We stayed in the %26quot;Carcassonne Penthouse%26quot; apartment in the Bastide de St. Louis (at 37 Rue Aime Ramond) for nearly one week in early June 2008. One can view the owners’ web-site with its extensive information about the apartment and Carcassonne at: www.cacassonnepenthouse.com.
The apartment is not located in the walled medieval city on the hill, but rather in the bastide--the ville basse or lower town--which is a short walk across the river from the walled medieval city. The bastide was originally established in medieval times to support the walled fortress on the hill. But now the ville basse is essentially where the French citizens of the Carcassonne area live. The walled medieval city on the hill is for the most part for tourists; its resident French population is under 200 people.
The apartment is a large, modern, and attractive place done all in white. It has two regular-size bedrooms and two large baths; a small third bedroom with bunk beds; a spacious living room with flat panel TV; a large kitchen/dining loft with all the modern conveniences--including a dishwasher. The appliances and cabinets are very upscale. The apartment is well-furnished; has AC, high-speed internet access via cable, a landline telephone, roll-down shutters to keep out the sun, a washer/drier machine in a closet off the entry way, and a large terrace for al fresco dining. There is no view of the medieval city from the terrace. The place was spotless and well-maintained. The apartment is secure, and it is quiet if you keep the shutters on the bedroom windows overlooking the street closed. But beware: the apartment is on the third floor (European second floor) with an additional flight of stairs after entering to get onto the apartment’s main floor. There is no elevator. All the same it is not a hard climb. If you have a car, there is a LeClerc supermarket about a ten minute drive away. However, if you have no car, there are many food stores nearby in the ville basse—including an excellent bakery on the right as you walk down Rue Chartran toward Place Carnot.
The ville basse was laid out as a bastide (a planned city) in the medieval period, and thus its streets are laid out in a grid pattern. They are somewhat narrow for today’s traffic; and they are alternating one-ways to facilitate the traffic flow. With the narrow streets, stopping in front of the apartment to unload/load your luggage is a challenge. The pull-off near the apartment at the entrance to the police station parking lot is a possibility, but the police are not too happy if you block the entry/exit to their compound and may chase you away. But it’s worth a try, and soometimes works for short periods. But you must stay with the car. Preferably there is a handicap pull-off in the next block back up the one-way street from the front door of the apartment. This is a feasible option for unloading/loading your luggage. Parking is not a problem since there is a public parking lot two blocks away from the apartment off the ring road. During the day there is a fee, but overnight parking--from 6pm to 9 am--is free.
We revisited Carcassonne since we wanted to see some of the famous Cathar fortress sites toward the south-west--such as Peyrepertuse, Queribus, and Puilaurens--which we had missed on our first visit. There are also other places in the south of France near to Carcassonne that are worth visiting--including Narbonne and the 15th century fortress of Salses. Staying at the apartment in the ville basse allows quick access to the north/south superhighway. Toulouse is about an hour away to the northwest and is also worth a visit--including to the Airbus factory.
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%26quot;Preferably there is a handicap pull-off in the next block back up the one-way street from the front door of the apartment%26quot;.
I would not advise anyone to park in a handicap pull-off without the necessary authorization. Not only do you prevent an handicapped person to park but you can be fined heavily for it.
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I should have added a sentance saying that if you use the handicap pull-off for unloading/loading your luggage, the driver must stay with the car. I did not mean to imply that one should actually park there and walk away--leaving the car unattended.
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Potomac,
the link provided does not work, even with the missing %26#39;r%26#39; replaced.....are you sure that%26#39;s correct?
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I have tested the link, and it worked for me. Please again try: www.carcassonnepenthouse.com. Sorry about the missing %26quot;r%26#39;.
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