On the Road Again – From Carcassonne to Arles

As I mentioned in previous posts, theTravelsketcher and I are on a long road trip through the south of France. We left Normandie on September 12, and drove to Montmorillion in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region where we visited with friends and fellow expats from Seattle. Montmorillon is a beautiful town and I never get tired of visiting.

We stayed at L’Arbe D’Ange, a beautiful bed and breakfast in the heart of the city. This was our second stay at this location and we highly recommend it. The owners from the UK are very personable, friendly, and helpful. The rooms are quiet, comfortable, beautifully decorated and very affordable.

From there we drove to Carcassonne where we spent the weekend. Carcassonne has been on our bucket list for many years and it was a thrill to finally see it. The fortress is situated on a hill above the River Aude, with vineyards all around, making the drive up to the city absolutely stunning.

As we walked over the drawbridge, through the arched entrance, and saw the crowds, shops, and restaurants, we both had the same thought; it is very similar to Le Mont-Saint-Michel, but on a much larger scale. Carcassonne has an impressive and lengthy history. The city dates back to the 5th century AD and was initially a Gaulish settlement and later inhabited by Visigoths, Crusaders, as well as the Romans.

It is considered to be the best preserved medieval, walled city in the world. There are 52 towers and close to two miles, (1.9km) of walls; wow! There are two sets of walls along the outer perimeter; they wanted to make it really difficult for invaders to get in.

It was the first fortress to use hoardings, the circular deck at the top of the center tower in the photo below. These provided additional area for shooting arrows and dropping items on invaders below.

Even though Carcassonne draws massive crowds, and has become quite commercial, it is still an amazing place to visit due to its historical significance. We walked between the two sets of walls on a Sunday morning, saw only a handful of people, and enjoyed some great views.

In 1849 the city was in such a desperate state that the government decided to destroy it. However, due to the massive protests, it was preserved, and in 1997 became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There’s so much more to the history of this amazing place which I won’t go into however, click here if you want to learn more.

The Basilique des Saints Nazaire et Celsus is a beautiful church within the walled city dating back to the 13th century. The church is a blend of Gothic and Romanesque styles and became a minor basilica in 1898.

There are many affordable hotels close to the medieval town, we stayed at Hôtel L’Aragon which was nothing fancy, but was clean, comfortable, the rooms had air conditioning, and came with a nice breakfast, for just a little over 100€ per night. It’s located only five minutes from the old town, and a short walk to the “new” town. There are campsites in the area as well. Friend and neighbor Nikki stayed at Camping de la Cité and provided this review:

Camping de la Cité is superbly located at the foot of the medieval city of Carcassonne and is a short distance from the Canal du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The campsite itself was very friendly and English was spoken alongside French. The ‘emplacements’ are separated by hedges that offer a good level of privacy. Our pitch was in partial shade a real plus when the weather is hot or if you have a dog with you.

The campsite is within walking distance of the city (15-20 mins) but be warned – there is a fairly steep climb up to the fortress. The city itself with its many restaurants, cobbled streets, and fairytale turrets is well worth the journey on foot from the campsite. I believe there may now be a shuttle bus in operation during high season. Please check this with the campsite in advance of any booking.

We made stopovers at sites in Narbonne, Beziers and Carcassonne so that we could cycle along stretches of the scenic Canal du Midi. Based on our 2019 stay at Camping de la Cité I would certainly recommend this campsite for visiting Carcassonne and the Canal du Midi. Opening dates and further information can be found at: https://campingcitecarcassonne.com/

Nikki Burton, Campervan owner since 2017.

Thanks Nikki for the photos and the review of the campsite!

While in Carcassonne, we had a few good meals and some not so good. As we all know, in popular tourist areas it’s easy to get some less than good food. However, we managed to find a few good restaurants. Of particular note is Chez Christine, the food is delicious and beautifully presented. Be sure to make a reservation if you want to have a meal here. To read more about the food in Carcassonne, check out the theTravelersketcher’s post.

The next stop on our road trip was the quaint village of Olonzac where we had lunch with our Renestance consultant, Sarah. Renestance is an organization that provides assistance for expats settling in France. Sure, it’s possible to navigate the process without help, but Sarah has been a Godsend! Like the time someone backed into our rental car; we called Sarah. When we were at the prefecture, not understanding the agent behind the plexiglass shield who was talking so quietly we couldn’t hear a thing; we called Sarah. We couldn’t imagine getting through the bureaucracy without her.

We had a lovely lunch together at Aux Petits Oignons, an amazingly delicious and creative restaurant not far from the street market, which we had wandered through before lunch. The Tuesday market is surprisingly large for a small town. Here we stocked up on lots of goodies for our stay in Arles.

After lunch, we drove about two hours to Arles where we saw beaucoup de vineyards and beautiful tree-lined roads along the way. It’s harvest season now and we saw many vineyard workers using these interesting contraptions below to pick the grapes.

By mid-afternoon we had arrived in Arles, and had settled into our rental apartment for the next part of our journey.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our road trip so far and have much more to look forward to in the coming week. We’ll be meeting up with dear friends from the states in a few days and visiting Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, and L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue with them. We can’t wait to be with our friends and see even more of Provence. Stay tuned for more about our road trip in the coming weeks.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia