We visited on a bright, cool February morning. We had pre-booked, so just paid an additional €3 each for the self guiding audio tour. The tour was slower than we would have liked, but was informative. The walk around the ramparts was the reason we were here. We had previously been to Dubrovnik, so we were a little bit disappointed; it is described as the “largest walled medieval city in Europe”. Take the work “medieval” out and Dubrovnik is bigger. Also, “larger” isn’t the same as “large”. You can walk around the outside of the ramparts in 10-15 minutes. I sound like I didn’t enjoy it, but I did. I’d go back, and the town is beautiful from all angles. I just wouldn’t repeat the tour.

Experience was good but 'Skip the Queue' made little difference

I think we were ahead of two people so wouldn't bother to 'skip' the queue again. The guide was of limited use and did not appear to clearly follow the route signposted. We are not young and when we walked the northern (Gallo-Roman) ramparts we were somewhat distressed to find that there was no way out at the end and that we had to retrace our steps. We were not the only discomfited visitors - not a good end to what had been an interesting visit. Also not helped by a very off-hand staff member at the gate who seemed totally unconcerned.

Not to be missed

Very impressive. It was interesting to get an overall view of the history of the Citadel. The artefacts were well presented and the signage was good - the visit added depth and meaning to our stay in Carcassonne. Buying tickets in advance allowed us to "Skip the Line" and was excellent value.