Carcassonne, one of the best preserved medieval cities in the world, has something of a fairytale feel thanks to the restoration work of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.
The old town is surrounded by 3km of walls and ramparts which you can simply walk around, or get a guided tour to learn about some of its grislier times, such as the Albigensian Crusade. In the summers, there are also night-time guided walks.
If you are bringing little ones with you, you may want to check out the child-friendly activities. But with or without kids, it's probably best to get fully into the spirit and watch a jousting tournament. And if you want to get a marauders point of view, why not go on a circular walk/cycle-ride outside the city walls?
The Canal du Midi, which connects Toulouse to Sete, flows past Carcassonne and you can walk along the tow paths or hire a bike to go further. If you're not sure how much cycling you want to do, there are bikes available that you can use free for the first 30 minutes and 2 euros an hour after that. If you want to cycle in style, it might be worth checking out the groovy looking bikes at Alterride.
As a reward for being an eco-responsible traveller and coming by train, there's currently a 50% discount on Le Carca’Pass, which gives you access to museums, virtual reality medieval tour and other stuff.
Highlights
Immerse yourself in the Medieval city and patrol its ramparts
Go for a cycle ride along the Canal du Midi
Station stroll ideas
If you have some time free, why not go for a wander?
Tourist info provide a set of walks here and other brochures here.
Guided tours
Tourist info have listed a set of guided tours here.
Luggage
If you want to stroll without a care in the world, including your luggage, you could try using the nannybag app to find a place that will take your bags.
Getting there
It takes 40 minutes from Toulouse, 1 hour from Sète and 2 hours from Nîmes and 3 hours from Bordeaux.
Useful links
Tourist info: https://www.tourisme-carcassonne.fr/en/
UNESCO - Historic fortified city of Carcassonne: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/345