The city of Carcassonne, is an excellent place to fly into the Southern France, with Ryanair providing a range of cheap flights from over 9 destinations throughout Europe. Carcassonne has excellent transport connections, with the A61 motorway passing near to the airport and in the city centre there is a mainline train station (with a connecting bus service from the airport. Carcassonne also provides a superb base for a holiday in Southern France. Carcassonne has good shops, excellent restaurants, one of the largest music festivals in France and of course, the most magnificent castle in Europe. The countryside around Carcassonne is very beautiful and there are many interesting sites to see from Cathar ruins, to the Canal du Midi, and the Mediterranean beaches.

Carcassonne airport provides cheap flights to Languedoc and the South of France, mainly through Ryanair (from UK, Ireland & Netherlands). The 2024 schedule of flights to Carcassonne airport continues the upward trend of passenger numbers to this busy French airport.

Carcassonne airport has grown enormously over the last 10 years, mainly thanks to its association with Ryanair. During 2022, there was just under 250,000 passenger journeys through Carcassonne airport, but this increased to 340,000 in 2023 and more are anticipated in 2024. Now with a new facelift and 2 new passenger lounges, Carcassonne airport is expected to add new routes in 2025, with new airlines.

But Carcassonne airport is actually remains quite small, but I enjoy flying out of Carcassonne for that very reason. You can be dropped and through to the departure gate in under an hour. Although they have recently upgraded the terminal at Carcassonne airport, don't expect lots of shops and restaurants. There is a bar and restaurant upstairs, a shop (called Trib's) and a few car hire desks. 

Carcassonne airport South France

The city of Carcassonne is famous throughout France on account of its magnificent Castle. You actually get a great view of Carcassonne castle as you fly into the airport. You really get a good sense of the scale of the castle when you see it from above.

The inside of the castle is actually like a small village. The original castle was built by the Cathars and was destroyed during a siege of the city. The castle was then rebuilt by Simon de Montfort. But only 40 years later the city was again held siege, this time by the Black Prince. Roll forward another 600 years and the present castle was reconstructed on the site of the earlier fortifications.

Visiting the castle is definitely the main attraction in Carcassonne, but there is also an excellent Australian animal park (yes you read that right, an Australian animal park) and a fantastic music festival during July each year. But the best time to visit Carcassonne is on Bastille day (14 July) when you will see the most amazing fireworks display.

Best places to stay near Carcassonne

Carcassonne is located in a long valley, with the Black Mountains to the north and the Corbieres hills to the South. The nearby Minervois wine region is one of the best in the area, closely followed by the wines of Corbieres (which are really starting to make a name for themselves). The Canal du Midi runs through Carcassonne on its route from Toulouse to the Mediterranean coast. There are some really nice places to stay near to Carcassonne. I would certainly recommend: 

• Mirepoix with its lovely medieval market square;
• the hill town of Fanjeaux,
• the small town of Lagrasse and the nearby village of Ferrals-les-Corbiers;
• the peaceful village of Chalabre to the South of Carcassonne and the picturesque village of Cuxac-Cabardes to the north of Carcassonne.

Also, if you are visiting Carcassonne, then you must make a special detour to the wonderful 3 Michelin star restaurant, the Auberge de Vieux Puits. It is amazing!

Cheap flights to Carcassonne airport 2024

Carcassonne airport has recently undergone a major facelift, with a brand new frontage to the airport entrance and upgrades to the passenger facilities. The renovations cost €11 million euros and took 3 years to complete. It is still a very small airport, with just four departure lounges (previously there were just 2 lounges) and a team of staff who still seem to get taken by surprise when a plane lands.

During 2023, Carcassonne airport handled 340,000 passengers, which was an increase of 20% on 2022. The passenger numbers are expected to increase further during 2024. Carcassonne airport actually runs flights to 5 different countries, including UK, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and Morocco. The main operator remains Ryanair, although there are rumours that additional routes from different airlines may begin to appear in 2025.

I have no idea who runs Carcassonne airport, but they are not exactly going to make a great career in Airport Marketing. The amount of times we have been asked by customers "Which is the nearest airport to Carcassonne?". Maybe the CIA should employ these people to ensure that the location of Interrogation Black sites is also kept a secret.

2024 flights to Carcassonne airport France

There is a busy schedule of flights to Carcassonne airport in South France during 2024. Some routes only operate during the high season, others are all year around:

• Bournemouth airport, UK (Ryanair) - Wednesday & Saturday flights (1 May to 31 October 2024)
• Porto airport, Portugal (Ryanair) - Tuesday & Sunday flights  (1 April to 31 October 2024)
• Tangier airport, Morocco (Ryanair) - Wednesday and Sunday flights (1 May to 31 October 2024)
• London Stansted, UK (Ryanair) - Friday & Sunday flights (All year); Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday flights (1 April to 31 October 2024)
• Charleroi airport, Belgium (Ryanair) - Monday & Friday flights (All year); Wednesday & Thursday flights (1 April to 31 October 2024)
• Dublin airport, Ireland (Ryanair) - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday flights (1 April to 31 October 2024)
• East Midlands airport, UK (Ryanair) - Wednesday & Saturday flights (1 May to 31 October 2024)
• Cork airport, Ireland (Ryanair) - Monday & Friday flights  (1 May to 31 October 2024)
• Manchester airport, UK (Ryanair) - Monday flights (All year); Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday flights (1 April to 31 October 2024); Saturday flights (Winter only)

There is a regular bus service from Carcassonne airport into the city. The bus times are coordinated with the flight arrivals and departures. In the centre of Carcassonne. There is also a mainline train station in the centre of Carcassonne, where you can pick up train services to both Narbonne and Toulouse. There are connecting TGV trains to Paris, Bordeaux, Marseille and Barcelona. The A61 motorway runs right past the town and connects Narbonne in the east with Toulouse and Bordeaux in the west. 

Car hire rental at Carcassonne airport

There are 4 main car hire rental companies at Carcassonne airport. The rental car pick up and drop-off zone is located directly opposite the main arrivals terminal, less than a 60 seconds walk.

Avis car hire rental
Tel : +33 (0)4 68 25 05 84
www.avis.fr

Rent-a-car at Carcassonne airport
Tel : +33 (0)4 68 71 69 97
www.rentacar.fr

Hertz rentals cars at Carcassonne airport
Tel : +33 (0)4 68 71 00 55
www.hertz.fr

Europcar rental at Carcassonne airport
Tel : +33 (0)4 68 72 23 69
www.europcar.fr

Where to next . . .?

If you are planning a trip to the South of France in 2024, then Carcassonne is an excellent location. Carcassonne has some excellent restaurants, including 2 Michelin star restaurants. You also shouldn't miss out on one of the biggest music festivals in the South of France (Carcassonne festival), some fantastic local vineyards and the beautiful countryside nearby. You can also visit the local Cathar monuments, including the old Cathar village of Minerve and the Cathar castles at such as the castles at Quéribus, Château de Peyrepertuse, Châteaux de Lastours and Château de Montségur. The Canal du Midi also snakes its way through Carcassonne on its route across the South of France from Toulouse to Beziers and the Mediterranean coast. From a tourism perspective, Carcassonne has plenty to see and do.

If you are planning a trip to Carcassonne or the Languedoc in 2024, then the following articles are a good source of local information:

Contact Iain by Email if you have any particular questions you would like to ask about visiting Carcassonne and the South of France. If you liked the article then please share it with others using the Twitter and Facebook buttons below. I wish you a wonderful stay in the South of France.