If you’re dead-set on staying inside the citadel, then this one-time orphanage (now Best Western affiliated) is a reliable choice. Comfy but slightly dated rooms overlook either its shady garden or the ramparts, and there’s extra space in its sister building, Les Remparts, which has a more city-hotel feel.
Hôtel Le Donjon
Carcassonne
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.05 MILES
Built on a steep spur of rock, Carcassonne’s rampart-ringed fortress dates back more than two millennia. The fortified town is encircled by two sets of…
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Musée et Jardin du Canal du Midi
23.61 MILES
Understand France’s mightiest man-made waterway, the Unesco World Heritage Canal du Midi, through illuminating exhibitions and short films at this museum…
27.58 MILES
Founded by Cistercian monks in 1093, Fontfroide Abbey became one of southern France’s most powerful ecclesiastical centres during the Middle Ages…
28.67 MILES
Perched 728m up on a rocky hill, Quéribus was the site of the Cathars’ last stand in 1255. Its structure is well preserved: the salle du pilier (pillars'…
27.98 MILES
In a lofty location 63km northwest of Perpignan via the D117, turreted Puilaurens is perhaps the most dramatic of the Cathar fortresses. It has the full…
25.13 MILES
Peyrepertuse is the largest of the Cathar castles, teetering on a sheer spur of rock with a drop of 800m on either side. Several of the original towers…
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Centre National et Musée Jean Jaurès
28.35 MILES
If you’re wondering why almost every French town seems to have a ‘rue Jean Jaurès’, this museum has everything you need to know about the father of French…
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0.37 MILES
Though it’s one of several bridges spanning the Aude River, the Pont-Vieux is by far the oldest and prettiest. It was built during the 14th century to…
Nearby Carcassonne attractions
0.05 MILES
Built on a steep spur of rock, Carcassonne’s rampart-ringed fortress dates back more than two millennia. The fortified town is encircled by two sets of…
0.06 MILES
To actually walk on the ramparts of Cité Médiévale, you have to pay to enter the Château et Remparts, a keep built for the viscounts of Carcassonne during…
0.08 MILES
The castle’s second gate, Porte d'Aude, was partly destroyed in 1816 and no longer has its drawbridge.
0.09 MILES
Carcassonne's basilica is worth a peek for its soaring Gothic transept and vivid rose windows. Often, traditional plain chant can be heard inside.
0.11 MILES
The main gateway to the Cité Médiévale, Porte Narbonnaise leads into the citadel’s interior.
0.37 MILES
Though it’s one of several bridges spanning the Aude River, the Pont-Vieux is by far the oldest and prettiest. It was built during the 14th century to…
7. Musée et Jardin du Canal du Midi
23.61 MILES
Understand France’s mightiest man-made waterway, the Unesco World Heritage Canal du Midi, through illuminating exhibitions and short films at this museum…
25.13 MILES
Peyrepertuse is the largest of the Cathar castles, teetering on a sheer spur of rock with a drop of 800m on either side. Several of the original towers…