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Pyrenees Orientales

Mountains and sea

In the southern most department of the Languedoc, this beautiful wild area butts up against the Spanish border, from where many of its customs and and culinary traditions come from. There is a distinct feeling here that you are "sort-of" in Spain. The food in many bars resembles tapas and the traditional clothing and fetes have a very strong Spanish influence.

The Pyrenees Mountains are said to be "a wonderland for the holiday-maker", whether your interests be hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, skiing or simply the desire for adventure. Over the past thirty years the Pyrenees have been rediscovered and is everyday increasing in popularity and becoming an alternative to the well-known Alps.

If you are even slightly sporty this is probably one of the best places in the world to be. The air is clean, the welcome is friendly and the food is both fantastic and healthy - and half an hour one way you are on some of the cleanest beaches in Europe - and half an hour the other way you can be skiing on the slopes of the Pyrenees.

Real Estate pries in the Pyrenees are some of the least inexpensive in France, with some fabulious bargains especially if you like old stone country houses that need "a bit of work". Although TotallyLanguedoc has many properties in the area that are completely renovated, the fun of "putting your stamp" on your own property is to much to resist for many of our clients.

The capital of the Pyrenees Orientales is Perpignan which is a vibrant and seductive city and permeats with Spanish and Catalan influences and this becomes evident at night. The streets around place de la Loge has the highest concentration of bars and clubs in town. A typical evening in town usually start with some drinks in the bars de nuit and then off to the disco for a night of dancing. A good place to start your pub crawl is at Le Habana-Club, 5 rue Grande-des-Fabriques where you will enjoy wonderful cocktails while listening to salsa and merengua music. The discos in Perpignan generally open around 11 pm. Try Le Napoli, 3 rue place de Catalonia, a modern, mirrored space without any chairs. Dancing is the name of the game. Another option is Uba-Club, 5 bd. Mercader, with modern decor and some sofas and chairs and a smallish dance floor. Le Milord, 20 rue Jules-Verne, one of the largest discos in town is where the social locals between the ages 30 to 50 hang out.

Perpignan is the capital of the Pyrenees Orientales department, and is the last French city before the Spanish border which is just an hour away (soon to be linked by high speed trains in under 45 minutes).

The Languedoc Roussillon Mediterranean coastline running along the Aude and the Pyrenees Orientales is full of contrast and diversity which seduces thousands of holiday makers every year. There are over 70 kilometres (40 miles) of golden sandy beach stretching from the mouth of the River Aude, down the length of the Golfe du Lion to the rugged cliffs of the Cote Vermeille (the vermillion coast) at the Spanish border.

Intercepted by lagoons, rocky outcrops and pine forests, and edged with endless blue sea it is no wonder that going on holiday here is as popular with the French as it is with foreign visitors. For many of them, lazing on the beach soaking in the sun, or sitting at portside bistros sipping from a cool glass of wine is more than enough to fill the day.