Should you visit Chartres or Carcassonne?
Should I visit Chartres or Carcassonne? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Chartres
Chartres is a city in north-central France southwest of Paris. It is famed for its massive Cathedrale Notre-Dame. The well-preserved Gothic cathedral, completed in 1220, features 2 towering spires, Romanesque sculptures and elaborate rose windows. The cathedral is unique in that it has two very different steeples – one Gothic, the other Romanesque. Follow them to check out the cathedral's dazzling blue stained-glass windows and its collection of relics, including the Sainte Voile (Holy Veil) said to have been worn by the Virgin Mary when she gave birth to Jesus, which have lured pilgrims since the Middle Ages. The nearby Centre International du Vitrail has workshops and exhibits on stained-glass art. Chartres also had a carefully preserved old city, which is adjacent to the cathedral with staircases and steep streets lined with half-timbered medieval houses leading downhill to the narrow western channel of the Eure River, romantically spanned by footbridges.
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a hilltop town in southern France. Inhabited since the Neolithic period, Carcassonne is located in the Aude plain between historic trade routes, linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean sea and the Massif Central to the Pyrenees. The Romans recognized its strategic importance and occupied its hilltop until the demise of the Western Roman Empire and was later taken over in the fifth century by the Visigoths who founded the city. Its desirable location led successive rulers to expand its fortifications until the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659. It is famous for its medieval citadel, La Cite, which has numerous watchtowers and double-walled fortifications. The first walls were built in Gallo-Roman times, with major additions made in the 13th and 14th centuries. With its position on a rocky hilltop, zigzag battlements, stout walls and spiky turrets, the fortified city of Carcassonne looks like something out of a children's storybook when it's seen from afar. A Unesco World Heritage Site since 1997, it's most people's idea of the perfect medieval castle. It attracts over four million visitors every year, peaking in high summer. Time your visit for late in the day (or even better in spring or fall) to truly appreciate the old town's medieval charm.
Which city is cheaper, Carcassonne or Chartres?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Chartres is €93, while the average daily cost in Carcassonne is €85. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Chartres and Carcassonne in more detail.
Accommodation
An average hotel room with basic furnishings costs about €94 in Chartres For the most convenient locations and nicer amenities you can expect to pay a bit more.
For a normal double-occupancy room in Carcassonne, €98 is the average cost for a hotel room. Also in Carcassonne, the typical price for a place to stay for one person is €49, such as in a hostel.
Food
Chartres food costs typically run travelers around €31 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
While meal prices in Carcassonne can vary, the average travelers spends about €31 per day on food. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out, an average meal in Carcassonne should cost around €12 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Carcassonne is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.
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Food
Meals for one day
Chartres €31
Carcassonne €31
Local Transportation
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Chartres than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend €21 on transportation in Chartres on average per day.
To get around in Carcassonne, the average visitor spends €5.71 per day, per person. This includes the costs of taxi rides and private drivers as well as public transportation, which tends to be much more affordable.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Chartres
Also for Chartres, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private Transfer: Chartres to Paris-Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG):
$355
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Private Transfer from Chartres Cathedral to Paris City Center:
$138
Entertainment
Sightseeing expenses in Chartres, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of €18 per day, per person.
In Carcassonne, the costs for things to do, activities, admission tickets, and other sightseeing expenses are on average €11 per person, per day.
Tours and Activities in Carcassonne
For Carcassonne, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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2 Hour Private Guided Tour Carcassonne Medieval:
$101
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Carcassonne Sightseeing Tour:
$202
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Carcassonne walking tour:
$292
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2-Hour Private Walking Tour:
$35
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2-Hour Private Walking Tour:
$285
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Castle and Ramparts Skip-the-Line Ticket:
$11
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Cité de Private Guided Tour:
$24
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Cité de Carcassonne Guided Walking tour. Private tour.:
$168
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Day tour : Lastours Castles & Cité de Carcassonne. Shared tour from Carcassonne.:
$184
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Day tour to Albi & Cordes sur Ciel. Shared tour from Carcassonne.:
$299
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Day tour to Mirepoix, Montségur, Foix. Shared tour from Carcassonne.:
$246
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Day tour to Narbonne, Gruissan, Lagrasse. Shared tour from Carcassonne.:
$246
Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages can often be a significant portion of a traveler's budget, and the costs can vary greatly from person to person. In Chartres, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is €9.67.
Typically, people visiting Carcassonne spend on average €10 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Sample the Local Flavors in Carcassonne
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Carcassonne:
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Half day wine tour. Shared tour from Carcassonne.:
$102
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Day to the Cité de Carcassonne and wine tasting. Shared tour from Carcassonne:
$184
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Wine Tours and Vineyard Adventures In The Languedoc:
$211
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Shared tour to Lastours, wine tasting, Minerve, Canal du Midi. From Carcassonne:
$246
When comparing the travel costs between Chartres and Carcassonne, we can see that Chartres is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Since both cities are in Europe, it's no surprise that their costs are relatively close, as many destinations here have somewhat similar travel prices overall.
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