With quaint, cobbled streets, pretty squares, lively shops, restaurants, and bars, and art and music museums, there is certainly enough temptation to hang around the town, but there is plenty going on around and about too.

If you like visiting ruined châteaux, head north to the valley of the Orbiel. Just twenty minutes from Carcassonne is the village of Lastours. High on a ridge above the village, four separate châteaux stand in a line: Cabaret, Tour Régine, Surdespine and Quertinheux.

Motorbiking the region: Orgues, Gorges, Cathars, Romans and Dams- with Leigh and Merry Foster. This is one of our favourite rides, as it includes some spectacular scenery, lovely winding mountain roads, and lots of fascinating places to stop and explore. You could equally do it by car, but we find the motorbike more fun and easier to pull off the road to look at the beautiful views in safety. 

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