MUSCAT DE RIVESALTES – Photos : Marc Gaillet. All right reserved – 05/2015 MUSCAT DE RIVESALTES All the natural freshness from the grape in this fruity aperitif. Serve chilled any time of the year. vinsduroussillon.com Contents Banyuls-sur-Mer – Knowing More Banyuls de la Marenda ......................65 About Perpignan Bélesta – Belestar ..............................69 & North Catalonia Canet-en-Roussillon – Canet de Rosello ................................70 Céret ...................................................78 Record Sheet ........................................4 Collioure – Cotlliure ...........................80 Not to be missed ..................................4 Elne – Elna ..........................................85 Nature ...................................................8 Font-Romeu .......................................88 History ................................................12 In the surroundings ..................................92 Heritage & Traditions ........................13 Ille-sur-Têt – Illa ..................................94 Gastronomy .......................................15 In the surroundings ..................................96 Sports & Leisure .................................20 Le Barcarès – El Barcares ...................98 Festivals & Events ..............................23 In the surroundings ............................... 101 Le Boulou – El Volo ..........................102 In the surroundings ............................... 106 Perpignan Maury – Mauri ..................................107 Mont-Louis – Montlluis ...................108 Tourist Oice ......................................30 Port-Vendres ....................................109 How to get there ................................31 Prades – Prada .................................112 Sightseeing ........................................31 In the surroundings ............................... 114 Restaurants ........................................35 Prats-de-Mollo .................................116 Sleeping..............................................38 Rivesaltes – Ribesaltes ....................118 Going Out ...........................................41 Saint-Cyprien – Sant-Cebria............121 Shopping ............................................42 In the surroundings ............................... 124 Sainte-Marie – Santa Maria la Mar ...........................124 In the surroundings ............................... 126 North Catalonia Salses ................................................127 Tautavel – Talteüll ............................129 Les Angles – Els Angles ......................46 In the surroundings ............................... 131 In the surroundings ..................................49 Thuir – Tuïr .......................................132 Argelès-sur-Mer – Argelers de la Marenda .....................51 In the surroundings ............................... 136 In the surroundings ..................................60 Villefranche-de-Conlent ................139 Arles-sur-Tech – Arles de Tec .............61 In the surroundings ............................... 141 In the surroundings ..................................63 Index .................................................143 The best of Petit Futé addresses from round the corner to all over the world! www.petitfute.uk.com & North Catalonia About Perpignan More Knowing The village of Eus © NICOLAS RUNG – AUTHOR’S IMAGE Record Sheet 4 Not to be missed 4 Nature 8 History 12 Heritage & Traditions 13 Gastronomy 15 Sports & Leisure 20 Festivals & Events 23 4 RECORD SHEET Record Sheet Flag – Shield «Golden with four pallets of gules» the Senyera, name of the Catalan flag, is one of the oldest in Europe. They are the armorial bearings of the counts of Roussillon, old province of Roussillon. It consists of four horizontal yellow and red bands. The history of the blazon, then becoming the Catalan flag, is quite obscure, varying between historic hypotheses and legendary accounts. Among the different versions, it is said that in the 9th century, in a battle against the Normans, Louis the Pious requested for help for his army from his vassal, the count of Barcelona, Guifred el Pelut. After a bloody battle, the count of Barcelone is seriously injured. Louis the Pious, to immortalise the bravery of Guifred, soaks his hand in the blood of his vassal and marks his golden shield with his fingers, making four red traces. There heraldic weapons later became those of the Catalan counts. This flag endures on both sides of the border as emblem of Catalonia under the flag name «Blood and Gold». wNumber: 66. wNumber of towns: 226 divided into 31 townships. wPopulation: 461,282 inhabitants (legal population wRegion Membership – Composing on January 1st, 2014). Departments: Languedoc-roussillon – Aude (11), Gard (30), Lozère (48), Hérault (34) and Pyrénées- wDemography: an annual average of + 1,3%, mainly due to the migratory flux. Orientales (66). w w Highest Point: the Pic du Carlit (2921 m). Density: 112.06 habitants/km ². w w Main Watercourses: the department of Pyrénées- Size: 4 116.2 km ². Orientales is crossed by three main watercourses; wPrefecture – Sub prefectures: Perpignan – Céret the Têt, Tech and Agly. To be noted that none of them and Prades. are navigable. Not to be missed every day. Free for under 12-year-olds. Adult: E6. Child (from Abbey of Saint-Martin- 12 to 18 years old): E4. Group (20 people): E5.50 (booking du-Canigou required above 10). In season, service of Jeep at the beginning of casteil (& +33 (0) 6 46 36 23 15). Guided tour (10am, L’ABBAYE SAINT-MARTIN DU CANIGOU 11am, 12pm (10am and 12.30pm Sunday and festivals), Casteil 2pm, 3pm, 4pm – also at 5pm from June to September). VERNET-LES-BAINS & +33 (0) 4 68 05 50 03 Picnic area. Toilets. Shop. Pets are not allowed. www.stmartinducanigou.org It is from the village of Casteil that you climb up to the [email protected] abbey. The trail is very steep, wooded... and without Sud de France. Annual closing in January. Closed every water (bring supplies). After a good small power walking Monday from October 1st to May 31st. Closed on Friday – 300 meters of elevation gain – the building is finally saint. Low season: open Tuesday to Sunday. High season: revealed at almost 1090 meters of altitude, clinging to a Musée d’Art moderne de Céret - NOT TO BE MISSED 5 rocky spur, on a grandiose site. Saint-Martin-du-Canigou young and old. And if your children are exhausted, they is an architectural ensemble of the first meridional can enjoy a beautiful playground. For those who want to Romanesque. The church whose construction began have an extraordinary experience, it is possible to spend around 997, was consecrated in 1009 by the Bishop of a night in the watching hut (designed for 2 adults and Elne, and a second building campaign was held, followed 2 children over 5 years old) in front of the wolves’ enclosure. by a new consecration in 1014 or 1026. For the record, it is said that Count Wilfred II of Cerdagne, who had initiated its construction, retreated there in 1035, and Musée d’Art moderne spent the last years of his life digging his grave in the rock. The ruined abbey was restored in two phases, from de Céret 1902 to 1932 and then from 1952 to 1982. It consists MUSÉE D’ART MODERNE DE CÉRET of two superimposed churches, the lower church being 8, boulevard du Maréchal-Joffre half buried. The square tower houses a chapel dedicated CÉRET to Saint Michel. Today, the abbey is inhabited by the & +33 (0) 4 68 87 27 76 Catholic Community of the Beatitudes to whom it was www.musee-ceret.com entrusted by the Bishop of Perpignan. It goes without Closed on January 1st, May 1st, November 1st and saying that proper attire and respect for the place are December 25th. Low season: open every day from 10am recommended when visiting the site.See Discovery to 6pm. High season: every day from 10am to 7pm. Closed – Not to be missed – Saint Martin du Canigou Abbey. on Tuesday from October to April. Free for under 12-year- olds. Adult: E5.50. Reduced rate: E3.50. In period of The Casteil Wildlife Park temporary exhibition: E8. Reduced rate: E6. Children & NORTH CATALONIA PERPIGNAN ABOUT MORE KNOWING welcome (extra-curricular visits and school activities PARC ANIMALIER DE CASTEIL and for groups). Guided tour. Shop. Activities. Library. Casteil, Rue du Cady As the premier art museum of the Pyrénées-Orientales, VERNET-LES-BAINS & +33 (0) 4 68 05 67 54 the modern art museum of Céret is one of the 100 largest www.parcanimaliercasteil.com modern art museums in France. Céret was formerly named [email protected] «Mecca of Cubism» by André Salmon and this was born Sud de France. Closed in Christmas, 1st from the Year and from the passages and stays of the 20th century greatest 4 to 5 weeks over January/February. High season: open artists in the city and its surroundings. It displays works of every day from 9.30am to 8pm (last visit at 6pm). From Picasso, Grey, Soutine, Herbin, Chagall, Matisse, Masson, April to end of June and from September to end of October: Krémègne, Miró, Tàpies, Viallat, Toni Grand Bioulès,... 10am-7pm (last visit at 5pm). The rest of the year open Cubism at the school of Paris, New Realism in Support- weekends and school holidays: 1pm-6pm (last visit 4pm). Surface, the collection offers visitors an thourough view Free for under 3-year-olds. Adult: E12. Child (from 3 to of the art of the 20th and 21st century. Created in 1950 by 12 years old): E9. Special prices for the adult groups and