Things to see and do in and around Carcassonne

In Carcassonne

La Cîte, a world heritage centre, is just a ten minute walk away, with its spectacular castle, many shops and cafes. It hosts numerous wine tasting festivals throughout the year - where for 8 Euros you can spend the day sampling the many different wines produced in the region. Plus pageants and music festivals, see the tourist information office for dates and times etc.

Or just soak up the wonderful friendly atmosphere whilst sipping your wine, and tasting the ‘cassoulet' a specialty of the area. Just a ten-minute walk from the house is a shopping complex - the Géant Supermarket and cafeteria offer excellent value for your everyday needs.

There is a Saturday morning market in the new part of Carcassonne, a typical French market with wonderful local produce. Well worth a visit just for the atmosphere alone! A ten-minute drive will take you to ‘Lac de La Cavayére' or Carcassonne Plage, for swimming, boating, sailing and windsurfing. Golf is also on offer at Carcassonne and Castelnaudary.

If You're Feeling More Adventurous

An African Safari Park just 15 km to the south of Narbonne - a drive through experience taking approximately 4 hours.

Narbonne Plage - a forty-minute drive from Carcassonne a wonderful Mediterranean beach.

The Black Mountains - where you can try your hand at orienteering, canoeing, pony trekking and for the more active there are always the climbing centres.

Trébes - sur la Canal du Midi for a leisurely boat trip.

Limoux - a thirty-minute drive through acres of vineyards - famous for its Blanquette de Limoux. Visit ‘Sieur d'Arques' or ‘Jean Babou' caves on the Chalabre Road - for a tasting session. There is also a good L'eclerc supermarket on the left as you approach Limoux.

Mirepoix - with its ancient timbered houses abutting the square - which is lively, and bustling place on market days.

Collioure the picturesque fishing village on the Spanish border approximately 2 hours away.

Toulouse city of French aviation and cultural centre 1 hour to the west.

To the South the vast mountain ranges of the Pyrenées including the tiny country of Andorra approximately 3-hour drive. Many quaint villages to be explored by car or on foot, where everyday French life can be absorbed whilst drinking a coffee in the market place.