The sections below give you all the information you will need to plan your journey to Le Moulin de Balança.

Both Carcassonne and Toulouse Airports are just over one hour’s drive away.

You can fly to Toulouse airport with Easyjet, BA, Air France, BMIBaby from all major UK airports and Buzz has cheap flights from Stansted to Toulouse.

Click here to view Toulouse airport web site with arrival and departure information updated every 60 seconds.

All the major car rental agencies are present at Toulouse airport, Car Hire Toulouse Airport

Ryan Air has regular flights from Stansted Airport outside of London to Carcassonne, which is about 30 minutes from the eastern end of Ariège. The tiny airport is 4 km from Carcasonne and has few facilities but is a Ryan Air destination. Hertz car hire has a special rate for Ryan Air passengers on the French end.
Car Hire Carcassonne Airport

For the quickest and easiest route take the A66 motorway (toll road), completed in 2002, this has shortened the journey from Toulouse to Pamiers and Foix. From the airport follow signs on the A61 toward Montpellier and Narbonne. The A66 is the first exit after toll (péage), direction Andorre and rejoins the N20 at Pamiers. The toll for the A66 is about 4 euros.

Alternatively, you might wish to take free N20. Take the G140 from the airport or outskirts of the city, follow the signs for TOULOUSE until you see signs for FOIX-TARBES or TARBES-LOURDES. (Because the first Foix-Tarbes sign you see is placed immediately after a turn-off you may think you've just gone past the exit. Ignore the minor surge of panic and carry on.) From centre city, head south toward TOUTES DIRECTIONS until you see signs for FOIX-TARBES. Follow FOIX to go to Pamiers, Foix, Tarascon, Ax via the N20.

Carcassonne to Pamiers takes about 60 mins by car. From the airport at Carcassonne, follow signs for FOIX immediately upon exiting the airport.

If travelling from the North (Toulouse or Carcassonne) head for Pamiers and take the N20 south towards Foix and Andorra. Exit at the first FOIX exit (before the tunnel) towards Foix.

Drive through Foix following direction TARBES or ST.GIRONS across the bridge over the Ariège river. At the top end of the town, you pass through a round-about, keep on direction TARBES (right), after approx. 200m, the road bends right onto a bridge with red railings. Immediately before this bridge turn left towards ST PIERRE DE RIVIERE (straight onto a smaller road – the D17).

Stay on this road, following the signs towards ST PIERRE DE RIVIERE. You will pass through the villages of Mouragues, St. Pierre de Riviere and La Coupiere, before arriving at the hamlet of La Mouline.

Continue until you arrive in front of the “Café de la Mouline” on your right hand side. Just opposite the Café, there is a turn-off to the left, towards BENAC. Turn left here and continue up the hill – the road splits here so keep left. The road bends right quite sharply at the top of the hill with a small turn off to on the right to Cambier – don’t take this, continue on down the hill.

The road bends left over a small bridge about 1km from La Mouline. Immediately before the bridge on the right is the entrance track to Le Moulin de Balança, follow this for 100 m, pass over the small green bridge and here you are!

MAP

Car Hire Bergerac Airport
Car Hire Pau Airport
Car Hire Toulouse Airport
Car Hire Carcassonne Airport
Car Hire Tarbes Airport

There are two rental car agencies, Hertz and Europcar, in the town of Pamiers, which can be reached by train.

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" -- an amazing site that helps you find the best route between any two localities in Europe. It will calculate not only distance (you can choose express or scenic routes) but also toll costs and petrol/gas consumption.

By Ferry
Ferry Port
Sea France