Alet-les-Bains is situated 33km south of Carcassonne, 8km south of Limoux famous for 'Blanquette'. Easily accessible for airports, beaches & skiing. Added to which there's a SNCF station on the edge of the village providing a service to Carcassonne & Quillan. Alet contains a post office, general shop (offering take-aways) all a few minutes walk away and a weekly market in the square.
Alet-les-Bains, (population 480) in the wine producing Languedoc-Rousillion region of southern France is a picturesque, medieval village in the department of Aude. It lies on the river Aude approximately 33 kilometres south of the historic city of Carcassonne with its 18 hole golf course. It is an ideal base for visiting the Cathar castles and the many historic towns. It is a 7km drive to Rennes-le-Chateau site of the mysterious Holy Blood & Holy Grail and Da Vinci Code mysteries.
Alet-les-Bains has much to offer, keeping the whole family occupied with history, sporting activities & sunshine. For starters there's the village swimming pool at 24 degrees filled with mineral water.
The Aude river provides good fishing; there is a canoe/kayak base on the river and a village tennis court for use. There is also a boulodrome where you can join the villagers in the evening for a game of boules.
'Alet' natural mineral water is in plentiful and free supply for the public to clean your digestive system (and a casino on the edge of the village to clean out your pockets!). The thermal baths in the village have a treatment centre.
For those who love the outdoors, there is plenty to do; the hills surrounding provide wonderful walks, rockclimbing activities and fantastic views of the Pyrenees all within a 45minute stroll.
The Accro'parc (high ropes) is at the southern end of the village offering fun for children & adults alike.
This historic village has outstanding Middle Ages architecture, with the square where Nostradamus was believed to have lived, remains of a 12th century abbey and narrow streets all enclosed by 12th century village walls. The Abbey in the village attracts visitors from the around the world, 11th century ruins of the abbey are fascinating.
Evenings in the village are quiet with three restaurants and an evening cafe available (not during the winter). However the summer months have plenty of 'fetes', second weekend of June is the 'Fete de l'eau' and the first weekend in August is the 'Fete d'Alet' a four day spectacle with a carnival the final night. During July there is a week of dancing troupes which pass the village with performances. Court Metrage is growing in popularity, Alet's own film festival over three days with films from around the world being shown.
The carnival market town of Limoux is 8 kilometres away with three supermarkets and a variety of other shops. Limoux is also famous for Europe's longest carnival from January until late March and 'Blanquette de Limoux'.
Other towns in the area with fabulous markets include Esperaza (the town also has a hat & dinosaur museum), Quillan, Mirepoix and Carcassonne.
The Tour de France occasionally passes through on the main road the other side of the river from the village, on it's way down the D118