In Pictures: On the Road from Andorra to France+Road Trip Stop Carcassone, Day 19

On day 19 of our family road trip number 4, we move our little gypsy caravan from camping in the mountains of Andorra to an overnight camping by a lake (Lac du Salagou) with a road trip stop to see an impressive medieval fortress in Carcassone, France, with 3 kilometers of walls and 52 towers where parts of the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves were apparently shot.

Here it is in pictures. But first, as with road trip problems 1 and 2 when entering Andorra, we need to clear a couple of potential hurdles here, when entering France.

*The Andorra-France tunnel could save you a lot of time for €6.80 per car or €12 for a caravan. The downside is you skip out on the scenic tour of the Catalan side of the Pyrenees mountains.*

On one hand, France’s coronavirus advice for foreign nationals entering France is that each traveller over 11 years old will need to “present a negative PCR or antigenic test” no less than 72 hours before arrival and to have a “sworn declaration” that the traveller is Covid-contact-FREE!

*French border control*. “Smile and wave, boys!”

Hurdle #3:Can we actually cross into France without showing a negative Covid test result or proof of vaccination? Yup, the dreaded Coronavirus still lingers and the recent relaxing of entry regulations are unclear, specially for those crossing land borders, like us.

*Horses. . . everywhere but no houses. . . in the French side of the border.*

You can download the official form from the French Ministry of Interior’s website. But that’s for those travelling by air and there was absolutley no information about those crossing by land (at least, none that we could find online).

*Fields after seemingly endless fields of sunflower and other crops reward the traveller as s/he come down the mountain*.

Hurdles #4: If we manage to cross into France, wIll we need to show proof of anti-Covid vaccination and negative test result at the actual camping site. This was suppossed to be the case in Andorra (at least by published regualtions).

*Well-preserved Carcassone fortress with 3 kilometers of walls and 52 towers.*

Again, there’s varying guidelines and anecdotal informatio. As with anything complicated, the best thing to do (at least we think) was just go for it, see what happens, and take it from there.

*The walled-in city-fortress looks empty. Beware swarms of summer tourists await inside.*

The worst thing that can happen is we get turned back. So, with a back up plan in place, a car full of household stuff and camping gear, two cute kids and a dad that looked like he’s guilty of something. . . off we go into the great unknown!

*Horse-drawn carriage ride: a convenient way of exploring along the 3 kilometers of medieval walls. . . at a hefty price, of course.*

A wink and few minutes later we’re going into a tunnel. No turning back now! Then in no time we are ar the border control. . . with guards. UH-OH, we thought. OH-NO, I f*rt!

As we approach, the border guards has stopped a campervan with French plates.

“Smile and wave, boys!,” I remind my kids while I squeeze some diamond in the rough. Smile and wave!

*Still smiling after all this walking. . . before the meltdown, that is.*

We slow down. One of the three guards look us over while talking to the others. The jolly one was sort of singing to the other one who had a grin on his face while sacnning the cars.

It must be a trick. Another car was stopped ahead of us. British plates.

We slow down even more and. . .

*One of the few artworks where the baby Jesus is shown suckling on his mother’s milk. You can find this one at Eglise Saint-Gimer (church).*

SUCCESS. We were waved through and passed without stopping. 3rd hurdell cleared! YAY! I let go and turned the diamond into gas to my wife’s dismay.

*You can freely walk along the outer and inner walls of the medieval fortress at Carcassone.*

It’s a much different crossing this time. It only 10 minutes from the gas station at Canillo, Andorra through the tunnel to the border check. The last time we were on the road from Andorra to France there was a huge line that could be seen for miles snaking from the border check up the mountain. It took us at least an hour to get through.

Nah-uh. Not this time! So we took the tunnel and paid €6.80 (€12 for those of you with camping vans or caravans).

*The church of Saint-Gimer with its stained glass illuminating the altar could be a wonderful refuge from the summer heat. It’s cool inside and, as you can see, not many tourists.*

The settlement of the medieval fortress of Carcassone has a history that’s older than Jesus. Apparently the area was settled over 2,500 years ago. It has 52 towers and 3 kilometers of exterior and inner walls, most of which you can freely explore on your own.

*Overlooking the lower town of Carcassone from the higher fortress walls.*

It looks very well preserved because it was completely rebuilt in the 19th century but not necessarily done to preserve historical accuracy. They even have jousting re-enactments and all kinds of medieval festivals, depending on the time of your visit.

*Saint Anne/Santa Anna at Saint Gimer’s church.*

Family-Friendly Tip for Visiting Carcassone

It’s impressive! From the moment you enter town, you’ll notice its commanding presence on top of that hill. However, there’s simply too many tourists snaking through its narrow, medieval, cobblestone streets in the sweaty summer heat. At some turns around a corner, it certainly smelled medieval.

Our recommendation? Come to visit in the Autumn or Spring when the weather would have been cooler (less sweaty tourists) and likely with fewer people. High tourist season is July-August.

Give this visit at least a day and see if you can roam the fortress walls at night for unique views and atmosphere.

*A BIG GOFRY with nutella rewards the hungry littleman at a beer garden within the fortress walls!*

Parking at Carcassone. There’s a paid parking lot with many spaces about 300 meters from the fortress. It will cost us €9.20 for 2.5 hours.

There are plenty of places to eat inside the fortress. But the best one was a beer garden with plenty of shaded outdoor seating.

A unique thing to see is the jousting exhibition. Apparently it’s well worth the entrance fee. Unfortunately, it has not resumed during the early recovery period from coronavirus/Covid-19.

Check out this video of FREE things you can do with kids in the Sierra Nevada… in the snow!

After a family GAP YEAR. . . that turned into over four years, living in Jerez de la Frontera, it’s finally time for our semi-nomadic family to move again, from one camping site to the next. . . all the way to Poland. For how long? We don’t exactly know.

UNFILTERED Road Trip NOTES on the road From Andorra to France

310 kilometers; 7 hours on the road (almost 4 hours of driving) and 2.5 hours stop over in Carcassone.

Much different crossing this time. 10 minutes from the gas station through the tunnel to the border check. Border guards stopped the campervan with French plates but not us. last time there was a huge line that can be seen for miles snaking up the mountain.

Seems like no villages on this side of the Pyrenees. Kaj feels like puking.

On N20 towards Foix Touloousse. Through the imposing rock mountain with overgrown trees. Pass a village called Barry and some kind of Ussat

D119 @ Les Pujols 1.7 euros for 95 gas. Left to D206, after Rieucros. Right onto D6, La Forge. Right onto D625.

D119 to (47 kms ) Carcassone. D533, 24 km to Carcassone.

Carcassone stop: a cash-sucking, unimpreasive stop with too many tourists.

Get ticket pay toll at A61/E80, until SW of Beziers. Unconnected highway on Google towards suburb called Boujan-onto A75.

Pic: windfarm along north of A61, between Luc sur Orbieau and Ornaisons.

A9 towards Beziers. Heavy traffic with tail-gating F-plate drivers. The first we have seen this trip.

A75. Good thing about driving in France is that there’s lots of rest areas called “Aire” something, which you hardly see in Spain.

Exit. D609. Lac du Salagou. red earth hot Camping Vailhes for a night or two.

RT4-D19: 21.7 MIE to France via Carcassone; start: 1,167 miles, at 1139; 1440-1712 stopover; arrived: 1840.

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