Things to do in Carcassonne
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L'Écurie
Enjoy fine fare either within this attractively renovated 18th-century stable, all polished woodwork, brass and leather, or in the large, shaded garden. Pick from its long and choice selection of local wines.
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Esprit de Sel
This wonderful emporium is a place to browse and squeal with pleasure as you discover some unexpected treasure that you never knew you wanted or needed until now. Jocelyne Feller has an eye for quirky, off-centre items, ranging from the seriously retro to up-to-the-minute contemporary. Penetrate deep into the three galleries to explore the wares, culled from suppliers both large and small, and local producers – umbrellas, suitcases, boots, soaps and lotions, ornaments large to tiny, lampstands, ceramics, clothing and much more.
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Cantine Robert Rodriguez
Chef Robert Rodriguez works with exclusively organic raw materials and considers himself as much artisan as chef. Fraicheur, saison, tradition, créativité (fresh, seasonal, traditional and creative) is the leitmotif at his cantine. It's all consciously retro with marble-topped tables, bentwood chairs and early Edith Piaf and Charles Trenet warbling in the background. Walls are bedecked with his many diplomas and awards, plus photos of your heavily moustachioed host with famous guests.
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Au Bon Pasteur
At this welcoming, intimate family restaurant, the simple wooden tables and chairs belie the sophistication of the cooking. You can warm yourself in winter with the yummy cassoulet or choucroute (sauerkraut), 100% authentic since the chef hails from the Vosges. Year-round, their menu classique (classic menu) and formules de midi (lunch specials) both represent excellent value.
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Auberge de Dame Carcas
This casual restaurant specialises in suckling pig (spot the model porkers all around) and carries a fine selection of well-priced local wines (including a delightfully smooth house red at €11). The ground floor is cosy and agreeably rustic, and you can see the chefs at work. The larger upstairs room offers more light, and there's a summer terrace too.
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Comptoir des Vins et Terroirs
Run by a couple of qualified sommeliers, this wine bar carries a carefully selected range of mainly Languedoc-Roussillon wines, mostly from small-scale producers and many available by the glass. Indulge in their sampling of three wines, described to you in excellent English, and nibble at their cheese and charcuterie snacks, also predominantly local.
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Château Comtal
The entrance fee lets you look around the castle itself, enjoy an 11-minute film and join an optional 30- to 40-minute guided tour of the ramparts (tours in English, July and August). Descriptive panels around the castle, in both French and English, are explicit. For more detail, invest in an audioguide (1/2 people €4/6).
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Chez Fred
With a large window pierced in one of the walls of the ox-blood-red interior, you can peek at what Fred's chefs are rustling up; it's sure to be something creative. Alternatively, dine on its shaded tunnel of a terrace. The weekday menu bistro (lunch €17, dinner €21) is superb value.
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Génération VTT
Here, beside the Canal du Midi, you can rent a bike (per two hours/half-/full day €10/12/18) for a spin along its banks or around town. The young team also lead two- and three-hour cultural and gastronomic cycle tours.
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L'Écu d'Or
Step down to semi-basement level to dine in style within the thick stone walls of this friendly spot. It serves, among many other delightful dishes, five varieties of cassoulet and a delicious range of creative desserts.
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Restaurant Gil
Go downstairs, below street level, to enjoy quality, Catalan-influenced cuisine. A particular strength is its fresh seafood and fish dishes, mostly served grilled and unsmothered by superfluous sauces or adornment.
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La Cité des Oiseaux
This bird park, 800m east of the Cité walls, has more than 300 different species. Raptors, swans and parrots swooping over the audience provide in-flight entertainment and there's also a small pack of wolves.
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Auberge des Musées
This unpretentious place has three rear terraces with views of the ramparts. It bakes its own organic bread and offers excellent-value meals. It doesn't take credit cards.
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La Ferme
A particularly well-stocked delicatessen, piled high with vintage cheeses, wines, sausages and lots of other gourmandises, including homemade crème Chantilly.
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L'Art Gourmand
Chocolate fiends should definitely descend upon this place, which sells a huge range of goodies. The ice cream is pretty great too – all 31 varieties of it.
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Lou Gabaret
The Lou Gabaret chugs along the Canal du Midi, departing from the bridge just south of the train station. Prices vary according to the length of the trip.
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Restaurant des Trois Couronnes
This fine restaurant, on the 4th floor of Hôtel des Trois Couronnes, offers great cuisine with a magnificent panorama of La Cité thrown in.
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La Cité des Arômes
In the northwestern corner of place Carnot, this café wafts out scents of rich arabica and carries a huge selection of coffees.
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Basilique St-Nazaire
Highlights are the graceful Gothic transept arms with a pair of superb 13th- and 14th-century rose windows at each end.
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Le Richepin
This restaurant, on the 4th floor of Hôtel des Trois Couronnes serves fine food year-round.
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La Cité
La Cité, dramatically illuminated at night, is enclosed by two rampart walls and punctuated by 52 stone towers. But only the lower sections of the walls are original; the rest, including the anachronistic witches'-hat roofs (the originals were altogether flatter and weren't covered with slate), were stuck on by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century.
If you enter via the main entrance, before you rears a massive bastion, the Porte Narbonnaise and, just inside, the tourist office annexe. Rue Cros Mayrevieille, suffocating in kitschy souvenir shops, leads up to place du Château, heart of La Cité.
Through another archway and across a second dry moat is the 12th-century Château …
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Chez Saskia
This brasserie, which offers tasty, great-value dishes and a particularly rich range of desserts, belongs to Hôtel de la Cité. All around its walls are photos of the great and good who have stayed at the hotel: Jacques Chirac, Winston Churchill, Yves Montand and many more, recognisable and less so.
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Canal du Midi
Lou Gabaret, L'Hélios and Solal chug along the Canal du Midi, departing from the bridge beside the train station. Sailings with commentary last from 1¾ to 2½ hours and prices vary accordingly.
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