Alison

Hi, <BR>I'm interested in seeing the area around Nice, Aix-en-Provance.... I've spotted Gap and Carcasonne on the map and they seem like smaller towns. Both don't seem to be mentioned much (Gap never) in guidebooks. It would be nice to go off the beaten track. Has anyone visited these towns? Are they worth seeing? Thanks much.

Christina

I have not been to Gap but if it's the one south of Grenoble, it is a small town (less than 50K pop) with no touristic interest; I think it can be a base for sporty or ski trips to the Alps. Carcassonne, on the other hand, is a very heavily-visited tourist town and worth seeing. It is one of those Unesco world heritage cities, I'm pretty sure; it is a walled medieval fortress city that is interesting for its architecture, history, museums of medieval history/life, old town shops, castle etc. It is very tourist-oriented (there are guides to the castle and city if you wish a tour, and I think there is even one of those tourist trains running around town) so I wouldn't call it off the beaten track, but I think it's worth visiting. It is about 50K pop and accessible by regular SNCF train. It should be mentioned in any decent guidebook of that area or of France in general; if your guidebook doesn't hardly mention it, I would consider getting another book. Uzes is also a good town to visit in that area (Provence). Here are some URLs for more thorough info: www.villes-uzes.fr, www.tourisme.fr/carcassonne and www.carcassonneguideregion.com

Al

We visited Carcassonne while staying in Nimes; it's a short railway journey and a 20 minute walk from the station up to the fortified city. We suggest you get a Michelin Green Guide and read up. It is the world's best restored medieval city; a lot of the reconstruction was done in the 1800s under the orders of Napoleon II by his royal architect, a man named Violett laDuc (sp?), so it is not entirely original. Plan to spend an entire day; there are lodging and meals there. If you can go on a weekday and in Spring or Autumn, you will escape large crowds. Write us directly with further questions.

Al

Error: it was Napoleon III, the original Napoleon's nephew.

lola

Try to see Carcasonne at night, when it is dramatically lighted. I would be sure to stay over so that you can enjoy this.

Steve

I second the Michelin recommendation. Their better guide books "rate" towns, places, etc. Something like "must see", "worth a detour", etc. Gap gets no mention at all, if I remember correctly. Carcasonne is not in Provence; it's in southwest France, closer to Toulouse and a long way from Nice. We were tired the day we stopped there in the spring of 1997; I remember the huge parking lot with tour buses. It is beautiful, but there are a lot of quaint, beautiful places in France. Pictures I've seen of it at night do look dramatic.

Deena

Went to Carcasonne 10 years ago and loved it. It is a wonderful well preserved medieval walled town. Very impressive. I'm so happy we made the trip to visit this town. Our hotel was right outside the walls and we had a lovely view of the fortress all lit up at night. Beautiful!

jeanne

Hi Alison: <BR> <BR>I think people covered the topic of Cacasonne pretty well, but just wanted to add a few more words about the Gap portion of the trip. We drove through that area extensively this summer and I while I would not recommend Gap, do take a look at the tourist information for Sisteron. It is in the same general area and is a small town with lovely vistas, and a nice Citadel high up a hill overlooking the city. We stayed overnight there and liked it a lot-we have stopped there before on other trips. I also think it depends on whether you will be driving or not-I wouldn't go out of my way or take a hard to get to train trip to go there, but if you are looking for a nice stopping place in the area-Sisteron is really nice and the area around there has wonderful hikes and lots of beautiful viewpoints.

Spanky

Hi Alison: <BR> <BR>We stayed in Carcasonne in April of 2000 and enjoyed our two night there very much. There are several tours you can take of the walled city and particularly the ramparts and castle. Most hotels in the area can set you up with this. It is true that it is heavily touristed, but not at the time we were there. You cannot really take your car into the city as there is no parking unless you are staying at one of the hotels in the city. The entrance to the walled city is a one way street with a traffic light which allows only ingress and egress depending on who has the green. It is quite charming. There are lots of shops, restaurants and charming bistros to have lunch or a drink. The cemetery right outside of the walled city is quite interesting also. If you have a car the area around the Carcasonne area is loaded with history of the Cathars and there is a drive that you can take to some of the former strongholds of the Cathars. <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip. <BR> <BR>Spanky

Sue

I agree with the recommendations for you to visit Carcassonne. I was there 20+ years ago, but remember loving it. <BR> <BR>Sue

Stephanie

Went to C. last summer...uuugh. FULL of tourists, t-shirt shops, icecream and long lines. Fun castle walls to walk around but stay away from the town. REALLY not much of any worth there to see and parking is a nightmare.

doc

I can't speak to Gap, but we spent some time in Carcasonne in early March, 2001. We were staying in Lloret de Mar, Spain and took a side trip to C. We stayed in the Grantour Trois Crownes hotel, which provided an excellent view of the "old city." We were able to sit on our balcony and enjoy the profile of the town with its 50+ towers. The site has been used a number of times for one or another film -- the most recent Kevin Costner's "Robin Hood." The ambience was fantastic, but watch your footing when walking through the town. We had excellent meals at the hotel, including a salmon filet and real cassolet. The new town is worth a bit of ambling, especially so that you can stop and have a crepe spread with Nutella! Enjoy.

doc

Sorry about the typo in my earlier posting. The hotel should be "Frantour..."