Carcassonne  

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THE POINT of Carcassonne is to see the Middle Ages. The huge fortified Cité, a walled, towered and turreted citadel - the largest in Europe - sits like a fairy tale on the horizon as you gallop in from the airport in your rented Renault charger. Now a Unesco World Heritage Site, its twin girdle of ramparts, with nasty devices for making outsiders think twice before pillaging, earned it the nickname "the virgin of the south" - although what you see today is a restoration, created in the 19th century as a showcase of medieval France.

With its jousting tournaments and spectacles médiévales, the Cité de Carcassonne treads a narrow line between historic edifice and theme park, especially in summer, when the main street, Rue Cros Mayrevieille, is a congested drainpipe of visitors. Stay overnight, though, and you can have it more or less to yourself.

There are two key places of interest: the part-Romanesque, part-Gothic Basilique St Naz-aire, whose stained-glass windows make it the Chartres of the south (go in the morning, when the sun fires its first broadside), and the Château Comtal (inner keep), which offers splendid views of the Languedoc countryside from the ramparts.

Is it worth a weekend?

Carcassonne itself needs hours, rather than days, but it is an excellent gateway to many more authentic medieval wonders: the ruins of stumpy castles, hanging by their fingernails off precipitous crags, where the persecuted Cathars made their last stand against the forces of the Pope and the French king; Romanesque abbeys; munchkin villages; wall-to-wall vineyards; limestone gorges; and the most famous waterway in France. The Canal du Midi was a marvel of 17th-century engineering, the Suez of its day, built to link the Atlantic with the Mediterranean. It's still lined with original architectural features.

Carcassonne sits in the valley of the River Aude, between two highland ranges - the Montagne Noir of the Minervois, to the north, and the Corbières, to the south. For my day out, I picked the former, driving first to Lastours, where you get four Cathar castles, all sharing the same escarpment, in one hit; then to the attractive abbey and village of Caunes, famous for its rich Renaissance houses; on to Minerve, which teeters on the lip of a gorge; and home - via a long lunch and a short walk under the plane trees on the towpath of the Canal du Midi.

Getting there: Ryanair (0870 333 1231; www.ryanair.com) flies twice a day from Stansted to Carcassonne; from £70.80. Taxis to the Cité are £8.

Getting around: a car is a positive hindrance if you are just staying in the Cité (where they are banned during the day), but it is essential for exploring - rent one at the airport (£75 for a group B for two days with Europcar: 0870 607 5000; www.europcar.co.uk). Or take the easy route by arranging a tour by private car: Elsa and Lydia, who work for the Hôtel de la Cité but can be booked by non-residents, have tours costing from £55pp for a half-day and £75pp for a whole day (minimum two people). For cycle hire, call 00 33-4 68 25 28 18.

Where to stay: right in the heart of the fairy tale, in the ivy-covered Hôtel de la Cité (0800 181123). Owned by Orient-Express, it is reason enough to visit Carcassonne. It's right next to the basilica, on the site of the former bishop's palace, and the guest book reads like an international Who's Who. It has gardens, a pool, lots of wood panelling and 61 doubles from £140 (also two-night packages).

Outside the walls, set in parkland, is the Domaine d'Auriac (04 68 25 72 22), a 19th-century mansion with a Michelin-starred restaurant, a golf course, tennis, a pool and 26 rooms from £60. A more modest option within the ramparts is the Donjon (04 68 11 23 00; doubles from £45). For even lower prices, stay in the lower town (Ville Basse), which is linked to the Cité by a free shuttle bus. The Hôtel St Joseph (04 68 71 96 89), for example, has rooms from £13.

Where to eat and drink: La Barbacane, in the Hôtel de la Cité, is the gastronomic temple, with menus from £37; or compromise at the hotel's Chez Saskia brasserie, with menus from £10. La Maison du Cassoulet (04 68 47 61 03) is the place to try the heavyweight dish born in nearby Castelnaudary.

Just outside the boat marina at Homps is a long lunch-time dream of a tree-shaded terrace on the banks of the Canal du Midi, Auberge de l'Arbousier (04 68 91 11 24), with menus from £9 and rooms at £25. Another out-and-about option is Relais Chantovent (04 68 91 14 18), in Minerve, with a terrace overlooking the dramatic gorge; menus from £10.

Further information: from Carcassonne tourist information (04 68 10 24 36).

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