Short Break on a Shoestring in France

The Aude in southern France is a terrific place to take a short, inexpensive break.

Three fascinating cities lie within 128 miles- easy enough to cover in three days if you do a fly-drive trip, beginning with Carcassonne and departing from Perpignan (or vice versa).

If you travel to Carcassonne by Ryanair, you might be lucky enough to fly right over the fairytale rooftops of la Cité . It’s easy to see why Walt Disney was inspired by this for his film, Sleeping Beauty.

In Carcassonne, behind double ramparts at la Cité centre, lie the Chateau Comtal and the Basilique Saint-Nazaire with glorious rose windows and strange gargoyles. It is worth hiring a guide to the inner city with its two miles of walls and 52 towers.

If you’re hungry before you start, begin with one of the bistros in Place Marcou; here you will find traditional baguettes overflowing with rich pâté, or ham, cheese and tomatoes accompanied by huge cups of coffee for just a few Euros.

You can also get crêpes, steak-frites, and salads or - for a little more - decent four-course meals around this pretty square. However, it’s worth going down to the more expansive, lower city if you plan to eat well on a shoestring.

Carcassonne offers a very active cultural life in July and August. The Festival de la Cité runs throughout July and ‘open air’ medieval theatre performances mark the first half of August.

To get to Narbonne and Perpignan, hire a car and travel via the A69, the E15 and the A9 or take a boat up Canal du Midi all the way to the Mediterranean. There are some interesting places to pause at along the way, including a library of ancient books near Sommaire.

On the first of our three nights in The Aude, we stayed at Domaine de Beaupré near Narbonne. Watch out for the sign on a bend of the main Route d’Armissan, 10 minutes from town.

I had a lovely (blue) ensuite room and could have spent days in the communal area, sprawling with comfortable sofas, books and board games for children.

At Narbonne, our B&B host, who also runs a vineyard, ordered his estate’s wine in advance at Brasserie L’Estagnol. It was a delicious buttery Pays d’Oc Chardonnay.

The restaurant is just opposite Les Halles - the gourmet markets.

Roasted red peppers with fresh anchovies from the market were superb and the rare pigeon with ratatouille, cherries and sauté potatoes was faultless.

Next morning we had fresh fruit, milk cheese, ham, boiled eggs, pots of freshly made yoghurt, cereals and bowls (literally) of strong coffee - a typical breakfast in this region.

Later, we met with Christophe Cabrier at the Narbonne Tourist Office, which sits above the Robine River. After showing us the city on a large wall map, he took us on a whirlwind tour of key heritage points, including the Archbishop’s Palace.

The city hall’s huge tower counts 220 steps to the top. What a view!  Within the Town Hall are the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire (paintings of the 19th and 20th centuries, enamels, furniture, ceramics) and the Musée Archéologique (prehistoric, classical and medieval antiquities).

For lunch, we visited the Halles of Narbonnes. With 72 stall holders, this seductive market offers seasonal vegetables and fruit, bright seafood and fish, wicked-smelling cheeses, rich pies and pâté and many different kinds of saucisson. Take some with you for a picnic or two.

After a lavish tasting of local products and regional wines, we had ‘lunch proper’ at Chez Bebelle. My robust beef tartare came with traditional extras, including chopped gherkins and raw egg. Cost with wine, about 10 Euros.

After lunch, we went to Narbonne Plage to cycle along the Antique Bay (from Peyriac to Bages) and the historical Narebonnaise path; a ride likely to take seasoned riders about two hours, each way. Bike hire is a few Euros a day.

Our second night was at Camping La Nautique and we shared two mobile homes. The rooms are small but well-fitted and everything is spotless. Luxury chalets are adapted for wheelchair users.

On site, there is a bar-restaurant and shop and sporting facilities include an Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis, football and boules; you can rent bicycles, canoes and windsurfing equipment.

The next day it was off to Perpignan, the capital of Roussillon. A melting-pot of a city, Perpignan is the most multinational city in the Southwest of France.

A substantial part of the population comes from the Spanish Catalans who fled from the Spanish Civil War. They live alongside French colonists from Maghreb, Romany people and recent arrivals from Algeria and Morocco.

The route from Narbonne runs parallel to the Mediterranean and passes lagoons, lakes and many miles of beach areas.

Along the way to Perpignan lies the game reserve of Mas Larrieu. At La Reserve: Restaurant, in Argeles sur Mer, you can eat from the set menu for around 12 Euros.

Later, we went to Brouilla, near Perpignan, where we stayed at L’Ancienne Gare. This is no ordinary old railway station; owner/artist, Joaquina’s paintings provide vivid, summery splashes of colour throughout.

My ensuite room here featured elegant white linen covers and curtains and a calm white bathroom with unusual green ceramic fittings; it had a view over the railway line. And trains still pass by - but in the daytime not at night!

On arrival at L’Ancienne Gare, Joaquina produced thyme tea in a silver pot and a whimsy of strawberries on green. The transformed railway station is full of interesting antiques and quirky reminders of its past life.

Next day, we visited Collioure, ten miles away. This picturesque town is well known for its Fauve artists of the early 20^th century: Derain, Matisse and Braque, among them.

At Casa Leon in Collioure, a highly regarded restaurant, an entree of Prosciutto ham and feta cheese (pictured) followed by flash-fried steak and baked potatoes, mushroom and tomato with fresh chives cost 20 €.

The Royal Castle actually comprises four castles on the one site, dating back to prehistoric times. It has been occupied by Romans, Visigoths, the Counts of Roussillon and the Catalan-Aragonaise dynasty.

Since 1659, however, it has been in French hands and the castle remains as it was modified at that point. It has rambling, underground passages linking to the sea, dungeons, a prison, and barrack buildings from the 17^th century.

Photos mostly by VDuBourdieu©2009

Getting There

Fly from London Stansted to Carcassonne in three hours with Ryanair or travel by Eurostar to Lille from St Pancras and onto Montpellier by TGV (five hours). We flew back from Perpignan-Rivesaltes International Airport with Ryanair, around five miles from Perpignan.

Useful Contacts

Languedoc-Roussillon Holidays: Sun France

Domaine de Beaupré

Open all year. From 50 € a room with breakfast.

L’Ancienne Gare

Open all year. From 67, 00 € a room (2 people). 20, 00 € supplement (1 person).

Camping La Nautique

Open 15 February-15 November. Carvan or tent ‘pitch’ from 20 €, incl. private shower, WC, wash basin + number of people, from 5 € Pd (off-peak) to 7,75 € Pd (peak).

Mobile homes from 80 € Pd for 4 / 5 persons in peak season (560 € per week) or 38 € Pd off-peak.

Luxury chalets from 100 € in peak season.