Carcassonne

We are pleased to be able to offer our customers cheap Carcassonne airport car rental. The delightful little airport is a mere 3 km from the centre of Carcassonne.

Begin your visit to Carcassonne with car hire provided by two of Europe's leading car rental suppliers. We offer online bookings providing discounted car rental at Carcassonne airport. Both of our car rental suppliers have dedicated telephone staff on hand for any extra questions that may come up before or after renting a vehicle.

Situated in the southern Languedoc-Roussillon region, Carcassonne attracts huge amounts of tourists, particularly during the Summer months. A perfect weekend visit or for a daytrip excursion, this exciting and dramatic citadel town has its roots going back two thousand years.

As you travel towards Carcassonne, you would be forgiven for thinking you have slipped back in time or that you are about to enter a film set with the forbidding fortress turrets reaching for the sky. Split in two, Carcassonne is a medieval walled city as well as a lively, narrow street ridden Old Town, both of which offer plenty to see and digest.

Carcassonne's location between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean proved instrumental in the occurrence of continual power battles. A stronghold was required and one that throughout its existence saw many a conflict as the citadel swapped from being in the control of the Moors, the Cathas and the Romans. Today the citadel or La Cite is governed by tourism.

The cynics of this world have accused the UNESCO World Heritage site citadel as being a tourist trap offering little authenticity. The truth is that while there are a number of fortress-themed retail souvenir outlets, there are in deed a number of genuinely medieval features around the site. The walls and the towers are strictly original as well as the foundations and lower walling.

The reconstruction in the nineteenth century of the citadel was a huge undertaking and is made a big deal of on the site. It is intriguing to compare the before and after pictures and the effort that went into the inbetween.

With a striking surrounding landscape of the Pyrenees, the citadel or Cite proves an exciting attraction and continues in fact to be France's number one monument.

While the Cite perches upon a hill, the Old Town is separated by the Canal du Midi and the River Aude. The Old Town or La Ville Basse has existed since the thirteenth century when it was initially designed to resemble a grid like design. Riddled with interesting attractions which tend to have long queues extending from them, Carcassonne is particularly in the busy summer holidays, primarily due to the medieval citadel which tends to lure crowds of people along its steep narrow streets. People are happy to travel for miles to experience the twelth century castle and the fourteenth century cathedral.

Popular Old Town places of interest include the old bridge over the Aude and the tapestry findings at Murat's town house. In addition, the Old Town has a fine eighteenth century Neptune's Fountain, a thirteenth century Carmelite Chapel and Gothic St Michael's cathedral to offer. For an observation of Carcassonne's townsfolk's daily activity, La Ville Basse is a MUST. A great place to explore with hidden secrets at many a turn, the Old Town provides genuine intrigue and a more laid back sight seeing experience than its busy hill top neighbour.

For the best views of the spectacular surrounding scenery, the castle of Queribus is highly recommended closely followed by the mountain-top Chateau de Peyrepertuse. Other popular local attractions include the UNESCO World Heritage Site Canal du Midi, the cistercian abbey at Front froide and the Safari Park (Reserve Africaine de Sigean). Bastille Day is celebrated in style on July 14th at La Cite.

Languedoc-Roussillon

The southern french region of Languedoc-Roussillon is a top tourist hotspot with good reason. With in excess of forty Blue-Flag (clean bathing award) beaches, the region attracts holidaymakers with its excellent watersports activities, in particular, offers some of the best windsurfing opportunities. As well as the best beaches, top sailing facilities at resorts like Gruissan, Leucate and la Grande-Motte, caving is a local activity that is increasing in popularity. The Languedoc region possesses the most intricate collection of caves in Europe. A number of caves can be explored along with a tour guide and many passages are lit and have steps built in. One of the most famous of local cave finds contains the hundred thousand soldiers of the Grotte de Trabuc rock sculpture.

Carcassonne Airport

Just three kilometres from the heart of Carcassonne, the airport offers both taxi services or a popular horse drawn carriage ride into the fairytale like town. With so much to see in and around the Citadel, why not hire a car and enjoy the surroundings at your leisure.