Should you visit Giverny or Carcassonne?
Should I visit Giverny 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.
Giverny
Giverny (pronounced jee-vair-knee) is a commune in Northern France. It sits on the right bank of the River Seine where it meets the River Epte. This area has been a settlement since Neolithic times and the town has various monuments from many periods of its long existence. Beginning around 1887, a number of American Impressionist artists settled to work in Giverny, drawn by the landscapes, the overall atmosphere, and the presence of Monet. It has now become a place of pilgrimage for many art lovers. It was here that Claude Monet lived for 43 years, until his death at the age of 86 in 1926. Although his house is now prized by connoisseurs of 19th-century interior decoration, it's his garden, with its Japanese-inspired water-lily pond and bridge, that remains the high point for many, as it is a 5-acre, three-dimensional Impressionist painting where you can stroll around at leisure. Most make this a day trip, but Giverny has some lovely lodgings, so you could also overnight here.
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 Giverny?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Giverny is €100, 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 Giverny and Carcassonne in more detail.
Accommodation
An average hotel room with basic furnishings costs about €96 in Giverny 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
On average, meal and food prices in Giverny cost around €28 per person, per day. While this price can vary widely by location, the type of restaurant, and the amount of food ordered, a typical meal often costs around €11.
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
Giverny €28
Carcassonne €31
Local Transportation
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Giverny than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend €39 on transportation in Giverny 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 Giverny
Also for Giverny, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Ultra - Private Transfer from Giverny to visit Claude Monet's Garden to Paris:
$9.41
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Private Transfer from House of Claude Monet to Paris City Center:
$117
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Private Airport Transfer: Giverny to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG):
$274
Entertainment
Sightseeing expenses in Giverny, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of €21 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 Giverny
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Giverny.
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Giverny Monet House and Gardens Skip the line Walking tour:
$73
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Guided tour Monet's house and gardens/Giverny:
$72
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Le Havre Shore Excursion: Private Tour of Giverny, Rouen and Honfleur:
$1,157
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Paris - Giverny Tour : Claude Monet's House Private or Group Tour:
$148
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 Giverny, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is €5.31.
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 we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Giverny and Carcassonne, we can see that Giverny is more expensive. And not only is Carcassonne much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Carcassonne would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Carcassonne and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Giverny would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Giverny than you might in Carcassonne.
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