Spotlight on CarcassonneBy Simon Kellow-Bingham

Famous for its citadel and rich history, Carcassonne is a must-see for the medieval history enthusiast. It sits on the main road from Toulouse to Beziers on the Mediterranean, flanked by mountains and the famous Canal du Midi and is a fabulous base for exploring the region. South of the city are the Pyrenees mountains, littered with Cathar castles, and to the North, there are deep caverns.

The jewel in the crown is undoubtedly the citadel with its 53 towers dotted around the walls, some of which date back to the Roman founders of the town. Amongst his other crimes, Napoleon Bonaparte ordered that Carcassonne be demolished in 1849 because the fortress had fallen into terrible disrepair. The citadel was saved by a public campaign led by the mayor and the writer Prosper Mérimée.

The narrow streets now host nougat shops and souvenir stalls as soon as you get through the main gate, the Porte Narbonnaise, but there are better prospects further in. Take a left turn into the Place Marcou and you will be spoilt for choice with the range of restaurants.

The local dish, cassoulet, is a firm favourite, and particularly good at the Place du Grand Puits close to the Chateau. Your meal may be disrupted however by the slamming doors and occasional screams emanating from the nearby haunted house attraction.

While it is true that Carcassonne derives a lot of its income from tourism, it has not been taken to extremes and there are parts untouched

by the drive to lighten the wallets of visitors. In the Rue St Louis, between the Chateau and the Basilica, you will find some of the best ice cream outside of Italy. The organic pistachio, made from Sicilian nuts, is incredible.

Outside the walls of the citadel, through the Porte St Nazaire, there is a daily display of jousting andhorsemanship. In France it seems that no castle is complete without staginga joust at least once a year.

There is also a tourist train that will take you on a vertiginous tour around the outer walls of the citadel and down into the old town on the banks of the river Aude. You can plug a set of headphones in and listen to a guide in your own language describe the history of Carcassonne.

After dark, there is a lightshow on the battlements and musicians and dancers busk for your entertainment. Don’t worry if you forgot to buy that postcard, as the souvenir shops are the last to close.

The glorious medieval citadel used to be home to over a thousand souls but today there are only a hundred or so listed residents.

You can join them, either staying at one of the chain hotels or boutique establishments. Around and about there are apartments and holiday rentals available in the quieter villages, but be warned, some churches in this region feel the need to repeat their chimes in case you didn’t hear them the first time!