Pyrenees Guide

They say that in the Tech Valley (or Vallespir), it’s the blood of Catalonia which boils. The people of this region also have deep origins. The Sardane dance (dancers link hands and dance in a circle) seems to be more alive here than anywhere else. At Ceret, Picasso painted and drew this friendship dance. The Modern Art Museum at Ceret highlights several of his works as well as some of the most ambitious creators of the beginning of the 20th century. Tradition and daring are also present in the arena at Ceret where thousands of bullfighting aficionados celebrate this ancestral tradition. From le Boulou to Amelie-les-Bains there are natural hot water springs that surge from underground. The frontier with Spain is very close to this valley, although non existent in the minds of the locals, it is physically present with gentle mountains and sometimes steep slopes where oak, beech and chestnut trees thrive, and lower down, olive, cherry, mimosa and apple trees. This diversity of vegetation will entice and satisfy even the most curious visitor.

The Alberes are a natural frontier between France and Spain, these foothills of the Pyrenees are dominated by the Pic du Neoulous (1.260m) and the signal towers of the Massane, the Madeloc as well as the ruins of the Carroig tower situated further south. For centuries the Alberes were of strategic importance, especially the Perthus pass. Thus after the Celts, the Iberians and Hannibal's crossing, they were occupied by the Romans, followed by the Barbarians and the Moors. 

Amelie les Bains - Amelie les Bains is located in the middle of Vallespir, between Ceret and Arles Sur Tech. It is a very recommendable place for taking a cure (balneotherapie, drainage lymphatique or other treatments). Amelie les Bains is a small Pyrenees village founded by the Romans as Palada, and latter named ...

Arles sur Tech - Arles sur Tech, Pyrenees ...

Palalda - This old medieval town is nowadays connected to the resort called Amelie-les-Bains. This village typically Catalan will enchant you with its atmosphere so peculiar. You will be delighted with the small very flowery alleys, the houses covered with Virginia creeper, its old stony towers vestige of ...

Ceret - Ceret is a town and commune of the Pyrenees Orientales departement. It is the capital of Vallespir comarca. The town lies in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, in southwestern France. It is most famous for its Museum of Modern Art which has numerous Picasso paintings and sculptures as well as ...

Prats de Mollo - Prats de Mollo is exactly the sort of medieval town that history lessons taught us about in school. High walls enclosing the town, a series of fortified gates and crucially a river is channeled to run securely through the middle. The town itself sits on a steep bank of the river Tech and the ...

Maureillas las Illas - Very near the Spanish frontier, two hamlets have merged with Maureillas las Illas and Riunogues. Well known by hikers who follow the GR10. The corck trees to be found here are the basis of a craft then a flourishing industry which is typically Catalan. Visit the Cork museum which shows the use of ...

Le Perthus - Le Perthus is a village on the border between France and Spain, situated about 30km from Perpignan via Le Boulou. This village which is half-French half-Spanish has a Spanish commercial quarter which is ideal for enjoyable shopping days. The 80 shops are open drom 9am to 8pm, even on ...

Saint Laurent de Cerdans - Saint Laurent de Cerdans is a small Pyrenees village surrounded by chestnut trees. It bears witness to the old traditions of the Catalan forges, timber trade, textile industry and the espadrille. Try the 18 hole golf course at the Falgos domain and visit the Romanesque church of ...

The Alberes - The Alberes are a natural frontier between France and Spain, these foothills of the Pyrenees are dominated by the Pic du Neoulous (1.260m) and the signal towers of the Massane, the Madeloc as well as the ruins of the Carroig tower situated further south. For centuries the Alberes were of ...

Pic du Neoulous & Col de l'Ouillant - The Pic du Neoulous, 1.260m high, offers an impressive view of the Mediterranean Sea, the Roussillon plain and the Pyrenees. It can be reached by different itineraries, from Laroque des Alberes, or from Le Perthus. The Col de l'Ouillant is well known by hikers and walkers alike. It is one of the ...

Boule d'Amont - The main attraction of Boule d'Amont is the 11th century Serrabone priority and its Romanesque sculptures and ornaments. The church has also a richly decorated marble gallery with sculpted ...

Coustouges - Undeniable masterpiece of Romanesque art, Coustouges is right on the Spanish border. A bell tower for kings: Initially the church of Coustouges was fortified with roof ramparts. There remain today on the strong solid walls the arrow slits and openings of its feudal past. On the south façade ...

Haut Vallespir - Arriving in the Haut-Vallespir is welcoming but synonymous with coming to the end of the world . Before the road ended at Coustouges ; an unsightly barrier stopped the traveller in his tracks, right in the middle of the pastures of Col d'Ares. And beyond, Spain. But the fraternity between the two ...

Vallespir Region - They say that in the Vallespir, it’s the blood of Catalonia which boils. The people of this region also have deep origins. The Sardane dance (dancers link hands and dance in a circle) seems to be more alive here than anywhere else. At Ceret, Picasso painted and drew this friendship dance. The ...

Serralongue - Serralongue is located in the middle of Vallespir, side the Mountain Negro (1450m high), seven kilometres away from the national road when leaving of Arles-sur-Tech and going to Prats-de-Mollo. This beautiful small Pyrenees medieval village with its coloured houses is a real haven of peace and ...

Corsavy - Corsavy is located in the gorges de la Fou seven kilometres away from the West of Arles-sur-Tech. The departmental road D43, charming mountain road, will lead you to this picturesque small village nicknamed "the balcony of the Canigou". You will find over there the atmosphere of ...

Le Boulou - Health and tourist resort at the foot of the massif des Alberes, Le Boulou is only 18 km from the Mediterranean Sea. The sandy beaches of Argeles and Saint-Cyprien , Collioure the town of the painters and the rocky coast tighten you arms. The advantage of the Le Boulou it is to find, after the ...

Saint Genis des Fontaines - Between sea and mountains, Saint Genis des Fontaines, 2066 inhabitants, is situated in a dozen kilometres of the beaches of the Ruby coast and at feet of Alberes. In 17 km from Spain, this region benefits from an exceptional climate. The village is famous for its church Romanic Saint round loafl. ...

Sorede - Sorede is located in a green and peaceful Pyrenees area, near the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea, at feet of the Alberes. Sorede offers you the peace, the pleasant holidays and the healthy leisure activities. The best reception is reserved for you by the hotelkeepers, pensions and the ...

Saint Andre Abbey - There are places where civilisations are born and Saint Andre is one of these. Charlemagne, if not his son the emperor Louis le Pieux were the protectors of the abbey. Later, it would be the lords of the Roussillon region and the Kings of Aragon who were benefactors of this masterpiece of ...

Laroque des Alberes - Laroque des Alberes is an old medieval town, its fortified gothic church houses a listed retable. Visit the Museum of popular ...