Mini Guide - English Grand Hôtel du Golfe
Beauty Spa GHG - Route de Collioure - 66700 Argeles Sur Mer 04 68 81 57 37 - www.grandhoteldugolfe.com - [email protected]
ARGELES SUR MER
The Olive grove of Mas Boutet : The olive grove of Gildas and Isabelle Girodeau is located on the foot of the Grand Hotel du Golfe. They produce an excellent olive oil labeled organic as well as many other products from the olive. Visits to the Olive field are possible on reservation.
The fishing port: At the bottom of the Albères massif, it is a popular stop for boaters and fans of scuba diving. Equipped with all services related to boating, it is also a real small village with its squares, shops, restaurants, entertainment.
The old village and its market: Authentic Catalan village with its 14th century Gothic church. Market days are Wednesday & Saturday mornings.
The beaches: 7 km of beach at your disposal. Feet in the sand or at the shelter of a creek, live the summer at the edge of the water.
The coves of Porteils & Ouille: They present a succession of capes limiting magnificent small sandy-gravillary handles be- tween cliffs reaching 30 to 100 m in height.
The coastal path: The coastal path is a pedestrian route that runs along the seaside and connects Argelès to Cerbère. This path leads to Collioure and Cape Béar.
The Mas Larrieu reserve: It covers 145 ha on both sides of the river “Le Tech”, on the territory of the municipalities of Elne and Argelès-sur-Mer. The forest of Massane: Created in 1973, it occupies an area of about 336 ha mainly forest.
Valmy Park and its raptor shows: The Valmy castle (private) surrounded by its park and vineyards was built in the late nine- teenth century. This is one of the most beautiful views of the town and landscapes of the Pyrenees-Orientales bordered by the Mediterranean Sea.
Many hikes : Dolmen de la Cova-de-l’Ardo, Chapelle Saint-Lau- rent-Du-Monte, Ermitage Notre-Dame-De-Vie, Vestige du Châ- teau de Taxo d’Avall.
COLLIOURE
The old port: Anchorage port. The boats that are there ben- efit from an exceptional situation, in the heart of an eminently tourist site
Church Notre-Dame-des-Anges: This church, attached to the rocks, dates from the seventeenth century. We are surprised by its round tower, a former lighthouse of the Middle Ages converted into a bell tower
The Royal Castle: Unmistakable building of the landscape of Collioure, the Royal Castle was the residence of the kings of Marjorque in the fourteenth centuryThe Mouré district: This old district is reminiscent of Spain or Italy with its cobbled streets, its houses roses and ocher very flowery, the clothes drying on the windows
The Museum of Modern Art (Fonds Peské): Celebrated by many artists, Collioure has a Museum of Modern Art initially with a collection of 190 works, offered by Jean Peské (1870-1949)
The Dominican Convent: This convent was founded in 1290 at the request of King James II of Majorca who wanted to establish Dominican monks in the town of Collioure.
The path of Fauvism: Free circuit in the city punctuated by 19 reproductions of paintings. Guided tours by a guide speaker for groups or individuals on reservation.
Fort Saint Elme: Fortress of the sixteenth century transformed into a museum. It offers a majestic panorama of the region.
The pebble beaches: The beaches of Collioure are pebble, they are located around the bay which also houses the port and the famous castle, royal residence of the kings of Mallorca.
Hikes : Plenty of hiking path from Collioure to Cerbère, Notre- Dame-de-Consolation, la tour Madeloc.
PORT-VENDRES
Walks through the city: Natural harbor in deep water, at the same time fishing port, commercial port and marina, located in the heart of town. Port-Vendres offers a colorful show, typically Mediterranean and living all year.
The Cap Béar Trail: From Cap Béar to the charming Paulilles beach, here is a pretty seaside promenade. Discover small iso- lated coves and enjoy the calm, the sound of the sea, and the scent of rosemary . PAULILLES
The Cove of Paulilles: Nestled between Cape Béar and Cape Oullestrell, the Cove of Paulilles houses “the old Nobel dyna- mite factory”: guided tours, wharf for renovation of Catalan boats, 3 sandy beaches etc.
Diving: The three beaches of the cove of Paulilles are ideal for diving in the rocky bottoms where you will see all kinds of col- orful fish.
BANYULS SUR MER
The Circuit of Cap d’Osna: Superb circuit marked in the typical streets of old Banyuls above the Arcades overlooking the bay and the beach. Flowered streets, old wells and beautiful fa- cades are to be discovered during this visit.
La réserve naturelle : La Réserve Naturelle Marine de Cerbère- Banyuls est la première réserve marine française
The aquarium of the Observatoire Océanologique: This histori- cal aquarium which is the marine facet of the Biodiversarium in- vites you to dive out of time to discover the marine biodiversity of the Pyrénées-Orientales.
The Mediterranean garden of the Mas de la Serre: The Medi- terranean Garden of the Mas de la Serre is a former botanical garden of research that is part of the heritage of the Arago Laboratory.
The Maillol museum (The Maillol farm): The Maillol museum is located in the artist’s farm, an isolated farm in the Roume valley. The cellars: Discover the cellars and wines produced on Banyuls.
The underwater trails of the nature reserve: Installed from the beach of Peyrefitte in a sheltered bay, the underwater trail can be visited by swimming on the surface with a mask, snorkel and fins .
CERBERE
The solar lighthouse: First French traffic light behind the Span- ish border. Built in 1982, it is also called “the solar lighthouse” because it is fully powered by photovoltaic cells.
Sorède
The valley of the turtles: Animal park entirely devoted to this reptile. It presents more than 500 turtles, about thirty different species on a plot of two hectares.
ELNE
The Cloister: The cloister of Elne, adjoining the cathedral, is a medieval monument. It is one of the few cloisters in the depart- ment that has retained its integrity. It is one of the most com- plete and remarkable of Roussillon.
Saint Eulalie Cathedral and Saint Julie: Seat of the bishop of Elne whose diocese covered the comarques of Catalonia Rous- sillon, Vallespir and Conflent at its creation in 571. It dominates the city and its surroundings The Terrus Museum: Etienne Terrus (1857-1922) is a painter born in Elne, a friend of many artists among whom Maillol, Matisse and Derain. Undisputed master of watercolor, he is not attached to any school or trend, although the influence of the Fauves is very clear in his last paintings.
Maternity Switzerland: Built in 1901 and 1902, this castle is mainly known for being a mother, in which were born many children of women deported or exiled because of the Retirada or the Second World War.
Tropic of the Butterfly: Large tropical aviary where evolve in total freedom several hundreds of butterflies.
PERPIGNAN
The Castillet: Monument of the city of Perpignan which was in turn door of the city and prison State.
The plane tree walk: The Promenade des Platanes was built under the First Empire to offer Perpignan a place of pleasure outside the ramparts.
St. James Church: It was the first church built to accompany the urban expansion of the 13th century.
St John’s Cathedral: The Cathedral of Perpignan, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, became the seat of the bishopric late in 1601 exactly. The Place de la Loge: Adorned with a Venus de Maillol, it is, with the street of the same name, paved with pink marble, the center of the animation of the city.
The Sea Lodge: The Sea Lodge of Perpignan is a civil and Medi- terranean Gothic building built from the fourteenth century and completed in the sixteenth century.
Town Hall: The Town Hall of Perpignan is a historic building lo- cated in the city center, place of the lodge.
The Museum of Fine Arts: The Rigaud Museum is housed in a beautiful mansion in the city center (Lazerme Hotel).
Arago Square: This square is a central pedestrian point. At the centre of this square surrounded by palm trees and magnolias stands a statue of prominent local citizen François Arago
The Palace of the Kings of Majorca: Located in the heart of Perpignan overlooking a high promontory, this beautiful palace of the thirteenth century was for almost a century the center of the ephemeral Kingdom of Mallorca.
Chapel Notre-Dame-des-Anges: This 13th century monument was built at the initiative of the kings of Majorca. The great Gothic hall was the great chapter house of the Franciscan con- vent.
CERET
The Museum of Modern Art of Céret: Restored and enlarged in 1993, the modern art museum of Céret is today the main art museum of the Pyrénées-Orientales with a collection that testifies to stays in the city and its surroundings of the greatest artists of the twentieth century.
The place of the nine-jets: Erected in 1313 under the reign of King Sanç I of Mallorca, this original fountain by its 9 jets is the symbol of a territory marked by revolts.
The Saint-Pierre church: Built between 1723 and 1779 on the site of a Romanesque church, it retains its bell tower and the 14th century marble gate.
The Devil’s Bridge: Built in 1321 during the reign of the kings of Majorca, the Devil’s Bridge is a true masterpiece of medieval architecture.
The Françoise Claustre Heritage House: The archaeological mu- seum displays artefacts excavated by archaeologist Françoise Claustre in the Vallespir
Grand Hôtel du Golfe - Route de Collioure - 66700 Argeles Sur Mer 04 68 81 14 73 - www.grandhoteldugolfe.com - [email protected]