chateau comtal

I was (pleasantly) shocked to find that this was the only part of the medieval city that was not free. It would be worth the money to visit the museum and walk around in the tallest towers and ramparts. The historical explanations were very helpful and interesting, including a very well done video with subtitles in French, English and Spanish. Regarding tickets, there are several types of visitors that get in for free, which is a bit unusual in France.

Not to expensive to enter, 8euros. Gives you access to the rampants and the main keep which is full of info and displays. Can't wait Togo back,stunning views from the walls.

although it has been rebuilt, the architect was inspired. The film at the start of the tour helps enormously.Lots of steps so not for those who struggle. A visit in poor weather would lose some of the magic and of course the views from the ramparts

We just had to come back again after being so entranced with our visit earlier this year that instead of a one day visit, we came for three. Allow yourself at least one full day here and plan to arrive early before it gets very busy. Entrance to La Cité is free, to visit the Château there is a fee of 8.50 euros with an additional 4.50 euros for an audio guide, you also get a plan of the castle which is easy to follow and is well worth the visit. On arrival ask for a street plan from the Tourist Information Centre in the turret at the Porte Narbonnaise. Once inside the Château, rest under the plane trees and take in your surroundings (imagine what it was like for the Trencaval family living here) then climb the stairs, walk along the walls, through the various halls, see the ancient wall paintings and the stoneworks in the museum. There is also an interesting exhibition of the building’s history through the ages. Take the Parapet Walk along the western ramparts, see the hoardings (the defensive wooden galleries) and walk along the northern ramparts towards the Porte Narbonnaise (lots of steep and narrow steps) but worth it to see the beautiful views over the Bastide Saint-Louis (the lower city) and out towards the mountains. Maybe we will come back again, I hope so.

If you're visiting the cite you have to take the tour of the chateau and ramparts. At €8.50 it's a bargain. We paid the extra €3 for the audio guide and I would definitely recommend it. We learned so much from it and got the best views of the cite and beyond. Walking round the ramparts at the highest levels was amazing. The highlight of our visit to Carcassonne.

Excellent, Excellent, Excellent, we loved the chateau. The audio guide is well worth the cost. We learned lots of facts and had myths dispelled. So much history and information about the whole Cite.

Quite a lot of the building remains intact so there was plenty of interest. It is worth paying for the audio guide to know what you are looking at although we did have difficulty locating a few of the numbers for the guide

Seeing this museum makes your Carcassonne visit more than just a shopping experience. We arrived just as they opened so missed some of the crowds. The exhibits are well signed in English, telling the history of the castle and general information about Cathars, and the rampart walk was very enjoyable. There was a special exhibit about Violette le Duc which was also worthwhile. We had bought the "Passport" for the Cathar castles at Lastours so got a heftly discount on admission here, well worth it. We enjoyed our morning here.

Spent a very enjoyable couple of hours wandering round, cannot imagine visiting the cite without sparing the time to visit the chateau.

There were many people in line but buying tickets went quickly. We did not bother to rent audio guides. But there were signs in English all over the place. The signs were in several languages, not just French and English. They described life in the chateau. After reading one of the signs, I learned that the border between France and Spain used to be right outside Carcasonne. It was in the 1600s that this area was incorporated into the Languedoc region of France.This chateau is the heart of La Cite. I can not imagine going to Carcassonne without visiting it.

We didn't do this on our first visit a few years ago, we should have!Apart from the stunning views the entry allows, a lot of the historical details are graphically represented on the information boards.Having an interest in matters Cathar, this was very interesting and put flesh on explanations given in books.Well worth the price.

Real medieval experience you can feel yourself going back in time. The history surrounding the castle is wonderful. Lovely little streets full of gift shops and restaurants. Allow yourself plenty of time to explore this lovely region.

If you visit you should pay the extra 4 euros for an audio guide as the amount of information is fantastic

A delightful step back into the past. Get the audio guide and it will take you throughout meaningfully. I especially enjoyed the lord's receiving room with the bits of wall paintings that had been uncovered. The final few rooms are a museum of medieval capitals, windows, headstones and tombs. Don't miss the 12th century font, it is quite glorious. Finally there is the gift shop but I was rushed out of there at closing time without being able to see if they had anything worthwhile :(

Entry charge to the Chateau with an audio guide. A shame the Chateau did not offer guided tours in English considering the number of english speaking visitors, but it does mean, you can go round the chateau at your own pace. Worth visiting....