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Travel guide
The Côte Vermeille and Collioure
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to June, and September to October
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Welcome
The Côte Vermeille and Collioure, in a few days
Where the Pyrenees drop into the Mediterranean, between Argelès and the Spanish border, the coast folds into schist coves, headlands and colourful harbours. This is the Côte Vermeille: 30 km of cliff road and four villages, Collioure, Port-Vendres, Banyuls and Cerbère.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Royal Castle of Collioure · about 1 h 30Summer residence of the kings of Majorca, then of Aragon, later ringed with bastions by Vauban, with vaulted halls, ramparts and views over the harbour.
- Afternoon · Collioure bell tower and the Fauvism trail free · about 1 hA former lighthouse at the water's edge, painted by Matisse and Derain in 1905; the trail sets some twenty reproductions where their easels stood.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Casa Païral€180 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Coastal path from Collioure to Port-Vendres free · about 1 h 30About 90 minutes through vines and schist coves, below Fort Saint-Elme, with the sea always in view; strong walkers continue past Cap Béar to Banyuls.
- Afternoon · Paulilles Bay free · about 2 hSite of Alfred Nobel's dynamite factory from 1870 to 1984, now 17 hectares of gardens, pine woods and three shingle beaches with very clear water.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel des Elmes€160 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Banyuls vineyards and the Cellier des Templiers free · about 1 h 30Narrow terraces on schist, held by dry-stone walls and drained by channels, all worked by hand, giving Banyuls sweet wines and powerful Collioure reds.
- Afternoon · Maillol Museum, Banyuls · about 1 hThe farmhouse in the Roume valley where Maillol, born in Banyuls in 1861, sculpted his bronze nudes; his tomb lies in the garden.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Ambeille€130 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Peyrefite underwater trail free · 2 to 3 hIn France's first marine reserve, created in 1974, a 250-metre snorkelling trail marked by buoys crosses seagrass meadows and rock where groupers and octopus live.
- Afternoon · Tour Madeloc free · 2 to 3 hA 13th-century watchtower at about 650 metres, looking from the Roussillon plain to Cap de Creus; a three-hour loop climbs from Collioure.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Princes de Catalogne€120 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €110 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/cote-vermeille
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.