Banyuls-sur-Mer, Languedoc Roussillon, French Catalunya 2020

 We've visited Languedoc Rousillon ( French Catalunya) several times and we were always amazed by the large, sandy beaches, almost empty. 

This year, due to Coronavirus, we haven't planned much and we took last minute decisions, that made us arrive in Banyuls-sur-Mer, in a recenty renovated villa near train station.

Different from the resorts we knew already in the area, Banyuls is small, elegant, with a central area full of very good restaurants, small beaches surrounded by mountains and wineyards and a new promenade along the port.

In the port there is a famous one Michelin star restaurant, El Fanal, with extraordinary food and decent prices: www.pascal-borrell.com.

In fact, one of the big advantages of Banyuls is the quality of restaurants: for my birthday, for instance, we opted for a small one, facing  Plage des Elmes, called La Littorine, included in Michelin guide 2020.

Only pour le connaisseurs, the region is known for Collioure wine, produced in the small wineyards on the sea coast.

Even less known, but very special taste, is the wine produced at Les Clos des Paullilles, several acres of wineyard facing the sea.

Les Clos des Paulilles domaine hosts a small hotel, a  Michelin listed restaurant and a bar. Reservation mandatory, only by phone!

Not far from Banyuls is Collioure, a charming, colorful fishing village, known as " village des peintres" and birthplace of "fauvism". Many artists were inspired by the charm and special light of this small catalan village: Matisse, Derain, Picasso. Attention, the village is very crowded during summer vacation!


For larger, sandy beaches, Saint Cyprien or Argeles sur Mer are a few kilometers away.


What we liked on this trip:

  • restaurants- with a big big like for Clos des Paulilles
  • Collioure










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