Don't die without seeing Carcassonne. So wrote 19th-century French songwriter Gustave Nadaud of the picture-book fortress that seems to come straight out of childhood dreams. Last year, four million took his advice. Past visitor Walt Disney is said to have been equally impressed, using it as inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle.
Of course, such unfailing popularity is both a blessing and a curse. In the height of summer, Carcassonne can resemble Disneyland in more ways than one, with tourists clambering over each other to take pictures and stock up on souvenirs. Fortunately, that's where Hôtel de la Cité comes in.
Housed within the citadel itself, it's an idyllic refuge from the hordes. Pass through the sliding doors into its neo-gothic lobby, and all is calm. It's almost tempting to park yourself in the beautifully sculpted gardens for the duration of your stay, soaking up the Languedoc wines and admiring the view.
The hotel has one of the best positions in town, looking straight on to the castle and its ramparts. Down below lies the so-called "new town" (built in the 13th century). While, on the horizon, you have the snow-clad Pyrenees to one side and the imposing Massif Central to the other.
I'm relieved to be given a map on check-in: not of the city (you can't get too lost between giant stone battlements), but of the sprawling wings of the hotel itself. Originally an Episcopal palace, it was bought by the Orient Express group in 1997, the same year Carcassonne gained world heritage status.
I find my modestly decorated room in the old quarter. Its size is almost doubled by the private terrace outside, which strikes me as the perfect place to take a room-service breakfast. It's autumn but it's easy to be optimistic in a region said to have over 300 days of sun a year.
By early evening, the sound of piano music has started drifting up from the restaurant. The hotel is a dress-for-dinner style of establishment. Annoyingly, there is no iron in the room, "for health and safety reasons", but paying for the services of a chambermaid is no doubt more in keeping with the Orient Express way of life.
Having spruced myself up, I head down the heavy wood staircase to the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant, La Barbacane. As you'd hope, dinner here is an event. In typical French style, the service is deliberately leisurely, allowing for plenty of courses, with an amuse-bouche or two in between.
If you read French, the menu will have you salivating in no time; if you don't, you may be a little baffled. The English translations don't do justice to such cooking. A dish of "forgotten vegetables" makes me wonder if my plate will arrive empty, while my dessert is translated simply as "moist cake".
But what's in a name? The proof of this pudding is in the eating: it arrives delicately arranged with quince sorbet and cocoa jelly, exploding and oozing like a volcano when you crack into it. It's an aptly delicious end to a fabulous meal.
Above the chattering of diners, my only unfulfilled wish during a very satisfying stay is that the history-soaked walls could talk too. The hotel's illustrious list of past guests includes Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II and Grace Kelly.
Before I leave, I leaf through the "Gold Book" of recent VIP guests. Unfathomably, Johnny Depp, who gives his profession as "liar", has drawn a picture of a bucket in the comments section (captioned "bucket" as if that's worthy explanation). I think I'd be more inclined to agree with the Jacques Chirac's more straightforward summary: "C'est excellent".
· A superior classic room at Hôtel de la Cité costs from €250. Visit www.hoteldelacite.com or call UK reservations on 020 7960 0500.
Ryanair flies to Carcassonne from Liverpool, East Midlands and Stansted airports. Prices from £27, including taxes and charges.
For more on the region, see www.sunfrance.com.
