Banyuls and Area

Whatever you want from your holiday, Banyuls has plenty to offer! Rest and replenishment on the beach; water sports; artists' trails; exploring historic sites, picturesque villages, & interesting towns; coastal and mountain walks, good food & wine; sunshine and beautiful natural surroundings....

Banyuls-sur-mer and the surrounding area is a walker’s paradise with a wide choice of coastal, inland and mountain walking and stunning scenery.
The town beach, and the Plages des Elmes are the main beaches for pleasant swimming and sun-bathing, and there are a number of smaller beaches, bays and creeks around the local coast, including one just 10 minutes walk from the apartment. The rocky coastline around Banyuls provides excellent diving and snorkelling, and other water sports are also available.
There is an established thalassotherapy institute in Banyuls, just next door to the Résidence Castel Béar. Their facilities, indoor and outdoor sea-water pools, saunas, spas, tennis courts, can be very conveniently accessed, and a variety of mainly water based and massage treatments are available, making a pampering break a treat at any time of year except during their annual closure in January. www.thalacap.fr) More information about Banyuls and area is available on the town’s website: www.banyuls-sur-mer.com

Banyuls is also very well situated to explore surrounding places of interest. Port-Vendres, a lively fishing village and port, and the picturesque and busier Collioure, famous for its anchovies and its history as home for a while to the artists such as Matisse, Derain and others at the start of the ‘Fauvist’ movement, are just 8-10 kilometres up the coast. The coastline further North still, flattens out to produce the long expanses of sandy beaches at the resorts of Argelès, St. Cyprien, & Canet-Plage. Inland there are the ‘arrières pays’ and valleys of the Tech and Tet and their interesting villages and towns, and the High Pyrenees, with their dramatic landscapes and Winter ski slopes accessible at all times of year.
Spain is also just minutes away, with the border approximately 10 kilometres along the coast to the South. Barcelona is an easy day-trip by car, or by the good and cheap rail links. Nearer the border, for those interested in art there is the excellent Dali museum in Figuèras, and down the coast, in the picturesque port of Cadaques, the house/museum where Salvador Dali lived and worked for a significant period of his life.


The Pyrenées Orientales

This southern part of Languedoc-Roussillon has many current ties to its Spanish and Catalan heritage. King Ferdinand of Aragon built the giant Fort de Salses that once guarded the border between Languedoc and Spain. Today it provides exceptional views of the coast and low lying lagoons. Corbieres is inland and supports a major part of the region’s wine production. It is also a stepping stone to exploring more Cathar castles.

Perpignan is the capital of Roussillon and is very much still Catalan. Perpignan has a vibrant Arab section and a bright, colourful seafront. Like you would see throughout Catalonia in Spain, the classic Catalan dance, the Sardana, is danced in Perpignan and many other towns in Roussillon. The Loge de Mer is a popular tourist attraction and meeting point in Perpignan.

Inland is the Cerdagne. The area is a high plateau still shared by the French and Spanish. It is popular for winter sports and trekkers in the warmer months. One of the most fun ways to reach it is via the Little Yellow Train that runs through the hills and mountains. The little yellow train also goes to Font Romeu, a Pyrenean village and base for the nearest ski resort to Banyuls. It's about a 2 hour drive away from Banyuls, and it's said that in Spring, it's sometimes quite possible to be skiing in the snow in the morning, and swimming in the Med. in warm sunshine the same afternoon!
Villefranche de Conflent sits at a narrow point of the Tet valley. This medieval fortress is amazing to visit. St Martin du Canigou is a 10th Century abbey that takes some effort to reach, but is extraordinary to behold.

Ceret is a distinctly Spanish town that is laden in pink blossoms in spring. One of Ceret’s claims to fame is the cherries farmed here. Ceret was also heavily visited by famous artists over the decades, and its Museum of Modern Art has amassed quite a collection.


Further Afield - Central Languedoc-Roussillon

Parc Regional du Haut Languedoc is France’s second biggest natural park. Its main entrance is St Pons de Thomieres. From there visitors can explore vast forests, river gorges and a quiet land where wildlife runs free and things are much unchanged. Sete is a colourful fishing village with excellent fresh seafood, including snails right off the boats. Penzenas is a stunning town retaining a very small village charm.

Beziers will forever be remembered as the site of one of history’s greatest massacres. Thankfully Beziers is also known today for bullfighting, wine tasting and rugby. Located on the coast, Beziers and its commanding St Nazaire cathedral rise majestically from the water. From Beziers, travel south to Narbonne, the gateway to Cathar country.

Carcassonne is central to Cathar history. It is also a perfectly restored city that is unparalleled anywhere in Europe. The sight of this astounding structure will stay with you forever. Keep in mind that Carcassonne is one of the most visited places in France, with its highest tourist numbers in the summer.


Languedoc-Roussillon Wine

The Languedoc-Roussillon region is the most productive wine region in France, and some will argue, in the world. If you were to look at a map of the region with its vineyards highlighted, you would soon see that so much of the farmable land is dedicated to vines. Today Chardonnay is the most prevalent white grape in a region known for its palatable reds. Sweet, sticky Muscat is also widely grown here.

Everyday wines are the name of the game in Languedoc-Roussillon where you will rarely go wrong by ordering the Vin de Pays. You may not find the richness of Bordeaux, or the complexity of Cote du Rhone, but you will find good dry whites and smooth reds. Be on the look out for red wines from Corbieres that tend to be full and fruity. Minervois wines date from Roman times. The reds are tannic and the whites are dry and crisp. Saint Chinian vines have been around since the 9th Century. They are tannic and full bodied reds that are making waves in discerning wine circles.