Port-Vendres : Côte Vermeille

At 3 km south from the town centre of Port-Vendres, on the three beautiful sand and pebble beaches of Paulilles, you’ll find all the infrastructure you need to spend a nice time (sea canoes, refreshment stall, restaurant). The beaches are watched over in July and August.

The site of Paulilles is both a natural protected site and an historical site, as it was a Nobel dynamite factory.

How to get there:

-  Route Nationale 114 – Direction Banyuls-sur-Mer. Car park at the entry of the site (pedestrian access to the beaches)

-   Paying shuttle from the town centre – timetable Courriers Catalans

 

At the entry of Port-Vendres coming from Collioure, the small Oli and d'En Baux creeks are sheltered by schistose cliffs. These are one of the very remarkable sceneries where the attraction of the Côte Vermeille lies.

 

It’s forbidden to swim in the coves close to the port (anse des Tamarins, de l'Oasis, Mailly, Jetée, Béar and Ste-Catherine). Nevertheless they contribute to the charm of the area and a walk on the pier is imperative…

The whole Côte Vermeille can be proud of the first and only exclusively maritime natural reserve of France, it contributed to create. In the open sea, between Banyuls and Cerbère, this reserve covers 650 hectares of sea and stretches out along 6 km of coast. Besides its scientific interest, this reserve aims to involve the users of the sea into the protection and the restocking of the local natural heritage.

 

With diving flippers, a mask and a snorkel you can fallow a submarine path, open in July and August.