Train stations in Carcassonne

Carcassonne has one railway station, and it is the right one for every visitor. It stands beside the Canal du Midi in the lower town, while the medieval Cité you came to see sits on the hill about 2 km away, so the real decision is how to cover that last stretch.

Carcassonne station and the lower town

Carcassonne station is at 1 Boulevard Maréchal Joffre, right on the Canal du Midi and next to the Bastide Saint-Louis, the lower town. It is the only station for the city, so there is nothing to choose between. Regional, Intercités and TGV INOUI trains all call here.

Inside you will find a ticket office and self-service ticket machines, free Wi-Fi, a waiting area, a water fountain and an assistance service for travellers with reduced mobility. Partner luggage storage, booked online, is a five-minute walk away.

The station building opens at 05:30 on weekdays, 06:30 on Saturdays and 07:45 on Sundays, and closes at 22:50 on weekdays and 21:50 at weekends. The ticket counter keeps shorter hours, 08:45 to 17:40, so use a machine for early or late trains. On public holidays the building is open from 06:45 to 22:45.

Getting from the station to the Cité

Walking is the simplest way. Allow about 25 minutes from the Canal du Midi to the Cité, through the Bastide and over the Pont Vieux, which gives a fine view of the walls.

If you have luggage or would rather ride, take RTCA bus line 3 from the Chénier Gare stop to the Cité Médiévale stop, a ride of about 20 minutes. To find the stop, cross the canal in front of the station and turn right after the park. Buses leave every 60 to 90 minutes between about 08:40 and 18:20, Monday to Saturday. The ride back to the station takes about 10 minutes, and the last bus leaves the Cité at about 18:30 on school-term weekdays and 19:20 on Saturdays and in school holidays. RTCA's urban buses do not run on Sundays or public holidays. A single Ticket Blanc costs €1.20 from the driver or €1 in the RTCA app and is valid for one hour with changes.

The RTCA airport shuttle also stops at the station and at the Cité. A ticket costs €6 from the driver or in the RTCA app and is then valid all day on RTCA's bus lines. The shuttle is timed to flights rather than to trains, so treat it as a way to and from the airport, not as a regular link between the station and the old town. Leaving the station, its stop is immediately after the car park on your left. From the airport it sets off about 25 minutes after each flight lands.

Trains from Carcassonne

Regional trains in Occitanie run under the liO name. They link Carcassonne with Toulouse and Narbonne, and with Limoux. Direct trains to Toulouse take about 45 minutes on Intercités and TGV INOUI services and about an hour on liO regional trains, and there are around 30 a day in all.

Intercités trains run direct to Bordeaux, Montauban, Toulouse, Béziers, Narbonne, Montpellier, Nîmes and Marseille. TGV INOUI trains serve Toulouse, Montpellier, Nîmes and Lyon.

No train runs direct from Carcassonne to Paris. Most journeys need one change and take between about 5 hours 30 minutes and 7 hours. Change at Narbonne or Montpellier for high-speed trains to Paris Gare de Lyon, or at Toulouse or Bordeaux for Paris Montparnasse. An overnight Intercités from Toulouse arrives at Paris Austerlitz, so check the arrival station before arranging onward travel in Paris.

Rail passes and reservations

With an Interrail or Eurail pass, regional liO trains need no reservation. TGV INOUI trains need a compulsory reservation, and so do the Intercités that call here, because the Bordeaux, Toulouse and Marseille line is a compulsory-reservation route. Both cost €10 to €20 in either class, as of October 2026. A rail pass does not cover RTCA buses or the airport shuttle, so buy a bus ticket separately.