This was a very charming hotel and you very much knew you were in an old castle when you saw your room. I have just a few criticisms and they start with when you arrive (we stayed during August). We felt that we should have been shown to our room, as it was a complicated route and were instead, given... more

One of those things you've just got to do once. Well worth paying for a turret room - straight out of the history books. The parkland by the river was lovely, and the food was excellent. more

My husband and I were married at Chateau des Ducs de Joyeuse in June 2009 with 80 family and friends present. We couldn't have chosen a better venue in every respect: the castle provided the fairytale backdrop, the amenities were exceptional and the staff very friendly and helpful. From the time we first visited the castle (approximately a year before... more

We stayed at this Chateau in mid-July '09, towards the end of our three-week trip to France. While quite nice, we do not feel that the 165 Euro rate was justified, given the very small room we were assigned. We may have been a bit spoiled by our stay in another Chateau near Carcassonne the night before, where we had... more

A perfectly formed and restored castle, tastefully decorated rooms and enough space between everything. An excellent base for touring the countryside but not cheap. When we arrived we were told the restaurant was not operating that night but they had booked us in a restaurant nearby. (They had sent us an e-mail to warn us but since we were on... more

We stayed there for four nights in August 2008. It's in a strange location within the town - you arrive and park next to what seems like an indistrial warehouse - but don't let that put you off. When you get inside it's classic mediaeval castle, with very worn stone staircases - not much good for wheelchairs or gammy legs.... more

I recently spent two weeks driving in SW France and Northern Spain and came to stay at the Chateau des Ducs de Joyeuse in Couiza. I was contemplating between staying at this establishment versus the Hotel de la Cite in Carcassonne, but since this hotel costs about 1/3 of the price of that in Carcassonne, I thought I would give... more

We stayed in the mediaeval suite for a 3 day exploration of the Chateaus and other historic sites in the area. It was wonderful apart from being woken by the syren at a nearby factory at 7 one morning. Although the chateu is well situated for exploring the area, the immediate surroundings are a sports ground and a factory on... more

My husband and I spent three nights at the Chateau des Ducs de Joyeuse in September 2007. Finding the hotel was easy (maps for auto-route and the hotel's web site gave local directions.) The town of Couiza is very, very small, but well located for site seeing. You can very easily get onto the routes needed to journey to many... more