Carccassonne or not?
 

Traveling from Dordogne to Provence and wondered if we should make a stop, and, perhaps an overnight at Carcassonne. It would break up the drive, but one friend suggested it was a tourist trap and she was disappointed. My husband isn't convinced and asked me to get more opinions.

Carcassonne is indeed a reconstruction but I hesitate to call it a tourist trap. It can be very interesting and offer a glimpse into another era. Overall I believe it is worth a stop.

As you proceed towards eastward Provence you may want to compare it with Aigues Mortes, another walled city that has very important historical significance for France:

http://www.ot-aiguesmortes.fr/

Hi deb,
We did the same, stopped for two nights on way from Dordogne to Provence. If I had to do it again I probably wouldn't stop. I thought the city of Carcassonne was lovely from the outside but inside it was mobbed with people, way way too many people. We stayed outside the walls at the Montmorency hotel across the street. We went late August so maybe that was the problem. I don't know. Just way too many people, even in the mornings and evenings.

Michele

As a medieval history freak, I adored Carcassonne and visited twice in college during my junior year abroad...but that was 15 years ago, and I went in the fall and winter. It was touristy then and is probably worse now. However it is stunningly beautiful despite being a reconstruction, and if you are going later in the year it may not be as crowded as others have experienced. I don't think I would spend the night there but simply visit for a day and stay outside of town. (Although...it might be quieter at night and thus more atmospheric...) I would definitely go back if I had the opportunity, if only to see those amazing walls and turrets again!

Personally, I did not find Carcassonne a tourist trap. It was, however, not as wonderful as I had thought it would be. I am glad I went. We were there in May. If it is on your way I think it would be worth a stop especially if you need to spend the night along the way. We, too stayed at Montmorency - very convenient to just walk across the street to La Cite. Half a day should be enough to see most of it. Happy travels!!!

Like Mont St Michel, it is beautiful on the approach. Seen from a distance, it lookse like a fairytale, with its turrets and castellations. too perfect to be real.
but, if you can visit when the tourists who come by busloads
leave in the later afternoons you can see the beauty and ignore the cheezy tourists shops.

Reading about its history will make a visit much more interesting. Do as cigale suggested and spend the night visiting either late afternoon or early morning.

According to an acquaintance of mine who has an important position in the historical renovation hierarchy in France, Viollet-le-Duc believed in renovating or restoring monuments according to an ideal he imagined. He went so far as to sketch the Pyrenees not as they were, but as he thought the mountains should be. He was the person who restored Carcassonne. So one should look at it on at least two planes: a medieval cité, and what the 19th century thought a medieval cité should look like.

If that is not clear, think of Lascaux II. The art is amazing both for what it was in its original form and for the exact replication that was carried out--until history tells us otherwise.

It is fine for a few hours in the day -- and that would be enough -- but I'm sure that an overnight stop (arriving at the end of the day and leaving the next morning) would be perfect. Sunset can be spectacular in Carcassonne, and also it can be a magical experience to stroll through the walled city at night, when you have it completely to yourself.

One of the non authentic touches that Viollet le Duc made to Carcassonne was to put pointy roofs on the towers to make it look more like a fairy tale. The original towers were apparently flat topped.

We spent a weekend staying within the old walls at a tiny B&B and loved it. The first glimpse of the walls and turrets was amazing, like a fairy tale castle. We did lots of exploring, including the lower town and had a great time. I would recommend visiting and staying overnight if you can.

Kay

I'm not a fan of Carcassone, but then I've never been there at night. I prefer the view from the autoroute - there is a stop directly opposite, designed to give you the best view of 'La Cite'

If you're thinking of stopping there, you're probably taking the autoroute down, which means from Sarlat it's only about 3 hours, a fairly early stop on your way to Provence. If you do want to take two days, think about going cross country, for example through Millau, which now has one of the most beautiful bridges in the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millau_Viaduct

Or go to, perhaps stop in, Albi, just given World Heritage status.

You can check various routes on viaMichelin
http://www.viamichelin.fr/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm

We spent a full day (two nights) in Carcassonne. People here, plus the guide books, all advise just a few hours and you could totally see everything in that amount of time but we wanted to take it easy. We were there in March and it was very un-crowded and some of the shops were still closed for the season. It really is a very beautiful place, the walls are amazing. I’d wanted to see Carcassonne for many years and am glad I finally did. But I have to say it isn’t one of the places that I long to return to. I’m not sure why but it just didn’t grab me. Maybe because it is so touristy – the medieval city is not a “real” town (I think about 100 people do actually live in there). Still it’s so much better than being simply a museum. I do think if you go there in high season with the crowds they must get (I think we saw close to two thousand parking spaces, mostly empty) that it would be best to see it in the evening and early morning and then leave.

But since we had the time we took a walk over to the basse ville (new, lower town) which is not all that new and is quite nice itself. I wanted to see the canal du midi which is very nice. It’s about a half hour walk from the gate of La Cite to the train station which is next to the canal. Very pleasant walk. And crossing the “new” bridge there are really awesome views of the walled city, and of the old bridge.

My photos are at: www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/123199438 Keep clicking next, there are quite a few photos.

we stayed at Hotel Espace Cite,132 Rue Trivalle www.hotelespacecite.fr An inexpensive chain type hotel a five minute walk from the main gate.

We have gone numerous times with different guests; as others have said it is very much like Mont St. Michel...over-run with toursists. However there are things of value within the inner city i.e. some authentic old houses and the church with its beautiful windows and statuary. It is a fun way to take a break from the auto-route.

They have a tourist train that runs in English and a horsedrawn tour inbetween the 2 ramparts in French. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour in French that went into great detail and physically pointed out authentic parts of the castle and gave the very interesting history to each part. I was particularly impressed by our tour guide/horse driver who had great wit and was in no way "jaded" in her presentation.

It is a real, historic site, I personally don't believe anything like that can be a "tourist trap". Actually, I think that phrase is kind of stupid as no one forces tourists to do anything that I know. But if I had to name them, I'd name fake places like Ripley's museums or Mme Tussauds wax museums.

Don't go if you aren't interested in its history and what it actually is. If you are, it is worth seeing.

Carlux: Glad to see you feel that way. We'll be staying in Beynac for a week, then heading for Provence on the autoroute going by Carcassone. I had originally planed to spend some time in Carcassonne, but given time constraints, have decided to just treat it as a drive by view (much like I did with Eilean Donan castle in Scotland). Thought about going through Millau to see the viaduct, but seems that I'm the only one in my party who is interested in it.

It didn't call to us, and we've been there twice. The first time was in some rather gloomy weather so we wondered if that was why it did nothing for us despite the fact that it is in all of the guidebooks as a kind of must-see. On another trip in much nicer weather we went back again. Same reaction as the first time. I'd skip it.

We also have been there twice and stayed once inside, once outside the old city. It's not just medieval, as Carcassone goes back to much earlier days. So, divided opinion on visiting, but for me, it's a can't miss. Richard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/carcassone

I wouldn't let the fact that many people visit here deter me from visiting also. I went late in the afternoon and stayed for a lovely dinner and late walk. We were staying nearby and I really very much enjoyed it. I think it was on shoulder season so that may have made a difference.

Wow, the opinions here only make the decision harder. Anyone know the driving time from Belves to Carcassonne and then from Carcassonne to St. Remy? It sounds like a late afternoon stop there might be perfect if it fits in for us. clearly each of us has our own unique taste and interests, which makes this site so useful. In one guidebook you only get one opinion!