Our villages

Ceret attracts many visitors with its relaxed lifestyle, its art, its culture, its heritage (the Cubist visits from 1911, the internationally-renowned Modern Art Museum, the art galleries and monuments, the cultural season, library, and Museum of Music…), its festivities and traditions (carnival, concerts, in particular “La Cerise sur le Château”, the sardanas, the festivals, and the feria…), its local produce (the first French cherries, the early flowering of the superb mimosa, the extensive weekly market) and its activities and pastimes (canyoning, paragliding, swimming (summer), hiking, and cycling).

Renowned spa and health resort, Le Boulou has developed a quality of life which combines health, relaxation, entertainment, culture, and leisure where everyone lives life at their own pace.

Many activities are available to holidaymakers and spa guests: swimming (summer), tennis, hiking, cycling, a cinema, a library and a casino (slot machines, roulette, tea dances, etc.)

Long held property of the Abbey of Arles, stronghold of the county of Cerdanya and Bésalu, Saint Jean Pla de Corts blossomed from the 12th century, particularly with the construction of its castle which the kings of Mallorca made their summer residence.

The village has rich agricultural land and is known for its 2 lakes where several local service providers offer water sports, tree climbing, etc … These lakes are also a great place to relax, swim (summer), do sports activities, fish, etc…

The villages of Maureillas, Las Illas, and Riunoguès were grouped together in 1972 to form a single municipality. Maureillas-Las Illas is a wine-growing, forested, and pastoral land with oak forests which climb up towards Las Illas and Riunoguès inspiring its cork museum as well as a chapel with 12th century frescoes!

This is an authentic setting well-suited for hiking, picnicking, mushroom picking, and family walks.

The uniqueness of Perthus lies in the fact that the delineation of the border in 1659, in the Traité des Pyrénées, allowed it to exist in both French and Spanish territories. This means you only have to cross the street to change country! This characteristic has favoured the development of activities linked to trade giving rise to the large amount of people who pour into Perthus for their shopping.

The surrounding nature is well-suited to hiking and the greenway cycle route leads to the gates of the Panissars site which houses the Trophée de Pompée, a monument commemorating the victory of Pompey’s Roman army over the Spaniards. There are also two other major monuments: the Fort de Bellegarde, built by Vauban, which holds an important place in cross-border history, as well as the Via Domitia, an access road created under the Roman Empire connecting Gard to the southern tip of the Pyrénées-Orientales.

Les Cluses shelters, in its narrowest passage, from the gorges of Rom (tributary of the Tech), the remains of the “Castell del Moros”, with a mirror-image of the castle on the right bank corresponding with what is today known as the ruins of the fortress of Cluse Haute. Together they form a closure, “Clausurae”, hence the name of the town, which marked the border between the provinces of Narbonne and Tarasconnaise under the Roman Empire. The Via Domitia (see Le Perthus above) also passes through Les Cluses.

The village hosts a permanent exhibition “The castle of the Moors, a unique heritage at the heart of the Via Domitia” which traces the history of the Roman fortresses of Les Cluses and the Via Domitia. It is also possible to hik here and soak up the natural landscape.

About twenty farmhouses are spread over this vast territory. Leaving from the village, where there is a Romanesque church, hikers will see one of the most important dolmen in the region, “Na Christiana”. A few kilometres from the village, at the Col de l’Ullat, you can make the most of this relaxing, green setting by picnicking in the shade of the Corsican pines.

A winding road crosses the superb woods of cork and holm oaks and leads to the typical village of Vivès where the Institut Méditerranéen du Liège (Mediterranean Cork Institute) is located. Narrow and sloping streets, houses with facades of protruding old stones and cayroux (river stones and bricks), an old well, and many other curiosities, are all waiting to be discovered.

In the centre of the village stands the old bell tower of the small restored 12th century church which houses beautiful altarpieces and a lipsanoteca (a small box containing the actual relics inside a reliquary).

Departing from the village a beautiful hike leads you to discover the flora and fauna of the local area.

Reynés is made up of several hamlets: Forge de Reynés, Pont de Reynés, La Cabanasse, hamlets of St Paul and Vila… Reynés village, meanwhile, is surrounded by mountains and so allows you to enjoy nature and even to hike.

You can even take the greenway cycle route via the famous iron bridge!

The church of St Vincent, in the heart of the village, and the chapels of Saint Paul and Sainte Marie du Vila are part of the historical heritage of Reynés.

From Reynés a small narrow road winds its way up the mountain through the holm and cork oaks to the first stop at the hamlet of Notre Dame del Roure where there is a listed Romanesque chapel with 12th century frescoes.