Bonnes réponses : éviter juillet-août à cause du monde.Le printemps et l'automne sont des saisons douces.Je n'ai jamais visité Carcassone l'hiver , mais pourquoi pas ?

You can drive until the Gate of Narbonne

Hello. I had a hire car and visited the sites at my leisure. I think there are organised bus tours, you would have to visit a tourist information centre for details. Hiring a cab/taxi would be very expensive as the sites are quite far apart! Don't be put off by that though because they are well worth seeing. Good luck

Il faut faire les gouffres les châteaux cathares ne sont pas beaux ( ce n’est pas Chambord) mais ça vaut le coup. Nous avons escaladé,si vous aimez grimper il faut les faire.

Bonjour Oui, les Cathares étaient végétariens, il ne risque rien. Bonne visite

Hi Peter. The Cathar Castles are all well worth a visit. However, only the main castle in Carcassonne is accessible by public transport (actually you can walk to it from the centre of Carcassonne). For the remainder, which are mostly on remote hillsides (some are in small villages), you'll need to hire a car, or join a private bus tour from either Carcassonne or Toulouse. Try the tourist bureau in Carcassonne for booking options - they are very helpful. Each castle takes from 1 to 3 hours to visit, so a maximum of three in a day is feasible. There is a Cathar Country Passport available at each site, which for Euro 2 gives you Euro 1 discount at each site (Euro 2 discount at Carcassonne, which effectively makes it free after that). Make sure you are fit though, because apart from Carcassonne, most other castles involve a LOT of climbing. Enjoy your visit!

J'ai fait comme nous tous ici, habitants de l'Aude, appeler ces châteaux "les châteaux cathares"... c'est donc un raccourci qui ne dérangeait pas mes clients de l'époque....Certes, en lisant des documents sur la construction des châteaux, il ne semble pas que ce soient les cathares qui les aient construits,(mais qui) comme quoi la vie est bien faite, ils les ont donc occupés pour se réfugier et se défendre, comme vous l'affirmez.. Merci pour votre intervention, et mes excuses auprès du public pour mon erreur. En attendant, ces châteaux sont magnifiques, emprunts d'un passé pas reluisant...et la région aussi.... Cordialement

Just seen this. Apologies for delay. Hope it's not too late. If you're visiting Carcassonne for the first time you need 2 days there which includes a tour of Lastours where there are three ruined Cathar castles to see on a nice stroll in the countryside. The walk up is not too strenuous but you will need half a day for the excursion.