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    Collioure (Pyrénées-Orientales) Le château de Collioure (Pyrénées-Orientales) Collioure (Pyrénées-Orientales) Criques de la côte vermeille - Banyuls (Pyrénées-Orientales) Port-Vendres (Pyrénées-Orientales) Kayak de mer - Banyuls (Pyrénées-Orientales) Réserve marine de Cerbère-Banyuls (Pyrénées-Orientales)

    The Côte Vermeille

    From Cerbère to Collioure

    Collioure, Banyuls, Port-Vendres …: follow the winding road to the sea and choose your home port. In just a few kilometres, La Côte Vermeille will intoxicate you with its treasures: coves and caves, steep vineyards and authentic  villages.

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      Magnificent! This is where the ochre-red rocks of the Massif d’Albera, the eastern extremity of the Pyrenees, tumble into the blue waters of the Mediterranean. The CôteVermeille, bathed in an extraordinary light, stretches for 30 km from Cerbère (on the Spanish border) to the beach of Racou (in Argelès-sur-Mer). Between these two points, Banyuls, Port-Vendres and Collioure invite you to savour their timeless charm.


      A savage beauty

       

      This is a wild coastline, intimate and protected. It is a veritable paradise for keen hikers and scuba divers. The coastal pathway, the natural marine park of Banyuls and Anse de Paulilles [the Cove of Paulilles] are among the many preserved wonders of the Côte Vermeille.


      Winding roads will lead you to sheltered bays with pebble beaches. In Banyuls and Collioure, for example, you will also find sandy beaches . Nestling against the mountains are villages and fishing ports, which share this unique coastal road with the vineyards clinging to the hillsides. You are in the realm of the wines of Banyuls (AOP) and Collioure (AOP).


      Perched aloft, on hills furrowed by a network of narrow, climbing roads, are lookout towers (including the Tour de Madeloc) and the ruins of military fortifications offering breathtaking panoramic views over this splendid stretch of coast, which is also easily accessed by train.

      Visit the fish market

      • The ports of the Côte Vermeille specialise in fishing for oily fish: sardines, tuna, anchovies, and mackerel.
        Up to the beginning of the 1950s, fishermen went to sea in typical Catalan fishing boats, painted in bright colours but easy to handle and robust in bad weather. Today, the Catalan tradition of pêche au lamparo, fishing at night with a lamp to attract the fish, persists.
        While in Port-Vendres, treat yourself to some Collioure anchovies (IGP), typical delicacy of the Catalan region and a delicious treat to take back to the beach.

      • Things to do :Discover the port of Port-Vendres.

      Take a look at the map of beaches in Occitania/Pyrenees-Mediterranean

       

       

      • Côte Vermeille: small sandy or shingle beaches, rock formations and moderate waves, a narrow, sloping continental shelf with depths of 60 m at least 2 km from the shoreline

      You’ll be inspired by Collioure

      • An unmissable destination and the cradle of “fauvism”! You’ll adore the port of Collioure with its Catalan boats, coves and vineyards, shingle and sandy beaches.

        Once the summer residence of the kings of Majorca in the 12th century before passing into the hands of the kings of France, the village is dominated by the Fort of Saint-Elme (built by Charles V), and it is steeped in history. However, it remains inextricably linked with the artists who loved it and came here to paint. Matisse, Derain, Vlaminck, Braque, Picasso, dazzled by the special light of Collioure, all found their source of inspiration here. Blue skies, green shutters and houses of salmon pink: you will also be seduced by its charm!

      • Things to do :Follow the “chemin de fauvism” in Collioure
       
      Project co-financed by the European Union. Europe is partnering Midi-Pyrénées with the European Regional Development Fund.