How to get here
Ariège is easily accessible by air (Toulouse international airport is a 1-2 hour drive from St. Girons and Foix, depending on the route taken), car and train. However, unless you're planning to backpack or cycle the whole time, a car is essential for exploring the region as public transport within the département is minimal. All the major car rental agencies are present at Toulouse airport. There are two rental car agencies, Herz and Europcar, in the town of Pamiers, which can be reached by train.
For detailed directions, formatted for printing, to St. Girons and Foix from Toulouse, click here.
From the airport at Carcassonne, follow signs for Foix immediately upon exiting the airport.
To see a more detailed map of Ariège, click here.
Useful sites
Toulouse airport web site with arrival and departure information updated every 60 seconds.
SNCF (French national railway--has an English version) To find train schedules to and from towns in Ariège (St Girons, Pamiers, Foix, Tarascon, Ax, etc) click through to "Regions" and then "Midi-Pyrénées". Type in the names of the towns in the departure and arrival fields and the approximate time you wish to leave and it will bring up the schedule of trains around that time. It will also show bus schedules from Toulouse to points in Ariège. The bus station is next to the train station in Toulouse and there is a shuttle--"navette"--to them from the airport.
"The Right Itinerary"-- helps you find the best route between any two localities in Europe. Will calculate not only distance (you can choose express or scenic routes) but also toll costs and pertrol/gas consumption.
Ryan Air has regular flights from Stansted Airport outside of London to Carcasonne, which is about 30 minutes from the eastern end of Ariège. The tiny airport is 4 km from Carcasonne and has few facilities but the fares are much lower than on the London-Toulouse route. Hertz car hire has a special rate for Ryan Air passengers on the French end.
EasyJet has flights from London Gatwick and from Paris Orly to Toulouse
Car hire from Toulouse, Carcassonne and `Perpignan airports
For crossing the Channel:
Brittany Ferries - . They also offer package holidays to France and other European countries