villages
Orlu
a very small settlement to the left from the road from Ax les Thermes to Andorra with a very good peaceful camp site and great walks and mountain scenery.
cities, towns and villages
The regional capital is the medieval town of Foix, whose 10th century, 3 turreted castle sits atop of a rocky outcrop and lords over the town. This is the ancestral home of the Counts of Foix who at one time controlled the fortress of Carcassonne, as well as sharing responsibility, with the Bishop of Urgel in Spain, for the running of Andorra for 7 centuries, until 1993 when it was established as an independent democratic parliamentary co-principality. The castle was once a prison but today is a museum of prehistoric and medieval archaeology. It is open from W - Sun from October to April, but closes over lunch. The streets of Foix are very pleasant to wander around- lots of cafe's and small shops. Market day is on a Friday and apart from it being difficult to find a parking space, is well worth going to for delicious cheese, saucisson, fresh veg and bread.
Another town worth visiting for the Saturday market is St Girons, as there are many craft stalls, and homemade wares for sale.
The spa resort of Ax les Thermes is about 40 mins drive from Foix, towards the Andorran border. It is a good base for walkers and cyclists alike, plus gives telecabine access to the ski town of Ax Bonascre and its ski slopes le 3 domaines. Ax still has thermal waters flowing through the town, and the spa centre is currently under renovation. You can however dip your feet for free in the open air Basin des Landres which is a very pleasant way to spend half an hour or so.
get in and out
Toulouse airport Blagnac is the main site for travel in and out of Ariege. Foix is only an hour's drive from Toulouse and the fact that Easy Jet and British Airways both run flights in and out, mean that there is a lot of choice of destination to come from in the UK. Carcassonne airport Salvaza is also only about an hour and a half from foix and is used by Ryan Air who also offer budget flights.