Sidetrips

We will be staying in Carcassonne for two days, and will have a car.

What all do you see in Carcassonne.

Are there any sidetrips.

We were thinking of driving one day to Figures and back to see Dali%26#39;s home. I think it is one hour each way,is that correct. Is it worth the trip, or is there something better to see?

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%26quot;I think it is one hour each way,is that correct%26quot;.

No. It is 170 km and you%26#39;ll need approx 2 hours especially in this season where there is a lot of traffic at the border. ViaMichelin says 1 h 43 mn and they are usually optimistic.

IMO the Dali Museum in Figueras is worth the trip but it depends on how much you like Dali ...... :-)

If you%26#39;re thinking about Cadaques, you%26#39;ll need an extra hour just to get there. It is not so much the distance but the road is winding and Cadaques is very crowded in summer.

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Do you have to stop at the border, or just drive across?

That is a lot farther than I thought. Is there enough to do in Carcassonne for two days? Are there any other interesting side trips?

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You seldom have to stop at the border for police or customs controls.

What is more likely to hold you up is very slow traffic during the summer months. There was an article in today%26#39;s local paper : yesterday there were 4,000 cars per hour between Narbonne and the border and as many from the border to Narbonne.

You don%26#39;t say when you%26#39;ll be in Carcassonne. September should be OK but the last two week-ends in August will probably be pretty bad.

From Carcassonne you could drive to Limoux, Quillan and Saint-Paul de Fenouillet and visit some cathar castles : La Pradelle Puilaurens, Queribus and Peyrepertuse.

Some more ideas at : http://www.carcassonne-tourisme.com/carcassonne2.nsf/vueTitre/DocVisiterVisiteAlentours?opendocument%26amp;FR%26amp;Visiter%26amp;Visites%20et%20découverte%26amp;21%26amp;Visites%20et%20découverte

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Below are places that we are planning on visiting this fall on a trip to the area. I haven%26#39;t been to them but have done reading and gotten recommendations from friend who have visited the area. We will be visiting Carcassonne also but staying in Couiza.

Check out Rennes le Chateau (near Couiza) and Limoux - They are not far from Carcassonne ( access via D118) and both together migh make for a pleasant day. Rennes de Chateau has a web-site but I don%26#39;t have it any more -try typing in the name.

On the Eastern side you might consider Narbonne, Abbe Font Froide area - Fort de Salses also seems interesting - south of Narbonne. These are all near the autoroutes (A 61, A9)

jhgrady

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We%26#39;ve stayed in the area a couple of times and the best day out was the one Pvoyageuse mentions - via Quillan to Queribus (we%26#39;d intended to go to Peyrepertuse as well, but ran out of time, unfortunately).

Another good trip was heading north over a scenic route via Castres to Albi, to visit the Cathedral and the Toulouse-Lautrec museum. http://www.albi-tourisme.fr/us/

Carcassonne, both the cité and the new town, were worth some time too, particularly the guided tour along the ramparts.