Camping Municipal La Giraille

The La Giraille municipal campsite is in Castelnaudary, in the Aude, on Chemin des Fontanilles, right next to the Canal du Midi and the sports complex of the same name. The town, between Toulouse and Carcassonne, is known for its cassoulet and for the Grand Bassin, the canal’s marina; the collegiate church in the historic centre is about 500 m from the neighbouring parking area.

Rated 2 stars, the site offers 36 pitches: 24 bare pitches, 8 motorhome pitches and 4 mobile homes. All pitches can be connected to electricity. The town has entrusted the reception of motorhomes, vans and tents to Camping-Car Park, a fully automated system accessible day and night, while the management of the mobile homes remains municipal.

For the off-season, the rule is clear: self-contained motorhomes are welcome all year round, while tents, vans and caravans are only accepted from 1 June to 30 September. The four mobile homes are run year-round by the town, with a published winter rate (€71.40 a night, €306 a week). The washrooms, however, only operate from June to September: from autumn to spring, you therefore stay self-sufficient or in a mobile home.

The place suits stopovers on the route through the South-West, motorhomers passing through and more relaxed stays to discover the canal and the Lauragais.

Skatepark and multisport areas freely accessible all year round; covered pool at the aquatic centre from mid-September to mid-June; walks along the Canal du Midi.

The comfort remains that of a simple, functional municipal campsite. A washroom block accessible to wheelchair users offers hot showers in individual cubicles for men and women, as well as toilets; separate sinks are provided for washing dishes and hand-washing clothes. Toilet paper is no longer supplied. These washrooms are open from 1 June to 30 September, which means that in winter motorhomers must arrive self-sufficient.

A service point for motorhomes and caravans, run by Camping-Car Park, allows filling up with water and emptying waste. Reception provides tourist leaflets about the region. No restaurant, grocery or bar is listed on site: shops are in the town of Castelnaudary.

Pets are admitted at no extra charge, on a lead, with a vaccination record required. Open fires on the ground and wood or charcoal barbecues are forbidden; only gas stoves are tolerated, on a raised surface, with a maximum of two 3 kg bottles per pitch.

The campsite has no swimming pool. The town runs the Pierre de Coubertin aquatic centre on Avenue du Maréchal Leclerc: a covered 25 m by 10 m pool, heated to about 28°C, operates from mid-September to mid-June, while the 50 m Olympic pool and the paddling pool are reserved for summer. Opening hours and prices are available from the pool.

The campsite is well placed for free outdoor activities. At the foot of the La Giraille stadium, beside the canal, the eight-module skatepark welcomes skateboarders, scooter riders, rollerbladers and BMX riders all year round. Right next to it, the beach volleyball courts are among the first set up away from the coast in the department, and a 12 m by 24 m artificial-turf multisport area allows tennis, volleyball, basketball, handball or football.

The Canal du Midi, a World Heritage site, can be explored on foot or by bike along its banks; the Grand Bassin, 2.5 km away, is the classic spot to watch the boats and enjoy the terraces. You can then visit the old town, its collegiate church and its lanes, before tasting cassoulet, the speciality that earned Castelnaudary its nickname of world capital of cassoulet.

Off-season, the municipal aquatic centre opens its covered pool from mid-September to mid-June, except during the short school holidays. The La Giraille sports complex, with its gyms, covered tennis courts and covered boules hall, is used mainly by the town’s clubs, while the shops in the centre remain accessible in every season. Conditions of access to the facilities should be requested directly from the town hall.