I reached Carcassonne around midday, already pretty tired after a flight from NL to Toulouse ànd waking up at 4.30 am as I thought a burglar was hanging on the outside of my apartment block. I arrived at the parking lot outside Carcassonne's La Cité safely, though. The welcoming sight of the Porte Narbonnaise, the entry gate, made me happy.

Some of the best views of this fortified town I had were from the highway. There's also a viewpoint there, but that turned out just too far away to get great photos. The sight of the city with all those turrets and towers (45 of them) is surely one to behold.

I walked between the two rows of city walls, a pleasantly short hike. Unfortunately, the city is somewhat of an empty shell. The fortifications are in great shape, but there's not a lot to see inside. I visited the castle, where the steep 8.5 EUR entrance fee wasn't really worth it. During the summer holidays, Carcassonne reportedly is one big tourist trap, and though it was pretty quiet now, it is easy to see that the souvenir shops and restaurants have taken over from real life within the walls.