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- Where exactly is Collioure?
On the Côte Vermeille, where the Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean
- in French Catalonia, and about half an hour’s drive from
the Spanish border.
- Where are the nearest airports?
Just north of the provincial capital Perpignan – 30-40 minutes
away; and Girona in Spain (NOT to be confused with Genoa in Italy,
as has been known) about one hour fifteen minutes from Collioure.
Or the walled city Carcassonne, about two hours; Barcelona, Toulouse,
Nimes, all around two and a half to three hours drive.
- Can I drive there from the UK, and how
long does it take?
Yes. From Calais it’s about 1200 kilometres (about 750 miles);
Roscoff about 730 miles; St Malo about 640 miles. On motorways
that works out at about l0-12 hours drive, plus stops, averaging
100km/hr (62.5mph) speed limit 130kph (just over 80mph); 110kph
(just over 68mph) if wet. So all comfortable with an overnight
stay – depending of course on your UK mileage and choice
of crossing. If you have access to it, Autoroute Express (or similar
software) helps planning timings on motorways and more scenic
roads according to time of year and how you want to balance your
journey.
- Can I get there by train?
Yes – and now much faster with Eurostar and the TGV to Perpignan,
then the SNCF service to Collioure.
- What’s the weather like?
Languedoc Roussillon boasts an annual average of 320 days with
sunshine, making it the sunniest region in France.
- Do I need a car while I’m there?
No. SNCF run a regular train service from Collioure – northwards
to Perpignan, soutwards to the Spanish border - both about 30
minutes.
- Where can I hire a car?
From the Renault garage in Collioure – which hires out Citroëns(!);
from Perpignan station; or of course from any of the airports
or via the Internet.
- Are there supermarkets and ‘normal’
shops in the town, or is it all touristy stuff?
Yes, there are shops and small supermarkets both sides of the
main landmark the Templar Château, and a market on Sunday
and Wednesday mornings. The Faubourg where the house is situated
is less tourist-oriented with a higher concentration of local
residents. Worth noting the opening times geared more to the southern
siesta lifestyle.
- Are the shops open in winter?
Yes - though less of them, it’s still well supplied for
daily needs.
- Are there plenty of decent restaurants?
Collioure has a wide range of restaurants and food outlets –
from delicatessen dishes from traiteurs
(the excellent La Cuisine, a charcutier, a butcher) to cafes and bars
(the St Elme with a great view of the bay, Les Templiers made
famous by the fauvists); the Patio; and a variety of restaurants offering
pizzas, salads, tapas, crepes (the very good Crêperie Bretonne,
Ani Noblet), meat and fish recipes (anchovies feature on most
menus), to the Michelin-starred Neptune who sources (or used to)
his oysters from Colchester!
- Is it easy to park?
Yes. 70-100 metres from the house are le Glacis and the seafront
car park for which it’s worth buying a ticket for the duration
of your stay from the Mairie, or street parking.
- How many will the house sleep?
Up to seven plus a baby in one double and three single beds, one
sofa-bed and a cot.
- How do I book?
Very simply using the e-mail link from this site, or by ‘phoning
Mrs Jenny Smith-Daye on ('0033' for France, if calling from the UK,
'0' if inside France) 4 68 39 56 43, and I will call you back.
If I'm not in leave a short message on my answerphone giving your name,
home/work Tel No (a landline preferably) and times to ring,
e-mail address, and the dates you are interested in.
- What is there to do in Collioure?
Collioure is just as attractive by day as by night. Depending
on your interests – you could take a leisurely amble around
the town, shops, the market, artists’ ateliers; taste the
local food and wines in the wine cellars and restaurants, or buy
fish from the quayside. Visit the landmark church-cum-lighthouse
Notre Dame des Anges, an exhibition in the Musée, go to
a concert in the Château (or just walk round it, empty of
furniture but interesting in itself and affording some great views).
If you want to enter into local cultural life you could attend
one of the many festivals.
The Centre Culturel, offers talks and other events and classes
where you can learn to dance the sardane; or how about the local
cinema a choice of boulodromes – it is perhaps best to play
when clear of the locals for whom pétanque can be a very
serious business. Want more choice? There are boat trips along
the coast, pedaloes, scuba diving, an international diving school,
a tennis club, and blue-flag beaches with rockpools (jellies recommended
for underfoot protection from the rocks and sea urchins). For
young people there’s an open-air discotheque up in the hills
on the edge of town. And of course there’s always people-watching.
Venturing from Collioure, the more active might want to hire
a bike or take a picnic and walk from the Musée olive
groves past the olive oil windmill up to the privately-owned
Fort St Elme and on into the Pyrenean foothills behind - or
along the coastal path to Port Vendres. Children and adults
alike might enjoy a ride in the small road train which goes
up through the vineyards overlooking the sea and on to Port
Vendres. If you do go to Port Vendres there is a large fish
outlet at the very end of the sea-side of the quay (past the
orange fishing nets and keep going) where you can buy ready-prepared
fish or choose it from live tanks. Whilst there why not enjoy
a glass of wine on its own or with some oysters at the counter.
If you’re interested in sculpture, Matisse lived in Banyuls,
a bit further down the coast – also known for its fortified
wine. There are two golf courses - at St Cyprien about 20 minutes
away, or further a field in the mountains near St Laurent de
Cerdans.
This is a lively, culturally rich area with a layering of French,
Spanish and Catalan influences. If you need further stimulation
there’s masses to explore further a field in Perpignan,
as well as local towns, villages and countryside: such as food
fairs, Romanesque architecture, wildlife, Cathar castles. Céret
has an internationally renowned modern art museum. Elne, where
Hannibal stayed with his elephants, has a cathedral famous for
it’s cloisters. Still want more? There’s Spain and
the Costa Brava. Figueres and its strong association with Dali,
Girona with its medieval quarter and modern university, Barcelona.
If you go to Spain by train take something to occupy you while
they adjust the gauge of the wheels to the different tracks
(takes about 30 minutes). If you go by car by the narrow and
winding coast road it’s definitely scenic, though maybe
not for those prone to nervousness or travel-sickness... and
plenty more - it is hard to cover more here without knowing
more about your particular interests.
The Tourist
Information Office in Place du 18 Juin will be happy to
help with more specific information..
See the Collioure
Webcam for today's picture.
- Can you supply linen?
Yes – just let us know how many of you there will be and
what mix of double and single beds you want. The charge is £15
/ person/week for all household linen, including bed-linen, kitchen
linen, bath towels, mats and beach towels.
- Do you charge for electricity?
Only off-season, from the first week in November to the week before Easter, at EDF’s
(Electricité de France's) cost per unit.
- Can you supply a cot and a high-chair?
Yes – just let us know in advance if they’ll be needed.
- Does the house have a telephone or internet connection?
Yes – an internet connection will be available in the Spring.
Two phones are located in the kitchen and in the main bedroom
on the first floor. If you give the house
‘phone number for others to ring you, tell them to let it
ring several times so you’ll have time to move up or downstairs
if you happen to be on a different floor.
- Can I get my car up to the house to unload?
Yes – let us know in advance of your arrival so that we
can arrange access for you (a beeper raises and lowers bollards
giving access to the Place Jean Jaurés at the bottom of
rue de la Liberté). You can reverse up to the front door
from there. Rue de la Liberté is a pedestrian street and
access is needed for both the daily (except Sundays in the low
season) rubbish truck, and for the emergency services, but up
to 15-30 minutes should normally be fine - after which you will
need a person with beeper to come and let you out for longer-term
parking.
- How many bathrooms and loos does the house
have?
One shower room and one bathroom with shower over the bath. Both
with WCs and hand basins.
- Can you REALLY see the sea from the loggia?
Yes, over the row of houses in front. These houses front the road
to Port Vendres protect the pedestrian quarter behind it from
the noise. Rue de la Liberté is therefore quiet and more
residential.
- Do you take a security deposit?
Yes a standard amount of £200 GBP Sterling.
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