Travel Info & How to find your apartment
It's easy to get to Chez Arran by plane, train or car. The apartments are a 10 second walk maximum from the Ornolac village square (just past la mairie) and this is where you park.
Flights
Chez Arran can be reached in about 1hr 15mins from either Carcassonne or Toulouse airport. From Perpignan or Beziers it will take about one hour more, and if you don't mind driving further then Girona and Montpelier can provide even more flight options.
Via Carcassonne
Carcassonne Airport is a small but friendly and convenient facility with some very useful flights at good prices and all the major car hire options.
Ryanair flies from:
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Car hire can be arranged through many companies. We've had very good service from Hertz. Driving directionsFrom Carcassonne airport, turn right out of the car park and follow signs for Mirepoix. Just before Mirepoix, start following signs to Foix, which leads after a while onto a main dual-carriageway. As you near Foix stay on the main road, following signs for Andorre. About 15km after the Foix bypass tunnel the dual-carriageway ends at a large roundabout on the edge of Tarascon-sur-Ariège. Follow directions from Tarascon roundabout below. This route is mainly non-motorway and there are no péage tolls to pay. |
Via Toulouse
Toulouse Airport is a major airport serviced by many airlines from a wide variety of UK and other destinations.
Easyjet flies from:
Jet2 flies from:
Flybe flies from:
Other carriers flying to Toulouse from a range of UK airports include British Airways, Air France and KLM. TUI Airways usually also flies to Toulouse from Manchester and LGW airports |
Car hire can be arranged through many companies. Driving directionsFrom Toulouse airport follow signs first for Montpelier, then for Foix. There will be signs to Foix both by the motorway ('péage') or by the non-toll roads (Route Nationale, or R.N.). As you would expect the motorway (which at the time of writing costs approximately 5€ in each direction) is easier and quicker, usually by about 30 minutes. As you near Foix stay on the main road, following signs for Andorre. About 15km after the Foix bypass tunnel the dual-carriageway ends at a large roundabout on the edge of Tarascon-sur-Ariège. Follow directions from Tarascon roundabout below. Train directionsInstead of hiring a car you can get from Toulouse airport to chez Arran by train. The station Toulouse Matabiau is directly served by the Airport - Town Centre buses, which usually leave every 20 minutes. Click here to find train times and prices between Toulouse and our local station at Ussat-les-Bains. The train journey takes 2-3 hours depending on the time of day, there's a change at Pamiers, and it currently costs €15 for a single. From Ussat-les-Bains station it's only 10-15 minutes on foot but if you let us know in advance we'll come and collect you. With enough advance notice we may also be able to pick people up from Toulouse or Carcassone airports; contact us for availability and prices if you're thinking of doing this. |
Ryan Air NEW! Ryan air now offers flights from London Stanstead and Edinbourgh to Toulouse.
Perpignan
Flybe flies from:
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Ryanair flies from:
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Driving directionsFrom Perpignan airport follow signs to Foix, which will take you through Mirepoix. Shortly before Foix, start following signs to Andorre. After about 10km of mainly dual carriageway you will arrive at a large roundabout on the edge of Tarascon-sur-Ariège. Follow directions from Tarascon roundabout below. |
Beziers
is served by Ryanair. From Beziers you will need to take the autoroute past Carcassonne, then take the Mirepoix exit and follow the directions from Carcassonne as given above.
Further afield there may be good deals with Easyjet from Montpelier or with Ryanair from Girona (Barcelona), although you would be left with a drive of 3-hours or more. Note also that, while it's often cheaper to hire a car in Spain, there could be a daily insurance surcharge if you're driving in France.
Flying from other cities in Europe
Apart from the above airlines check out http://www.volotea.com and https://www.vueling.com/en
Driving From Tarascon RoundaboutContinue following signs to Andorre on the N20 main road. Keep on the main road, passing the Grotte de Lombrives at about 3-4km. Shortly after this look for a sign to Ornolac and to Ariège Evasion camping on the left. Take this turning, crossing the railway and river on a narrow iron bridge. After 100m there is a t-junction. Go right past the Thermal baths of Ussat les Bains. After 800m, instead of turning into Ariège Evasion on your right, follow the road leftwards, climbing steeply past two bends into Place Barry d'en Bas (un-labelled) - park here. You will see a house with 1897 on to confirm your location. Immediately past the square, behind the 1897 house, on the left, is the tiny street/driveway of Quartier de Bacquié. If you walk into this you will see the chez Arran sign on the right of the row of buildings immediately in front of you. |
How to find your apartment
How to find us - reception
We will inform you by email whether we are there to greet you and how to get the key to your apartment. Assuming we are there or a representative is there to greet you you can find us by proceeding around the right hand side of the house and going past the ping pong table. We are in the building with cream rendering "enduit de lissage blanc caisse". Please knock on the door or call us and we will come and greet you.
Find your apartment
Apartments Cheval and le Chat
To find apartments le Chat and Cheval walk across our parking space and through the lilac wooden garage doors. Proceed up the wooden stairs to the top and you will see Cheval in front of you and le chat on the right.
Apartment Lezard & Maison la Montagne
Walk past our parking space on the right hand side of it and you will see apartment Lezard on your left with a metal lezard on the door, red and gold. Maison la Montagne is just on the right hand side, double French windows and looks like it's the main house. There is a number 5 on the wall.
Apartment Sommet
Walk past Maison la montagne along the small track and you see a ping pong table on your right. There is a wooden door on your left and Sommet is at the top of white stone stairs. You see a mauve door in front of you. This is Sommet.
Our garden
This is on your right past the ping pong table. You will find tourist information in a brown cupboard on the right hand side of the ping pong.
Trains
The most environmentally friendly way of travelling from the UK to Southern France is by train, although the costs could be higher. There are good deals to be found and the earlier you book, the lower the cost of your trip. Check out Seat61 for lots of useful information and RailEurope for online booking in English.
Although options will vary, a possible itinerary may be:
Outward
- London Waterloo (International) to Paris (Gare du Nord)
- Metro to Paris Gare d'Austerlitz (by cab, or take line 5 dir. Place d'Italie)
- Overnight sleeper to Ax Les Thermes, which may stop in Tarascon-sur-Ariège. Let us know in advance and we'll probably be able to collect you from here.
Return
- Tarascon-sur-Ariège to Toulouse Matabiou
- Overnight sleeper from Toulouse Matabiou to Paris Gare d'Austerlitz
- Metro to Paris Gare du Nord (Line 5)
- Train from Paris to London Waterloo (International)
By Car
Depending on the number of passengers and the deals available on ferry crossings, driving can be a cost-effective way to get to chez Arran, especially since long sections of the autoroutes between Paris and Toulouse are toll-free. Many SatNavs will direct you close to Paris, which can be very congested during working days. A less stressful and possibly quicker alternative is to start on the A16 and go via Rouen and Dreux. The drive directly from Calais is likely to take 9-12 hours, but this would mean you'd miss the opportunity to explore another part of France en route. We also have many visitors from Spain. especially in the summer, and you can reach us by driving to Bourg Madame and then towards La Tour de Carol or reach us via pas de la Cas and Andorra.