In mainland France, you cannot find a coastline more southerly than that of the Côte Vermeille.
In Catalan country, at a time when many regions are experiencing the first frosts of autumn, summer plays out until October.
September and October are also the best months to visit the four pearls of the Côte Vermeille.
The air is mild, the water still lukewarm, the light splendid and above all, the tourist crowds are much more reasonable.
To discover
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Collioure, “tawny” city
A small fishing port specializing in anchovies, the destiny of Collioure changed one day in May 1905. On May 16 precisely, Henri Matisse got off the train to spend the summer in the small Catalan port.
Immediately, the painter is caught up in the beauty of Roussillon.
He, the native of the North, discovers oranges, aubergines, the intoxicating smell of flowers and this very special light which immediately triggers a firework of pure and violent colors.
His canvases caught fire and with his friend André Derain, Henri Matisse founded Fauvism.
In their wake, many artists travel to Collioure: Picasso, Jean Peské to whom we owe the modern art museum, Raoul Dufy, Henri Martin and Survage.
More than a century after the Fauvist revolution,
Collioure still cultivates an artistic identity that gives it international renown.
The city attracts a multitude of painters who come to seek light for some, the money of tourists for others.
Out of season, the cobbled streets and the seafront regain a certain tranquility.
The small pebble beaches which stretch on either side of the bell tower of Collioure, become havens of peace.
Collioure is also known for its anchovies.
Two family businesses perpetuate this tradition: the Desclaux and Roque houses.
stretch on either side of the bell tower of Collioure, becoming havens of peace.
Collioure is also known for its anchovies.
Two family businesses perpetuate this tradition: the Desclaux and Roque houses.
stretch on either side of the bell tower of Collioure, becoming havens of peace.
Collioure is also known for its anchovies.
Two family businesses perpetuate this tradition: the Desclaux and Roque houses.
WHERE TO SLEEP, WHERE TO EAT?
The Templar Knights
Over the decades, the Pous family has hosted painters in their hotel who have offered a multitude of paintings.
Les Templiers is both a bar, a restaurant, a hotel and a real museum, all 50 m away.
from the port and the beach.
Double room from €79.
Hotel Restaurant les Templiers, 12, quai de l'Amirauté, 66190 Collioure.
Such.
: 04 68 98 31 10.
The Balette
With his creative and modern cuisine, between land and sea, chef Laurent Lemal has won a Michelin star.
Located at the water's edge, La Balette also offers a magnificent view over the whole of Collioure.
“Certitude” menu in 8 courses, €90;
“Confidence” menu in 12 courses, €150.
Restaurant La Balette, Route de Port-Vendres, 66190 Collioure.
Such.
: 04 68 82 05 07.
Port-Vendres, the industrious
A typically Catalan small town, Port-Vendres is both a marina, a fishing port and a tourist seaside resort.
OTI Pyrenees-Mediterranee / Laurent Lacombe
Glued to Collioure, nestled at the foot of Cap Béar, Port-Vendres is the large deep-water port of the Côte Vermeille.
The fruit trade, from the Mediterranean basin, and fishing provide most of the activity of this city which has retained its popular charm.
On the quays, tuna boats rub shoulders with pleasure sailboats, yachts and small fishing boats.
The Scottish artist Charles Mackintosh fell in love with this maritime atmosphere.
Between 1925 and 1927, he stayed in Port-Vendres and produced paintings that can be admired while walking along the quays.
When he died in 1933, his ashes were scattered in the waters of Port-Vendrese.
A little further south, passing Cap Béar, you cannot leave Port-Vendres without making a detour via the cove of Paulilles.
Until 1991, there was a dynamite factory here.
The site has been superbly landscaped by the Conservatoire du littoral, with a heavenly beach that can be reached by paths that thread their way through the heart of a botanical garden.
You can also visit a workshop where traditional Catalan boats are restored.
TO DO: RETURN FROM FISHING
Along the quays, several fishermen sell directly, in small oxidized steel huts, seabreams, seabreams, saupes, and other mullets just out of the sea. At the very end of the port, you can also buy your fish at the shouted.
If you want to taste them on site, head to the restaurant La Côte Vermeille, 50 meters away on Quai Fanal.
Banyuls, the wine-growing region
Birthplace of the painter, engraver and sculptor Aristide Maillol, this seaside resort has a pretty marina, an old quarter with colorful houses and a number of activities to discover with the family.
Laurent Lacombe
The scents that escape from the cellars are not deceiving.
Banyuls is indeed the wine capital of the coast.
On the steep slopes of the Albères and down to the sea, the vines are rooted in the schist to produce exceptional wines.
The local specialty is natural sweet wine, but local winegrowers are also dusting off the appellation with original white and red nectars that draw the quintessence of this terroir between sea and mountains.
Several cellars can be visited.
Large and spectacular ones like that of the Templars.
Some of the most discreet, such as the excellent Domaine de la Rectorie.
Also not to be missed is the harvest festival which takes place every year on the second weekend of October.
Wine city, Banyuls also declines a multitude of identities.
The city which saw the birth of the sculptor Aristide Maillol (you can visit his house transformed into a museum) is both a port, a seaside resort which embraces the harmonious shapes of its pebble beach, a mountain village where the dolce vita reigns and even a small university center thanks to its oceanography laboratory and its aquarium.
THE GOOD TABLE
Lantern
The starred chef Pascal Borrell is undeniably the culinary beacon of Banyuls.
At Le Fanal, fish is king and…local.
Every day, the restaurant offers a “market return” menu – or should we rather say “fishing return” – very affordable for a starred establishment (between €28 and €38).
Restaurant Le Fanal, Av. Pierre Fabre, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer.
Such.
: 04 68 98 65 88.
Cerbère, the work of rail
Nestled in a small cove, Cerbère is the last town before the Spanish border.
OTI Pyrenees-Mediterranee / Laurent Lacombe
Of the four pearls of the Côte Vermeille, Cerbère is the one that shines with the most discreet brilliance.
This city which guards the gateway to Spain was born with the commissioning, in 1878, of the railway line linking France to Spain.
Nestled in a narrow cove, Cerbère seems crushed by its huge station, built by sea, which spreads over 30 hectares.
As the gauge of the rails differed between France and Spain, the goods were transferred by hand, from one car to another.
At the height of the golden age of rail, the town had 2,600 inhabitants, including 500 SNCF employees!
Today, rail activity has reduced, but its footprint remains strong, like the beautiful Art Deco houses of former freight forwarders that line up along the rails or the Ribéral.
At the entrance to the town, the Belvedere du Rayon Vert is the real flag of Cerbère.
Perched above the railway line, facing the sea, its liner silhouette, with its stern, its rounded passageways, its stairs reminiscent of a ship's chimney, the building has dominated the city since 1932. It was built to house travelers transiting between France and Spain since it then took between two and three days to obtain a visa.
When it opened, it was the most modern palace in Europe.
Crowned heads frequented it and the establishment hosted a multitude of stars:
WHAT TO SEE: THE TRANSBORDER WAGON
Due to the difference in track gauge, for almost a hundred years, 5,000 people, mostly women, handled 20 million tons of Spanish citrus fruits by hand.
It took five people to transship a wagon: 3 fillers and 2 emptiers.
The baskets they used to transfer the oranges weighed up to 20 kg.
A wagon set up next to Cerbère beach retraces this story.
The "Cerbère ferryboats" are also known for having organized the first all-female strike.