Carcassone

Will be there for seven days in september; is 2 days sufficient to explore carcassone or is it worth a longer look? I had thought of a trip to the coast, but does anyone have any `must see/must do` suggestions? all replies gratefully received.

Gingerguy

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What interests you? Castles, beaches, abbayes, villages? There is a lot to see in the area.

2 days in Carcassonne is plenty.

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I believe 2 days in Carcassonne is more than enough time. At the beginning of September there may be some activity near Narbonne Plague and other beach locations but much after August the area is rather deserted. Collioure and Sete are interesting year round as well as some of the more important Cathar landmarks (chateau de Quéribus and chateau de Peyrepertuse). Some find Narbonne interesting.

It%26#39;s really best to have a car to explore the coastal area.

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Incidentally, there is nothing %26quot;Cathar%26quot; about the %26quot;Cathar Castles%26quot;.

The whole cathar hype is just a marketing ploy.

All these castles were built before them.

The cathars may have numbered 20,00 in an area extending from Toulouse to Béziers down to Ariège. They were not builders. They were very peaceful, hence had a lot of sympathizers among the local populace. The %26quot;crusaders%26quot; were mercenaries who had been promised by the Pope all the land they would conquer. Their interest was to kill as many as possible in order to gain as much land as possible.

The poor people and the Cathars took refuge - as was common at that time - in the castle of the local lord..

For those of you interested in the Cathars, the authority is historian Michel Roquebert who has written several books about them.