3 Best Hotels in Carcassonne, Toulouse and the Languedoc

Enjoying the finest location within the walls of the old city, this ivy-covered former Episcopal palace provides a high level of creature comfort, which the ascetic Cathars would most definitely have deprived themselves of. Antique-tile floors, afternoon teas, and the sumptuous La Barbacane restaurant (presided over by Michelin-starred chef Jérome Ryon) help make this the spot for visiting celebrities. Tea is served in the library bar or the rotunda lounge, amid detailed woodwork and leaded windows; formal dinners in La Barbacane, with its double-vaulted ceiling and ogival windows, are quite an event. A pool in the garden beckons on hot days.

Minutes away from Carcassonne, this seriously elegant 19th-century manor has one of the best restaurants in the region, and the entire building oozes grace and old-world charm; rooms vary in size, with the largest of them offering views over a magnificent park and vineyards. Next to a terrace planted with mulberry trees, a Michelin-starred chef prepares superlative regional cuisine, which is served in a Provençal-style salon festooned with copper pots. Here you can savor truffled pigeon, John Dory in blueberry wine, and game dishes (in season), accompanied by rare regional vintages. If you need a break from formality, dine in the casual Bistrot D'Auriac—or take advantage of the year-round golf.

With its central lower city location, this hotel isn't only handy to Carcassonne's shops, restaurants, and nightlife; it also has special touches that belie the sweet prices here—many guest rooms feature Louis XV-style and Louis XVI-style  furniture, some of it genuine. Rooms on the second floor are more 19th-century romantic, with gilt-iron bedsteads under sloping oak beams.