This where the Catalan Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean coast. Sparkling Collioure bay, with its nooks and crannies, has inspired many an artist: Matisse, Derain, Dufy, Juan, Gris, Picasso... In the centre of the old city stands the royal castle (château des Templiers). Designed to keep a watchful eye on the coastline, the castle now hosts various events.

	At its feet lies the small harbour with its colourful Catalan boats, a reminder of the Phenician boats that came to Collioure 1,000 years B.C.

Anchovy Collioure fishermen traditionally focus on anchovy fishing. In the summer, millions of these small fish find their way to the Mediterannean coast. Salted, rinsed or pickled, anchovies play a key role in local cuisine. In the 1950s, Collioure had about 30 salting companies. Many have now disappeared, leaving just three to dispatch buckets of hand-laid anchovies throughout the world.

Port-Vendres

	Port-Vendres has been linked to Collioure since 1823. Its activities also focus on the sea: its harbour is specialized in importing fruit and vegetables, which are then sent to the wholesale market at Perpignan. It also boasts a fleet of modern trawlers and quay auctions. Truly Mediterranean, Port-Vendres maintains close links with North African countries, as seen by its museum on French Algeria.

Banyuls-sur-Mer

		Sharing the same latitude as Rome, Banyuls is reputed to be the sunniest town in France, a reputation confirmed by the orange and lemon trees loaded with fruit in the heart of winter. Its exceptionally mild climate has attracted tourists since early in the century, and enables the production of the famous Banyuls sweet wine.

In 1882, zoologist Henri de Lacaz-Duthiers set up the Arago laboratory in Banyuls, currently one of the largest European centres for marine biology. In 1883, an aquarium open to the public was added then a collection of 250 bird species. Banyuls is also the starting -or stopping- place for the famous GR 10, a path which walkers can follow across the Pyrenees from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.

Cerbère

	Last French commune on the coast, Cerbère is a small seaside resort which prospered in the XIXth century due to its railway station and traffic between France and Spain.

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