The Mediterranean Sea ... From Barcarès to Cerbere, enjoy the beaches of fine sand, the intimacy of the rocky coves and live the bustle of fishing and yachting harbors.
The Pyrenees ... A mountain range where the practice of winter sports gives way, in the summer, to a hike or a fishing course.
A source of vitality ... The department declines the whole palette of care in its 5 spas.
A rich heritage ... With hundreds of monuments and works of art, the department is an open-air museum: from prehistory to Chemin du Fauvisme, from Romanesque, Gothic or Baroque churches to the Vauban cities listed at Unesco and Connected by the Yellow Train.
The department has a preserved nature with 11 nature reserves. A territory which, from 0 to 3000 meters, connects the Mediterranean to the Pyrenees.
Local specialties
Land of wines, flavors and inspiration
With 14 AOP and 3 IGP from 23 different grape varieties, Roussillon offers a variety of dry and soft wines with a strong personality (Collioure, Maury, Côtes du Roussillon, Rivesaltes, Banyuls, Muscat de Rivesaltes...)
Iron for the blacksmiths, garnets for the jewelers, earth for the ceramists; Nature has been generous for Catalan land. Whether we blow the glass, stretch the dough of the bunyetes, weave the multicolored canvas of festive tablecloths or "vigatanes" (Catalan espadrilles) to dance the sardana, cook the "boles de picolat" or the rabbit Snails; The Catalan character asserts itself with every gesture. Simply because here, gastronomy, viticulture and craftsmanship rhyme with authenticity and make of our territory a land of exception.
The Catalan Gastronomy
Catalan cuisine is characterized by the existence of a great diversity of products which makes it a kitchen in its own right.
It is identified by the use of sweet / salty and sour / sweet contrasts, and techniques such as "sofregit" and "picada". Ollada, bullinada, cargolada, boles of picolate, salpiquet of mongetes, botifarres, fuet, escalivats, crema catalana ... constitute an overview of the delights that you can taste in our department !
Major events and venues
MAIN EVENTS :
Thursdays in Perpignan from July to August : Les Jeudis de Perpignan is a street festival held every summer from mid-July to mid-August. This festival gives rise to many events: music concerts (jazz, hip-hop, reggae, blues, ...), clown shows, dance performances, jugglers and acrobats, salsa and flamenco shows , Tango, etc.
The Festival of Sound Creations : Today music in November: It is a unique event highlights the advances of materials in the creation of music. Today musics represent the changes, the changes that occur in the music of today because of the technologies...
New wine in new bottles. In October : As every year, the city of Perpignan organizes a festival in honor of wine and this year does not deviate from the rule. Specialists and wine lovers will be able to enjoy themselves for 2 days. Local wines will be tasted in the cellars, bars and restaurants.
International Art and Film Festival in June : The International Festival of Art and Film Books begins at the end of June and ends on July 3rd. Authors and directors will have the opportunity to present the fruits of their work which appeared in 2010. Free lectures and screenings will take place in public and private places...
Pyrenees-Orientales Heritage Days in September : The 3rd Saturday and Sunday of September, you can visit, among others (see also the major cities of the department), the following tourist sites in Pyrénées-Orientales. The visits of the patrimony days in Pyrénées-Orientales are the opportunity to discover tourist sites unavoidable or rarely open to the visit ....
Estivales de Perpignan in July : This festival offers a moment of escape in the company of known and unknown artists. An important place is reserved for young creators with an overflowing imagination
Argelès - sur - Mer 's surfers in July : Eclectic festival featuring a blend of contemporary music, with the Mediterranean as far as the eye can see, in an exceptional green theater.
PLACES TO VISIT :
Amelie-les-bains-palalda : Amelie-les-Bains-Palalda is a small medieval village nestled in the heart of the hills, offering peace and serenity just 30 kilometers from the Mediterranean. This spa with a pleasant climate will be the ideal place to recharge, while enjoying the beautiful hiking trails that offer the surroundings.
Métairie Maillol : This mas isolated in full nature was the last residence of the artist Aristide Maillol.
Marine Nature Reserve of Cerbère-Banyuls : In addition to being the first marine reserve created in France, the marine nature reserve of Banyuls-Cerbère is the unique marine reserve exclusively of the country. 650 ha of sea are thus protected and observed closely between Banyuls and Cerbere.
Banyuls-sur-mer : A few miles from the Spanish border, overhanging by stunning terraced vineyards, Banyuls-sur-mer displays its Mediterranean charms along an idyllic bay planted with eucalyptus and palm trees...
Priory of Serrabona : The peaceful priory of Serrabona is surrounded by a botanical space of 43 hectares: garden, conservatory fruit, conservatory of ancient Catalan grape varieties...
Abbey Saint-Martin du Canigou : The abbey of St-Martin was built on the sides of Canigou. This building is a true masterpiece of 11th century architecture...
Cap Réderis : It offers a magnificent panorama on the Vermeille coast...
Cerbere : Enjoying the sea, it is certainly the sensation that you will retain of your passage to Cerbere, pleasant common of the Coast Vermeille. Extending along the Mediterranean, on the rocks of the Albères, Cerbere makes you benefit from a privileged situation, just before passing in Spain or to reach Perpignan very close...
Céret : City of modern art, Céret welcomed many artists and Cubist painters. On their canvases, you will find the charm of this city: the colorful orchards where the cherry trees are enjoyed ... Catalan city par excellence, Céret will seduce you with its terraces of sunny coffee, bullfights, féria and sardanes...
Collioure : A small village flooded with sunshine perched on a rocky spur, Eus can be recognized from afar by its church Saint-Vincent which overlooks the village ... Formerly fortified, Eus has preserved from its medieval past picturesque cobbled streets lined with houses Typical of which some shelters shops and workshops of craftsmen...
Palace of the Kings of Majorca : Overlooking the city of Perpignan from its fortress silhouette, the palace of the Kings of Majorca, built in the 12th century, was for almost a century the heart of the ephemeral kingdom of Majorca. Mixing the Gothic style and Hispanic influences, it has gone through the centuries without taking a wrinkle.
Perpignan : Located between the sea and the Pyrenees mountains, Perpignan is a city of influence fully Catalan. Coffee terraces, sunshine, tapas, shaded streets of plane trees and Catalan customs enrich this city with its own personality.
Prats-de-Mollo-la-preste : Prats-de-Mollo is untouched in a preserved, pure-air environment, at the foot of the Massif du Canigou ... Between mountain village with Catalan and cité style Fortified, Prats-de-Mollo has developed in the heart of an exceptional panorama filled with serenity, with its charming little streets animated and its fete of the bear in February...
Pic du Canigou : Discover the immense panorama on the Canigou peak, from its 2784 meters altitude...
