The Pyrenees start just 20 km south of St Cyprien and range from hills with beautiful little villages to stunning hiking trails, caves, and vineyards and on to bird watching stations and winter resorts.
North-east of St Cyprien there are also many beautiful places, such as the old city Perpignan and the World Heritage site Carcassonne.
Below some tips for interesting outings are listed.
Click on the map image for each excursion to get to Google Maps.
136 km
from St Cyprien
UNESCO
World heritage since 1997
1 hour
30 minutes
from St Cyprien
A historic town with a big fort. During the summer, there are concerts in the fort. The village has also become famous for the board game of the same name.
Paulilles
26 km
from St Cyprien
Snorkeling
by the nice rocky beach
30 minutes
from St Cyprien
A cozy pebble beach with clear water to snorkel in. Alfred Nobel’s dynamite factory near the beach was in 2008 converted to a museum.
Aqualand
14 fun
water slides
4,6 km
from St Cyprien
10 minutes
from St Cyprien
Aqualand is a fun water park in St Cyprien Sud with 14 water slides, for for both young and old. You can get there by bus or go by car.
Perpignan
Big city
Shopping and culture
16 km
from St Cyprien
20 minutes
from St Cyprien
Perpignan with 120,000 inhabitants is the largest city nearby. The city is nice with an old city center and many shops such as Galeries Lafayette and small boutiques.
The king of Mallorca's palace (Palais de Majorque) was built in Perpignan around 1300 while the king had his residence there. The palace has a nice museum, and during the summer there are concerts in the courtyard.
Perpignan's rugby team is very successful and it is a good idea to take the opportunity to see a match at home.
Historic sites
5 places
worth seeing
Within 80 km
from St Cyprien
Here is a suggested route of historical sites:
Tautavel is home to the European Centre for Prehistoric Research (CERP). The remains of the Tautavel Man, an early hominid who lived 450,000 years ago, were found in Caune de l'Arago, a cave in the commune of Tautavel. An exciting interactive museum based on the Tautavel man is open year round. Groups may visit the cave from April to August.
Château de Peyrepertuse and Château de Quéribus are two ruined mountain top fortresses. It is fascinating that they managed to build at such high heights during the 13th century. After the fall of Montségur in 1244, surviving Cathars gathered together in mountain-top strongholds on the border of Aragon (the present border between the Aude and the Pyrénées-Orientales). In 1255, a French army was dispatched to deal with the remaining Cathars, but they slipped away without a fight.
The Romanesque monastery Abbaye Saint Martin du Canigou (see top image) is perched upon a rocky pinnacle at the heart of the massif of the mountain le Canigou. The Community accepts guests who desire a few days of spiritual retreat.
Eus is known as one of the most beautiful villages in France. It is built on a mountain top and has 400 inhabitants.
Eus
Siri Wadelius | © 2019 | All Rights Reserved