Somewhere for the Weekend: Carcassonne

WHY GO NOW?

During the first two weeks of August, the fairy-tale citadel of Carcassonne hosts a fantastical medieval pageant. This is A Knight's Tale and Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves rolled into one (incidentally, this is where the latter was filmed), with period costumes, theatrical re-enactment and jousting on the lices, the grassy area between the double walls of the fortress. The tournament takes place every day at 3.30pm and 5.30pm, and costs €10 (£6) for adults, €5 (£3) for children. For more information about the Spectacle Médiéval, call the main tourist office (00 33 4 68 10 24 30).

DOWN PAYMENT

Ryanair (0871 246 0000; www.ryanair.com) is the only scheduled airline to fly direct to Carcassonne's tiny airport. Flights from Stansted this weekend cost from £276. Toulouse is just an hour away by car (100km), and has direct flights from Birmingham with Flybe (08705 676 676; www.flybe.com), from Gatwick with British Airways (0845 77 333 77, www.ba.com) and from Heathrow with Air France (0845 0845 111; www.airfrance.co.uk). Trailfinders (020-7937 1234) has flights with Air France from £145, while fares from Birmingham this weekend start at £535.

Carcassonne airport is 5km west of the town. The navette buses from the airport (€0.90/55p) have drop-off points at the train station in the ville basse, place Gambetta and La Cité. A taxi costs around €10 (£6).

INSTANT BRIEFING

At first sight, Carcassonne, perched on a hill in deepest Languedoc with a magical skyline of pointed turrets and castellations, looks like the set of a Disney animation. It's a comparison that isn't far off the mark: Disney modelled the castle invented for Sleeping Beauty on this medieval citadel, high above the banks of the river Aude in south-west France.

The city is divided into three parts. Below the walled town, referred to as La Cité, is the picturesque medieval quarter of La Barbacane. Across the river Aude is the lively ville basse, with its grid pattern of 13th-century streets laid out by Louis IX and formerly known as La Bastide de St-Louis. The ville basse is bordered on the other side by the tree-lined Canal du Midi, and provides a dash of real life and an antidote to the living, breathing fantasy over the river.

Although there are sections of the citadel that date back to the Middle Ages, La Cité was abandoned in the 1600s and was virtually in ruins by the 19th century, when the French architect Viollet-le-Duc took on the task of rebuilding it. He masterminded a 50-year restoration project and let his imagination run wild. The resulting skyline owes more to his vision of how a medieval city should look than how it actually did. The conical tiled roofs of the turrets are German in inspiration, while the arrow slits in the walls are his own invention. His "improvement" on medieval design meant that Carcassonne only narrowly qualified as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1997. It may be inauthentic, but today, it's the region's biggest tourist attraction.

The main tourist office is at 15 boulevard Camille Pelletan, near place Gambetta (00 33 4 68 10 24 30; www.tourisme.fr/carcassonne; July and Aug daily 9am-7pm, Sept-June Mon-Sat 9am-12.15pm, 2-6.30pm). There's an annexe to the tourist office in the citadel just inside Porte Narbonnaise, the main gate (00 33 4 68 10 24 36). Carcassonne is easy to get around on foot, but if you don't fancy walking, there is a free shuttle service from the train station to place Gambetta and on to the citadel.

REST ASSURED

To live the medieval idyll, there are some reasonably priced options within La Cité itself. Hotel Le Donjon, 2 rue du Comte Roger (00 33 4 68 11 23 00; www.hotel-donjon.fr) is an atmospheric three-star hotel, all beams and tapestries, with a lovely garden at the back; doubles from € 74 (£47).

Around the corner, the 120-bed Auberge de Jeunesse (youth hostel) on rue du Vicomte Trencavel (00 33 4 68 25 23 16; www.fuaj.org) is bright and airy with a secluded patio. A bed (four to six per room) and breakfast costs €12.50 (£8). Just below the walls of the citadel in La Barbacane, Côté Cité at 81 rue Trivalle (00 33 4 68 71 09 65) is a lovely B&B in an elegant town house. Each room is individually designed; a double costs €65 (£41).

Another option, especially useful during the height of summer when visitor numbers soar, is to stay outside the city. Château de Floure is an old Roman abbey, now a hotel, 9km away.

MUST SEE

One of the best views of La Cité is from the Pont-Vieux, an old bridge over the river Aude which links the citadel with the ville basse. Cross the bridge, walk up rue Barbacane and suspend your disbelief as you enter the walled fortress and wander up through the narrow, twisting streets towards the castle.

Apart from soaking up the atmosphere, there are really only two main sights: the Château Comtal (daily June-Sept 9.30am-7.30pm; April, May and October 9.30am-6pm; Nov-March 9.30am-5pm, €5.50/£3.50); and the Basilica Saint- Nazaire (daily 9-11.45am and 1.45-6pm). Included in the price of the château entrance is a guided tour in English, while the château museum outlines Viollet-le-Duc's project.

The Basilica, with its huge stone columns, is part-Romanesque and part-Gothic, with stunning, stained-glass rose windows and the tomb of the controversial crusader Simon de Montfort.

MUST BUY

The winding streets of La Cité are lined with the usual souvenir shops selling toy crickets that chirrup, baskets, lavender and herbs. However, it's not all tat. There is a small number of antique and gift shops, linen shops and gourmet food stores selling local wine and jars of cassoulet. L'Art Gourmand on 13 rue Saint-Louis (00 33 4 68 25 95 33) is a foodie's heaven, with handmade marzipan, nougat, chocolates and biscuits.

MUST EAT

In the citadel, every other doorway heralds another bistro, while the place Marcou is packed with restaurants and bars, tables and umbrellas crowded beneath the plane trees. It's touristy, but charming and handy for a quick snack: crêpes from €2 (£1.25); mussels and chips €7.50 (£4.75). Regional specialities include cassoulet, a delicious stew of white beans, duck confit and sausage, and at the rustic and popular Auberge du Dame Caracas, 3 place du Château (00 33 4 68 71 23 23), meat is grilled on an open log fire. For a more elegant option, Au Comte Roger, 14 rue Saint-Louis (00 33 4 68 11 93 40) has a lovely terrace with tables beneath a canopy of vines. Try the Gourmand menu €33 (£21).

In the ville basse, there is a Saturday- morning market in place Carnot, selling local produce beneath the faded grandeur of the surrounding fin de siècle buildings. Buy fresh bread, cheese, olives and strawberries and head up to the grassy lices for a picnic lunch.

INTO THE NIGHT

The citadel is equally lively after dark, although there are only about 150 permanent residents here. Huddled beneath the ramparts, the open-air Le Bar au Vins, in rue Plo, has grey-blue wrought-iron tables under the trees behind a huge crumbling wall, and ambient music contributing to the relaxed atmosphere.