Carcassonne, France
Self Catering Carcassonne Holiday Homes – Carcassonne Villas
Standing tall and majestic, high up on a hill, Carcassonne has one of the best preserved walled cities in Europe, a sort of Medieval Disneyworld with its drawbridges, cobbled streets and fairytale towers. Situated in the Aude department of which it is the prefecture, in the region of Languedoc it makes a wonderful villa holiday location.
The fortifications have been painstakingly restored and inside the ancient walls is a charming city for the modern tourist. Sunsets and sunrises are simply breathtaking and many a visitor has wondered if the city is a mirage when they approach by road. It's quite stunning and it is well worth renting a Carcassonne holiday rental home.
Blessed with a Mediterranean climate, no less than two UNESCO World Heritage Site stamps of approval and restaurants, cafes and museums a-plenty this is somewhere quite unique for a holiday. If you stay in a holiday villa or house in Carcassonne, France you'll really feel like you're stepping back in times as you mingle with falconers dressed in Medieval costume and jousting events. For the more modern culture seeker, concerts take place at the ancient ampitheatre and there's a regular open-air market at the Place Carnot square.
Carcassonne is actually two cities in one. Besides the pretty-as-a-picture walled city and the hordes of visitors that throng its streets, there's a low-key, lower town that dates back to the Middle Ages. Known as the Bastide Saint Louis with bars, shops, cafés and restaurants set in a grid system. The Canal du Midi is also worth a look, a remarkable feat of engineering, 175 miles of navigable waterways built in the 17th Century.
For Medieval and Cathar enthusiasts the surrounding area is fascinating. In the surrounding areas such as Rennes-Le-Chateau there's an increasing interest in Mary Magdalene who is believed to have travelled to this Cathar country from Palestine. Whether or not she lived in one of the local caves can never be proven, but even so, the caves in the rural wilds of the Auder department are well worth a vist when holidaying in Carcassonne.
Carcassonne has distinct seasonal variations, the summer climate is hot, with temperatures in July and August regularly exceeding 30°C / 86°F. Winters in Carcassonne tend to be fairly mild, with only average levels of precipitation and plenty of sunny weather, although the evenings and nights do feel chilly at this time of the year. The average annual daytime temperatures in Carcassonne are around 20°C / 68°F.
Travelling to your Carcassonne holiday rental property: RyanAir fly to Carcassonne from 5 English cities, Scotland and Ireland. You could also drive from Toulouse aiport, which is 90 kms - just over an hour away.