FAQ

By public transport

The Muse is located in the heart of the village of Labastide-Esparbairenque, in the Aude department. The nearest town, Carcassonne, is served by a train station and an airport.

SNCF offers regular connections with Narbonne and Toulouse, which are TGV stations. There are also direct trains from Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseille.

A train station-airport-Cité de Carcassonne shuttle is available for €6.

The airport is mainly used by Ryanair, which offers direct flights from London-Stansted, Cork, Dublin, East Midlands, Manchester, Edinburgh and Brussels-Charleroi,.

Toulouse-Blagnac (1h30) is the largest international airport in the region and allows connections with the whole world. Barcelona-El Prat is a three-hour drive away.

From Carcassonne train station (35 minutes), a taxi to La Muse costs about €65.

We offer a paid shuttle service on departure and arrival days, as well as for weekly shopping.

There is no regular bus serving Labastide.

By car

The village is isolated, so the car is the best solution if you want to visit the region independently or shop outside shuttle days.

The last stretch of road leading to Labastide is winding and narrow, but perfectly passable. Parking is available in the village center, a few steps from La Muse.

Directions: Highway A61 between Carcassonne and Narbonne, exit 23 Carcassonne-Ouest, follow Mazamet, then Conques-sur-Orbiel, Lastours and finally Labastide-Esparbairenque.

Distances:

Paris: 820km
Brussels: 1120km
Luxembourg: 950km
Geneva: 575km
Bordeaux: 380km
Lyon: 430km
Lille: 1030km

Marseille: 300km

If you don’t come to the grocery store, the grocery store will come to you!
(Proverb of the Montagne Noire)

If there is no trade in Labastide-Esparbairenque, this does not prevent merchants from coming there.

On Wednesdays, it is the grocer whose truck is well supplied, even with various cheeses!

Thursday is butcher’s day.

And on Fridays, it’s the baker’s turn.

The vans announce their arrival by honking their horns. This is a great opportunity for the villagers to meet, introduce themselves and exchange any interesting news. One of the highlights of Labastide’s social life not to be missed!

The nearest restaurant, Sire de Cabaret, is located in Roquefère, a little further down on the road to Lastours (5 minutes by car; 20 minutes on foot, more by going up after the cassoulet). The local dishes are excellent and large, the wines of Cabardès, Corbières and Minervois are in the spotlight. The service is warm like the people.

Mas-Cabardès is a little further away (10 minutes by car) and its grocery store is open for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.

Between Roquefère and Mas-Cabardès, there is a fabulous trout farm. Recommend to cook the trout fresh in the oven the same day they are caught.

Lastours, a tourist village with four Cathar castles, is a 15-minute drive away. You will find an excellent bakery that offers light meals, a grocery store, a post office and three restaurants:

• Le Puits du Trésor has a Michelin star and its gastronomic menu is worth a detour. Chef Jean-Marc Boyer has been pursuing his culinary research there for more than fifteen years.
• Le Diable au Thym shares its kitchen with Le Puits du Tresor and offers a short but tasty brasserie menu. The terrace along the Orbiel is particularly pleasant on sunny days.
• L’Auberge de l’Orbiel offers simple, local and generous cuisine.

There are several general practitioners in Conques-sur-Orbiel, Villegailhenc and Villemoustassaou (20 minutes, direction Carcassonne).

The nearest pharmacy is also in Conques.

We have a first aid pharmacy in La Muse.

If you have special health or travel needs, please let us know: we will make sure to put everything in place to facilitate your stay.

We provide sheets and bath towels, as well as toilet paper, paper towels and laundry products.

If you come in the summer, don’t forget your swimsuit and beach towel because Lake Pradelles is very refreshing, and there are some nice spots in the river down the path to take a dip.

We have yoga mats and some accessories at your disposal, which you can use on the terrace, in the library, in your room, or in the middle of nature!

Labastide-Esparbaïrenque is a village built on a mountainside and there are few streets that are horizontal: it goes up or down everywhere. It’s the same at La Muse.

The house is very old and all the rooms are located on the first or second floor. Access from the terrace is also by stairs.

It would be difficult for people in wheelchairs, but do not hesitate to contact us to find a tailor-made solution.

Sorry, but no!