When to go to the Côte Vermeille and Collioure?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with real weather records
Best time: May to June and September to October
At a glance
Why go to the Côte Vermeille and Collioure?
The Côte Vermeille is the only stretch of the French Mediterranean where the mountains run straight into the sea: the Albères, the last link in the Pyrenees chain, plunge into the water in coves of dark schist, and terraced vineyards tumble down to the rocks. This landscape gave birth to Fauvism in Collioure, it produces the sweet wines of Banyuls and the anchovies that carry the village's name, and it shelters France's first marine reserve.
Everything fits into 30 km, with four characterful villages and the Spanish border at the end. It suits couples and friends who want a Mediterranean of pebbles and vines rather than sand and car parks, walkers and snorkellers, art lovers following in the footsteps of Matisse, Derain, Maillol and Machado, and families with children old enough to swim with a snorkel.
You have to accept pebble beaches, Collioure's streets packed solid in August, a tramontane wind that can blow for three days running, and a car that is of little use while the trains are welcome: the Perpignan-Cerbère line serves all four villages. May, June and September are the real season.
Map of the Côte Vermeille and Collioure: what is where?
The map shows the 6 places covered in this guide, to picture the distances and plan your route.
- Collioure
- Port-Vendres
- Anse de Paulilles
- Banyuls-sur-Mer
- Cerbère
- Cap Béar
How much does a trip to the Côte Vermeille and Collioure cost?
| Style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | €55-85/day | €55 to €85 a day with camping or a simple hotel, TER trains and the coastal path, snorkelling and free wine cellars, markets and picnics. |
| Comfort | €120-180/day | €120 to €180 a day with a boutique hotel, a fish restaurant in the evening, the royal castle, the Maillol museum, the Biodiversarium and a boat trip. |
| Premium | €280+/day | €280 and up with a seafront hotel, a gourmet restaurant, a guided dive in the marine reserve and a private visit to a wine estate with lunch among the vines. |
Is the Côte Vermeille and Collioure safe?
The coast is safe; the precautions concern the sea and the wind. The beaches are pebbly, with steep drop-offs and water colder than at Argelès: keep an eye on children, choose the lifeguarded beaches of Collioure, Banyuls and Paulilles in summer, and respect the flags when the tramontane blows, as it pushes swimmers and paddleboards out to sea. On the coastal path, wear closed shoes and bring water and a hat, and take care on the exposed corniche sections in strong wind. In the marine reserve, fishing and collecting are banned and anchoring is regulated. By car, the D914 is narrow and busy with cyclists; illegal parking is fined. Scrubland fires are a risk in summer, so no fires and no cigarette ends in the vineyards.
What to see and do in the Côte Vermeille and Collioure
- Royal Castle of Collioure
- Collioure bell tower and the Fauvism trail
- Coastal path from Collioure to Port-Vendres
- Anse de Paulilles
- Peyrefite underwater trail
- Banyuls vineyards and the Cellier des Templiers
- Maillol Museum in Banyuls
- Tour Madeloc
Collioure
The flagship village of the coast, voted France's favourite village in 2024, curls around its harbour, its royal castle and its pink bell tower standing in the water, one of the most painted motifs in art history since Matisse and Derain spent the summer of 1905 here. The ochre and blue lanes of the Mouré quarter, the painters' studios, the anchovy shops and the terraces of the Boulevard du Boramar make up the scene, with Fort Saint-Elme and the vineyards above. The Museum of Modern Art is closed for renovation until 2028, but the Fauvism trail is free to follow. July and August are saturated; May and September are mild.
Port-Vendres
The coast's only real commercial and fishing port, laid out by Vauban and later by Louis XVI, whose pink marble obelisk still towers over the quay. Trawlers land their catch at the fish auction in the evening, and the quayside restaurants serve it without fuss. Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the Scottish architect, painted his last watercolours here in the 1920s, and a trail recalls them. From the harbour, the path climbs to Cap Béar, its 1905 lighthouse and its gun batteries, then drops down to the Anse de Paulilles. Less touristy than Collioure, and more authentic in the morning.
Anse de Paulilles
From 1870 to 1984 this bay between Cap Béar and Banyuls was the site of the Nobel dynamite factory, which produced the explosives for the Panama Canal. Restored between 2006 and 2008 by the Conservatoire du Littoral and the département, it now offers three pebble beaches without a single building, a pine wood, a Mediterranean garden and a visitor centre on its industrial history. You can visit the workshop where Catalan boats are restored, and the water is the clearest on the coast. Entry and guided tours are free, but the car park fills up in summer: come early, or on foot along the coastal path.
Banyuls-sur-Mer
Capital of vin doux naturel and birthplace of Aristide Maillol, Banyuls spreads its pastel façades along a pebbly bay closed off by the Île Grosse, where the war memorial sculpted by Maillol stands. The wine cellars, including the great Cave des Templiers, open their doors free of charge; the Biodiversarium, the aquarium of the Arago laboratory, shows the species of the nearby marine reserve, and Maillol's farmhouse can be visited 4 km away in the Roume valley. Above, the road to the Col de Banyuls crosses the schist terraces as far as the border. The market is held on Thursday and Sunday mornings.
Cerbère
The last village before Spain, Cerbère grew up around its station, where the different gauge of the Spanish railway once forced goods and passengers to change trains, hence this hamlet of railway workers at the back of a cove. The Hôtel Belvédère du Rayon Vert, an Art Deco concrete liner built between 1928 and 1932 for travellers in transit and now a listed historic monument, overlooks the bay; it opens for events and still welcomes guests. The pebble beach, the tiny harbour and the path to Cap Cerbère and the border do the rest, with Portbou and Cadaqués just beyond.
Cap Béar
Between Port-Vendres and Paulilles, this headland of dark schist juts into the sea with its 1905 lighthouse, a 27 m tower of pink granite listed as a historic monument, and the batteries and forts that once guarded the coast. The coastal path loops around it, with views over the bay of Port-Vendres, Collioure and, when the tramontane blows, all the way to Cap de Creus. Paths lead down to secluded coves, some of them used by naturists. The cape is also a renowned dive site for its drop-offs and gorgonians.
How many days, and which itinerary?
Three days cover Collioure, a walk on the coastal path, Paulilles and a wine cellar in Banyuls. Five days add snorkelling at Peyrefite, the Maillol museum, the Tour Madeloc and Cerbère. A week allows a trip to Cadaqués and Cap de Creus, and beach days with no plan at all.
🗺️ Day-by-day itinerary · 📓 Free printable Côte Vermeille and Collioure guide (PDF) · 🌍 All of France
weekend
Saturday in Collioure: the royal castle at opening time, the Fauvism trail and the bell tower, an anchovy lunch on the harbour, a swim at the Faubourg beach and sunset at the Chapelle Saint-Vincent. On Sunday, the coastal path to Port-Vendres in the morning, back by train, then car or TER train to Banyuls for the Cave des Templiers and a swim at Paulilles before heading home.
4-5 days
day 1 Collioure; day 2 coastal path to Port-Vendres, Cap Béar and the Anse de Paulilles; day 3 Banyuls, with the Maillol museum in the morning and the Cave des Templiers and the Biodiversarium in the afternoon; day 4 the Peyrefite underwater trail in the morning, Cerbère and its Belvédère in the afternoon; day 5 an early-morning climb through the vineyards to the Tour Madeloc, then an afternoon on the beach.
one week
the five days above, then a day in Spain at Cadaqués, Portlligat and Cap de Creus along the coast road, and a final day between Argelès, Le Racou and the Albères, or a boat trip or a dive in the marine reserve from Banyuls.
Getting there and getting around
The TGV reaches Perpignan in about 5h10 from Paris, then TER trains on the Perpignan-Cerbère line serve Argelès, Collioure, Port-Vendres, Banyuls and Cerbère in twenty to forty minutes, which makes a car almost unnecessary on the coast. By car, the D914 corniche road links the four villages in 30 km, winding, beautiful and jammed in August; parking in Collioure is paid and full in summer, so leave the car in the car parks at the entrance to the village or take the train.
The coastal path and the €1 regional buses complete the picture. Cadaqués, in Spain, is an hour away by the coast road.
Perpignan and Girona airports are the nearest.
Where to stay in the Côte Vermeille and Collioure?
Budget: the campsites of Collioure and Argelès, including those at Le Racou facing the Albères, and the municipal campsite in Banyuls offer pitches and mobile homes at reasonable prices (€20 to €40, mobile home €60 to €110). The small two-star hotels of Banyuls, Port-Vendres and Cerbère charge around €70 to €100 for a double outside August, often with the sea right opposite.
Comfort: the boutique hotels in Collioure's lanes, some decorated by the painters who left their canvases there, and the hotels with pools on the heights of Banyuls or Port-Vendres cost between €130 and €220 a night. B&Bs in the wine farms above Banyuls add tastings and views over the terraces.
Splurge: a seafront hotel in Collioure or Argelès-Plage with direct access to the rocks, a spa and a gourmet restaurant, between €250 and €500 a night, or a winegrower's rental at the Col de Banyuls with the sea below. Book early for May-June and September, when demand soars.
Our places to stay, stop by stop, at three budgets →
What to eat in the Côte Vermeille and Collioure?
The Côte Vermeille eats Catalan and seafaring: IGP Collioure anchovies, salted by hand in the village's last two curing houses (allow €10 to €15 a jar), grilled sardines and red mullet on the quays of Port-Vendres, bullinada, the Catalan bouillabaisse, and the cargolade of grilled snails at village fêtes. The Banyuls AOC sweet wines and the Collioure AOC reds and rosés can be tasted free of charge in most cellars, including the Templiers.
Markets are on Wednesday and Sunday in Collioure, Thursday and Sunday in Banyuls, and Saturday in Port-Vendres. Allow €20 to €30 for a set lunch on a harbour, and €45 to €80 for a chef's table in Collioure.
The rousquille, a round biscuit glazed with sugar, and crème catalane round off the meal.
Entry requirements
Schengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
Rules change: check your own government's travel advice before you go.
Frequently asked questions about the Côte Vermeille and Collioure
When is the best time to visit Collioure and the Côte Vermeille?
May, June, September and early October: the sea is at 20-24 °C, the villages are lively without being overrun, and the light is the one the painters loved. July and August are very busy in Collioure, with parking impossible. Winter is mild, sunny and very quiet, though some places close from November to February.
How many days should you spend on the Côte Vermeille?
Three days for Collioure, a coastal walk, Paulilles and Banyuls. Five days to add snorkelling at Peyrefite, Maillol, the Tour Madeloc and Cerbère. A week if you want Cadaqués and Cap de Creus, or simply some beach days.
Can you visit the Côte Vermeille without a car?
Yes, and it is even recommended. The Perpignan-Cerbère TER train serves Argelès, Collioure, Port-Vendres, Banyuls and Cerbère several times a day, the coastal path links the villages on foot, and regional buses cost €1. Only the Tour Madeloc, the Maillol museum and the Col de Banyuls call for a car or strong legs.
Are Collioure's beaches sandy?
No, they are made of pebbles and coarse sand, with very clear water: the Boramar beach facing the bell tower, the Saint-Vincent beach below the chapel, the Faubourg to the south, and little coves along the path. For fine sand, Argelès-Plage and Le Racou are a few minutes away by train.
Where can you snorkel or dive on the Côte Vermeille?
On the Peyrefite underwater trail, between Banyuls and Cerbère, free and supervised from mid-June to mid-September, in the heart of the Cerbère-Banyuls marine reserve. The dive clubs of Banyuls, Port-Vendres and Cerbère run trips to the drop-offs of Cap Béar and the reserve, with a try dive at around €60 to €70.
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