LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON - France 2014 - page 866

Sleeping in Carcassonne
Sleep within or near the old walls, in La Cité. I've also listed a pair of hotels near the train
station. In the summer, when La Cité is jammed with tourists, think of sleeping in quieter
Caunes-Minervois (you'll find my suggestions on here ) . Top prices listed are for July and
August,whenthetownispacked.Atothertimesoftheyear,pricesdropandtherearegen-
erally plenty of rooms.
In La Cité
Pricey hotels, good B&Bs, and an excellent youth hostel offer a full range of rooms inside
the walls.
$$$ Hôtel de la Cité***** offers 61 rooms with deluxe everything in a beautiful
building next to St. Nazaire Church. Peaceful gardens, a swimming pool, royal public
spaces,theelegantBarbacanerestaurant,andreliableluxuryareyours—foraprice(deluxe
Db-€320-480, suites-€425-900, extra adult-€80, breakfast-€28, air-con, garage-€21, Place
Auguste-Pierre Pont, tel. [phone], www.hoteldelacite.com , reserva-
[e-mail] ).
$$$ Best Western Hôtel le Donjon*** has 62 well-appointed rooms, a polished
lobby with a full bar, and a great location inside the walls. Rooms are split between two
different buildings in La Cité (the main building and the cheaper Maison des Remparts a
few blocks away). The main building is more appealing, and the rooms with terraces on
the garden are delightful (main building: Db-€130-185, Db suite-€180-330, extra person-
€20; Maison des Remparts: Db-€125-170; check website for deals, air-con, elevator, guest
computer,Wi-Fi,privateparking-€15,2RueComteRoger,tel.[phone], www.hotel-
donjon.fr , [e-mail] ).
$$$ Chambres l'Echappée Belle, in the center of La Cité, is run by cheery Aus-
tralian Jackie. She has big plans for renovations but for now offers four traditional rooms
with wood floors, queen-size beds, jet showers, and air-conditioning (Db-€85-150, in-
cludes breakfast, check-in between 16:00 and 19:00, Wi-Fi, near St. Nazaire Church,
just off Rue du Plô at 5 Rue Raymond Roger Trencavel, tel. [phone],
www.lechappeebelle.co.uk , [e-mail] ).
$$ Auberge des Lices hides two lovely rooms above its restaurant, with high ceil-
ings, exposed beams, and stone walls (Db with basilica views-€80-100, larger Db with
rampart views-€140-200, air-con, 3 Rue Raymond Roger Trencavel, tel. [phone],
www.blasco.fr , [e-mail] ) .
$$ Chambres le Grand Puits, across from Maison des Remparts, is a splendid
value. It has one cute double room and two cavernous apartment-like rooms that could