Pyrenees - Oriental, Cerdagne, Riberal, Capcir, Alberes and Vallespir
The Pyrenees-Oriental covers 4000 sq km and is effectively the southern part of the Languedoc as it runs into Spain on the Mediterranean coast.
These are some of the facts
40 kms of fine sandy beaches
20 km of rocky coast line
3 Valleys
3 Mountain chains
226 Towns and villages
4116 sq kms of countryside
320 days of sun every year
There are three main rivers in the Pyrenees Oriental, Tet,Tech and Agly which have eroded the valleys with their fast flowing waters.
The landscape runs from the hot beaches of Perpignan up to the Carlit peak at 2921 metres high. The more familiar Canigou peak is 2785 m high.
These are the zones
La Rocky Coast
The Alberes
The Vallespir and Upper Vallespir
The Sandy coast
The Roussillon plane
The Aspres
The Riberal
The Conflent and upper Conflent
The Agly valley.
The Catalan Corbieres
Read about
The history and heritage of the area
- Prehistory in the Languedoc and antiquity
- The middle ages in the Languedoc
- The Kings of Majorca
- Peace with Spain and the Treaty of the Pyrenees
Gastronomically the area has
- Good wines
- Wide range of foods
Vallespir and the Valley of the Tech. This is the countryside alongside the Spanish Border. Ceret is the capital. The town has large plane trees giving good shade. The streets are narrow and winding with plenty of small squares. The Saturday market is large. The Musee d'Art Moderne owes its existence to closeness of Spain and the refuge it offered to painters. Picasso, Chagall, Dali, Matisse. their works are all here.
Holiday house in Carcassonne. When planning your holidays in the Languedoc please remember our holiday cottage in Carcassonne which is a great base to plan your trip around the Languedocand into the Ariege.
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We have just come across a new web forum written purely for the Pyrenees Oriental. This gives a welcome opportunity to discuss the area and ask questions of people already living there.
For a good site about everything French try this site