Collioure

Collioure is one of the prettiest seaside towns in France and is a long-time favourite day trip for visitors to our Languedoc holiday villa. About 90 minutes from Durban Corbieres and situated in the ancient province of Roussillon, the town is south of Perpignan - just a few kilometres north of the Spanish border and is well worth a visit. A wide range of good restaurants dot the area around the pretty harbour which is set in a picturesque bay where the last remnants of the Pyrenees cascade down towards the Mediterranean.

This is the Côte Vermeille - the Vermilion Coast. Collioure was the birthplace of Fauvism - started when artists Matisse and Derain arrived here in 1905 from Paris. Collioure is ideal for strolling the lazy back streets, grabbing a bargain perhaps and enjoying lunch with perhaps a glass of Banyuls to wash it all down.

The village of Collioure also lends its name to the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) of Collioure - famous mostly for producing full bodied and dark coloured reds – some of the nicest wine from the region and generally from a combination of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre grapes. The aperitif and dessert wines of the Banyuls appellation are from the same area which share its boundaries with that of Collioure – don’t forget to bring a bottle or two back to Villa La Cascade!