Hôtel Le Donjon

Carcassonne


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.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Carcassonne attractions

1. Cité Médiévale

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…

2. Château et Remparts

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…

3. Porte d’Aude

0.08 MILES

The castle’s second gate, Porte d'Aude, was partly destroyed in 1816 and no longer has its drawbridge.

4. Basilique St-Nazaire

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.

5. Porte Narbonnaise

0.11 MILES

The main gateway to the Cité Médiévale, Porte Narbonnaise leads into the citadel’s interior.

6. Pont-Vieux

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…

8. Château de Peyrepertuse

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…