress is quite a sensation

I stayed in a youth hostel built into the walls i think years ago right up in the old city

We did drive through the walls to our hotel in the walled city and then the hotel took our car to park outside. In the morning they went to get our car and brought it to us at the hotel to load up and go.

I've been trying to book Le Montmorency for the last couple of weeks. I sent emails three times through their website to book a room for September but haven't gotten a reply. Perhaps closed for vacation???

We stayed at l'Echappee Belle

http://www.lechappeebelle.co.uk/

It is in the old city, nice clean rooms, friendly owners. Would easily recommend it.

lp-nyc--We are planning to book this hotel in Carcassone. Will arrive by train from Barcelona and will not rent a car until we are leaving Carc (staying just one night). Are taxis readily available to drive visitors up into the old city?

We had a rental car, so I am sorry I don't have a relevant answer regarding taxis from the train station.

If you email L'Echappee Belle, they should be able to give you a better answer.

If you want to read about our time in Carcassone and look at some photos (next entry), here's a link to my (almost finished)blog of last summer's trip to France

http://4theloveoffrance.blogspot.com...arcassone.html

Hi J,

>I've been trying to book Le Montmorency for the last couple of weeks. I sent emails three times through their website to book a room for September ...

I have found that Europeans respond better to fax and phone than they do to emails.

I emailed Montmorency, L'Echappee Belle and La Maison Coste about availability and they all responded quickly.
Some of the reports on Montmorency state that the rooms there are VERY small. Ira,how was yours?

True, ira: >> I have found that Europeans respond better to fax and phone than they do to emails<<

Plus when you phone you get to hear their beautiful voices.

We, too, stayed overnight at le chappeebelle B & B and it was very nice- however, it is up the steep climb from where you walk into the main gate, if you have mobility issues.

We had dropped our rental car at the airport in Carcassonne, and took a taxi to the "new city". We were told they could not enter the walled city, but certainly there were some (very nice!) vehicles coming and going that seemed tied to the more elgant lodgings. We peasants on foot, with bags, took awhile to find the shuttle, due to major construction. This was last summer so maybe it is better now- the entire area seemed torn to pieces for construction of a parking garage..

We ended up walking to the train station from the B&B the next morning, skipping the inconvenient shuttle bus, via a different route, and it took about half an hour, but wasn't bad- this assumes you don't have lots of luggage.

Staying within the walls was just magical, after the tourists (!) left. Very few people were about and in places you feel like you have a rampart all to yourself. It's beautifully illuminated. I would highly recommend staying there for your overnight, versus outside- being there at night IS really the whole point! There were some lovely outdoor places to eat and you can linger...then have your long stroll.

My husband and I stayed at the Montmorency, oh, about 5 years ago, I guess, and the location was great, but the room was very, very small. Since we were only in the room to sleep, it was fine -- we just thought it was funny. We had a rental car with us, too, and the parking was fine. There is nothing quite like walking around Le Cite in the early evening after the day-trippers have left -- magical!

Hi R,

>.. the location was great, but the room was very, very small.

I think we had the same room.

Was it in the Annex?

Couldn't swing a cat, but it was 96 F that day and the AC worked!

We stayed in the old city at La Cite. Arrived late afternoon and able to drive into the tiny town to hotel where they took our car.

If staying overnight, I would definitely stay inside the walls; best time to enjoy the quiet (tourists are gone), walk the outter ramparts, feel as if you're a princess in a fairytale. During the day, the place is quite hectic and touristy. Though early morning is also peaceful and perfect time to do the inner rampart tour (again, before throngs of tourists arrive).

Ira,

Yes, we were in the annex! My favorite part of the room was the little dresser with the tiny drawers.