The harbour, and a little history.

Port Vendres, the 3rd deepest port in France, still lands more fish than any other place on this stretch of coast. In the 19th century it bustled with colonial trade and ferries from North Africa, today it is also a yachting harbour and often there are cargo boats here too. When the trawlers lamp-lit fighing boats and tuna fishing boats return each day between 4:30pm and 6pm, you can watch them unload and auction the catch on the dock at the far end of the harbour.

Port Vendres is located just a few yards from Collioure on the road which goes along the sea in te direction of Spain (half an hour away). In antiquity, Port Vendres was a stopover for the Greek and Roman boats connecting the city of Agde to the Hispanic coast. Its name "Port of Venus" comes from the Latin name "Portus Veneris"and was adopted from Romans who built a temple to the glory of Venus here. In the 13th century, under the reign of the Kings of Aragaon and Majorca, Port Vendres was an important commercial port - notably Perpignan draperies and Roussillon wines. Under the reign of King Louis XIV it became a naval base, thanks to the king's architect, Vauban. Louis XVI englarged the pot and built the Royal place with its fountains and its pink marbled obelisk, with a sphere surmounted by a lily flower. On the other side of the port, the Cap Bear and lighthouse offer a panoramic view of Port Vendres.

Small Footprint On The Planet

Approximately half of our guests fly to our holiday home, either arriving in Perpignan (40 minutes away by car, 20 minutes away by train), or across the Spanish border to the medieval city of Girona (1 hour by car), or begin their holiday with a few days in Barcelona (2 hrs by car or 3 hrs if you take the scenic coastal route). Other guests have found inexpensive flight connections to the walled city of Carcassone (approx 2hrs away to the north) and some from the United States fly to Paris, where they might take a stopover, then take direct flight down to Perpignan.

If you are concerned about the impact of airtravel, there are other options. More and more of our guests are taking the train to Port Vendres. For approx £110 roundtrip you can pick up a train at Waterloo station, London at about 8:15am, change once at Lille at around lunchtime, and arrive in Perpignan by about 7pm. Then you change to the local coast train, and 20 minutes later arrive in Port Vendres. Our apartment is 12-15 minute easy walk from the train station, downhill most of the way, and with relatively few steps (for this very steeply stepped town!). While in Port Vendres you can take the local buses up and down the coast. This year, one set of guests are taking the train from Barcelona to Port Vendres (changing trains at the Spanish border, Port Bou/Cerbere).

Alternatively you can take your car on one of the ferries and drive down. My brother does the Callais to Port Vendres trip in 11 1/2 hrs - but he is an exceptionally good driver. We've taken the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo which leaves us with approximately 9 hrs drive to Port Vendres. I tend to take the Dover-Callais ferry, and allow a leisurely 2-3 days to drive down with the children, enjoying the scenery on the backroads, staying at local campsites. Last summer I allowed 6 days to drive up to Callais, chosing campsites that were scenic and had good restaurant/cafes and it was one of the best road trips I've ever taken with the family.

For further information on trains go to http://www.seat61.com

Our Lady of Good News

La Notre Dame de Bonne Nouvelle, or Our Lady of Good news, stands guard over the fishing and diving boats at the Vieux Port towards the harbour’s northern end. With its inset statues of Saints it is pleasingly plain with the odd gothic hint, painted a coral colour and topped-off by beautiful, almost Islamic, blue dome.