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We arrived into the tiny airport of Carcassonne on low cost Ryanair.

We got a taxi to our hotel just outside the city walls, which was 19 euros, only slightly more than the bus.

Les Oliviers is a spotlessly clean and pleasant hotel with a restaurant and pool but no bar. It’s great for families as rooms hold up to 5. There is very little in the vicinity of the hotel but its only 10 minutes walk from the city itself.

La Cite is a beautifully preserved medieval castle with a drawbridge and a moat. This is where most of the bars, shops and restaurants are in converted old buildings. The city inside the castle walls is not cheap but there is plenty of choice. There are many photo opportunities of the medieval castle walls, inside and out, quaint narrow streets and the beautiful tidy French countryside for miles around.

Louis Bastide Centre Ville which is about 20 minutes walk is better for shopping and is also where the station and canal trips are situated. We discovered a nice pleasant walk along a pretty street and over the Old Bridge, which is much more scenic than along the main road.

Having exhausted La Cite within the castle walls, a pleasure boat down the canal seemed like a leisurely way to spend the afternoon away from the hordes of multinational tourists.

Our hotel restaurant has no vegetarian choice at all, but luckily there is a nice little restaurant called Le Break about 5 minutes walk on the main road which is very friendly, its cheap and the food is freshly cooked.

Carcassonne is a pleasant and attractive town, ideal for passing though with a car or campervan, and plenty for all the family. It isn’t ideal for a city break as it isn’t very walkable and public transport isn’t very good. If you don’t have a car it is better to choose a hotel inside the city walls or just outside. If you are driving, parking is no problem.