Fodor's Expert Review Hôtel de la Cité

Enjoying the finest location within the walls of the old city, this ivy-covered former Episcopal palace provides a high level of creature comfort, which the ascetic Cathars would most definitely have deprived themselves of. Antique-tile floors, afternoon teas, and the sumptuous La Barbacane restaurant (presided over by Michelin-starred chef Jérome Ryon) help make this the spot for visiting celebrities. Tea is served in the library bar or the rotunda lounge, amid detailed woodwork and leaded windows; formal dinners in La Barbacane, with its double-vaulted ceiling and ogival windows, are quite an event; and, for more casual fare, you can view the charmingly cobbled square as you sip a pastis at the Brasserie Le Donjon. A pool in the garden beckons on hot days.