Camping in Argelès-sur-Mer

Located 25 km north-west of the Spanish border at the foot of the Pyrenees, the town of Argelès-sur-Mer is a paradise for water lovers, nature enthusiasts and history buffs. Water sports enthusiasts of all kinds will get their money's worth camping by the sea around the 7-kilometre-long sandy beach. Hikes through fragrant pine forests and to idyllic viewpoints in the mountainous surroundings of the Argelès-sur-Mer campsites are balm for the soul, as is sunbathing in the lively harbour.

Special features of camping in Argelès-sur-Mer

Camping in Argelès-sur-Mer promises plenty of variety for families and water sports enthusiasts - diving, sailing and fishing are just as possible here as enjoying the varied landscape from horseback or taking the whole family to look down from the treetops in the tree climbing park into the greenery around and below you.

Hikes along the beach and through rocky and mountainous forest areas offer fascinating nature experiences. A cycle tour along the paths and streets of Argelès-sur-Mer past fruit, vegetable, fish and craft stalls also offers many culinary delights and beautiful holiday souvenirs. Mediterranean and Catalan influences characterise the region not far from the Spanish border, in the very south of France.

How to get there

From the border of the Germany-France-Switzerland triangle, it is around 900 kilometres to Argelès-sur-Mer. The journey takes you along the A36 motorway past Mulhouse and Besançon, continuing along the A6 past Chalon-sur-Saône, Mâcon, Villefranche-sur-Saône and through Lyon. The densely populated metropolitan region with around half a million inhabitants is a good place for a stopover - half of the route has now been completed and campers can visit the old city centre at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers and enjoy their first local dishes in a brasserie.

After refreshments, the route continues south along the A7 motorway, past Pierre-Bénite to the west and Feyzin to the east of the route and always close to the Rhône. At Orange, you change to the A9 motorway, passing Nîmes and Montpellier - the route now leads close to the coast. Take the A9 to Perpignan and from there take the Perpignan Sud motorway exit and continue on the dual carriageway until you reach your destination of Argelès-sur-Mer after around 20 km.

Top 5 sights

• Saint-Laurent-du-Mont church: The church in the forest from the middle of the 12th century stands on the site of a pre-Romanesque predecessor building.
• Saint-Jérôme Chapel: one of the few church buildings in the south of France that is still thought to be influenced by Visigothic architecture.
• Church of Notre-Dame del Prat: a monument historique from the 15th century with a Romanesque bell tower
• Château de Pujols castle: Dating back to the 11th century, the castle is also considered a "monument historique". Its residential tower rises up around 1 km north of Argelès.
• Château de Valmy: The manor house, built in 1888, is located around 3 km south of Argelès in the Valmy forest.

Top 2 insider tips

• Megalithic culture - Monuments historiques: A total of twelve dolmens have been found in the Albères mountains - the two megalithic dolmens Cova de l'Alarb and Collets de Cotlliure are located in the forest of Valmy - both are among the southernmost megalithic sites in France and have been recognised as "Monuments historiques" since 1958.
• Hike with audio guide: From the Valmy car park, holidaymakers can set off on a hike with an audio guide, accompanied by background music to match the eleven stopovers, and be guided by locals in French, Catalan, Spanish, English and German to the church of St-Laurent-du-Mont. The local tourist information centre provides information about this.

Activities and excursions

On the ascent to the medieval watchtower, your gaze and thoughts can wander into the distance, while exploring the wild coastal nature reserve of Mas Larrieu requires attentive observation.

Tour de la Massane - hike to the medieval watchtower

The Tour de la Massane, or Torre de la Maçana in Catalan, is a watchtower from the Middle Ages located on a 793 metre high mountain peak in the Massif des Albères. On the approximately three-hour hike from Valmy, visitors can enjoy the view over large parts of the coastline of the Golfe du Lion as far as Narbonne on a clear day. The coastal river Massane, which is only 22 kilometres long, flows close to the tower.

Exploring the coastal nature reserve of Mas Larrieu

Some of the last dunes in Roussillon are protected by the Réserve Naturelle Nationale du Mas Larrieu a few kilometres north of Argelès-plage at the mouth of the Tech. Wild natural beauty lies hidden here: behind the old fixed dunes and smaller mobile dunes, there are extensive meadows with wild flowers and herbs that flourish magnificently. The mouth of the Tech is bordered by a high belt of reeds - where various species of gulls, water hens and bee-eaters breed.

Events

Films, music or sailing regattas - the campsites in Argèles-sur-Mer offer a wide variety of cultural events.

May

• Rencontres Cinémaginaire - film festival in Argelès-sur-Mer: The film festival, which has been held annually in May for over 30 years, is themed around a new film each year. For six days, visitors can watch the varied film programme with many a rare film and talk to the makers behind it. A short film competition, musical entertainment at the communal buffet on the terrace as well as exhibitions and workshops round off the colourful programme of the film event.

June

• Les Nautiques d'Argelès - sailing regatta: For over ten years, the traditional sailing regatta has been held on a weekend in June, with numerous crew members trying to help their boat to victory. Participants are treated to a traditional Catalan breakfast before the regatta, after which crémant is served against a backdrop of music and entertainment in the harbour.

July

• Les Déferlantes Festival - a "wave of surf" full of music: around 60,000 music lovers are attracted to the south of France every year in July. In the idyllically situated Parc de Valmy with a view of the castle of the same name, festival participants can dance to rhythms inspired by French rock and chanson.

Gastronomy

The gastronomy in Argelès-sur-Mer is influenced by the town's location on the south coast of France - here, the influences of Mediterranean, Catalan and southern French cuisine come together. Herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon and basil, most of which grow wild in the Mediterranean climate, flavour local dishes, as does olive oil grown in the surrounding groves. Fromages des Alberes and other pickled goat's cheeses can be purchased at the markets in and around Argelès-sur-Mer. A variety of fish dishes as well as seafood characterise the local cuisine along the coast. Freshly caught fish is offered at the stalls that are regularly set up directly on the beach.

Best time to visit

The climate in the region around Argelès-sur-Mer is temperate but warm - temperatures remain in the plus range all year round. The average annual temperature is around 15.6 degrees Celsius and the average annual rainfall is 580 millimetres. October is the month with the highest rainfall at around 88 millimetres and June to August are the months with the lowest rainfall. July is also the warmest month of the year with an average temperature of 23.7°C. When camping in Argelès-sur-Mer, the average water temperature between November and May ranges from 12 to around 16°C and rises to an average of 19 to 22°C between June and October. Bathing enthusiasts and sun worshippers get their money's worth between June and September, while hikes are possible from as early as April.