Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Pyrénées-Orientales

Symbol of the wild beauty of the Côte Vermeille, the listed site of Anse de Paulilles is now a haven of peace. This large cove bathed in greenery is home to 3 beautiful beaches separated by rocky promontories. The site that we are given to see nowadays is the result of the unfailing will of the Conservatoire du Littoral in partnership with the Department, which is now in charge of its management. Guided tours will allow you to discover Paulilles' industrial past and to appreciate the landscape rehabilitation of this exceptional site. A museographic space presents the history of this former dynamite works. A new one-hour guided tour entitled "Cap au Sud" (Heading South) will allow you to immerse yourself in the daily life of the dynamite workers in the 1970s. Don't forget to visit L'atelier des Barques, where marine carpenters will show you the restoration work on Catalan boats. From the lookout, you will have a 360° panorama of the cove of Paulilles. This is the favourite site of the Catalans when the fine weather is coming. An advice in high season, come early in the morning or late in the evening. A magnificent hiking trail allows you to walk along the creeks and climb up to the lighthouse at Cap Béar. On the way, beautiful discovery of the local flora and small hidden coves. From the summit, the view is breathtaking over the Vermeille coast to the south and the Gulf of Lion to the north. Simply magical!

The Privat family has been specialists in Catalan garnet since 1945. A circuit leads you from the exhibition hall (400^m2) where old tools are on display, to the reconstructed garnet mine. A guide accompanies you and tells you the history of this jewel. A video will tell you more about the manufacturing process: the garnet is a mythical stone that culturally symbolises Catalonia and represents truth and fidelity. Finally, the workshops where the Privat family works in front of you.

The narrowest gorges in the world, with passages less than 80 cm wide, frightened the population, who were convinced that they were inhabited by the bruixes (evil witches). The legends merge with the history, that of the Trabucayres, the highwaymen who raged in the region around 1840. This canyon of 1,700 m long and 200 m deep is so narrow in some places that the daylight does not reach the bottom, it is where the Simiots live, those hideous beings straight out of children's stories.