Discover the beauty of the Pyrénées-Orientales

From the Vermeille coast to the Albera Massif, the Pyrénées-Orientales are full of gorgeous natural sites, centuries of history, and architectural marvels. In Perpignan, once the capital of the Kingdom of Majorca, the royal palace built in the southern Gothic style remains intact. In the center of the old town, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste cathedral, built in the 14th century, is right next to the Saint-Jean-le-Vieux Romanesque church, the oldest religious building in the city. Collioure, the town of painters and jewel of the Vermeille coast, has a unique look because of the royal castle that overlooks the bay. The inland of the Pyrénées-Orientales is full of charming villages that seem suspended out of time like Palau-del-Vidre, known for its artisan glasswork, or Saint-André, an authentic Albera town. Elne, a town of art and culture, once a Medieval diocese and the episcopal seat of the Kingdom of Aragon, still retains the imposing Sainte-Eulalie-et-Sainte-Julie cathedral with marble cloisters and gorgeous fortifications from its prosperous past.

To the north of the Pyrénées-Orientales, the Salses Fortress, built by the Spanish Catholic kings at the foot of the Corbières, is a unique and extraordinarily well-conserved defensive structure from the 15th century. On the Rivesaltes side, a rich land coexists with a dark history. This town is known as much for as vineyards as for its internment camp, today a memorial. Tautavel is another place where wine meets history. It houses the cave of the Tautavel humans and a Museum of Prehistory. The Pyrénées-Orientales are also rich in an extraordinary variety of nature, including many protected sites such the surreal landscapes of the Orgues of Ille-sur-Têt and the paradise that is L’Anse des Paulilles and the Grand Site du Canigou.

Whether in the mountains or by the sea, there is much to do in Catalonia. With the mild climate, you can enjoy outdoor activities, including many water sports and leisure activities. From Argelès-sur-Mer to Saint-Cyprien and Le Barcarès, the seaside resorts of the Pyrénées-Orientales are known for their many leisure activities: kayaking, jet skiing, wakesurfing, parasailing, tubing, sailing, diving and snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, or boat rides. You can enjoy adrenaline or family-friendly activities, intro classes, or activities for everyone. You can observe the richness of the underwater world off the Vermeille coast with fins, a snorkel, and a mask along the Cerbère-Banyuls Reserve underwater trail.

The Pyrénées-Orientales is also a paradise for cyclists. You can bike paths such as the Vélittorale, mountain bike trails in the Alberas, the Véloroute in Pays Pyrénées-Méditerranée, and many others that follow the coast and cross through the mountains inland. Many activities, local festivals, and cultural events take place all year long in the Pyrénées-Orientales. Even more so during the season, you can enjoy local markets, well-known music festivals such as the Déferlantes festival in Argelès, or Catalan folk festivals.