A mother has described a trip to France as the perfect getaway for families with children during half term breaks.

Writing for the Daily Mail, Rosa Monckton said that the medieval town of Carcassonne in the French region of Languedoc-Roussillon is ideal for children and "complete with battlements, towers and cobbled streets".

The fortress in the town is a designated Unesco World Heritage Site, which may interest those with a property in France who enjoy holidays involving visits to historical monuments or cultural spots.

"The citadel is the ideal size for children to explore: you can walk around the ramparts comfortably in an hour. There are winding steps, towers to dance in and endless scope for living out fairytale fantasies," Ms Monckton enthused.

According to the city’s tourism website, there are a "wealth of monuments" in Carcassonne and the area also boasts good wine and food.

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