| ARGELÈS, the first of the resorts, with the last of the wide sandy beaches, on this stretch of coast, is lively and friendly but packed out with foreign tourists. The Musée Casa des Albères in rue de l'Égalité (June–Sept Mon–Fri 9am–noon & 3–6pm, Sat 9am–noon; €1.60) has some interesting exhibits of local arts and traditions. A few kilometres south, COLLIOURE, set in its bay and once by far the prettiest of these places, inspired Matisse and Derain in 1905 to embark on their explosive Fauvist colour experiments; it's now overly quaint, to the point where you can follow the Chemin de Fauvisme, with reproductions of their works fixed to walls around the town. Palm trees line the curving beach, while behind the town, slopes of vines and olives rise to ridges crowned with ruined forts and watchtowers. the town is dominated by the Château-Royal (daily: June–Sept 10am–6pm; Oct–May 9am–5pm; €3), which was founded by the Templars in the twelfth century and which has undergone numerous alterations, especially at the hands of the kings of Majorca and Aragon in the fourteenth century and again after the Treaty of the Pyrenees gave Collioure to France. Today, it's largely given over to summertime exhibitions. Collioure's other landmark is the distinctive round belfry of the seventeenth-century church of Notre-Dame-des-Anges (daily 9am–noon & 2–6pm), formerly the harbour lighthouse; inside the nave are some exuberant Baroque altarpieces. Behind it two small beaches are divided by a causeway leading to the chapel of St-Vincent, built on what used to be a rocky islet, while to the left a concrete path follows the rocky shore to the bay of Le Racou back towards Argelès. Behind the Château lies the old harbour, where half a dozen brightly painted lateen-rigged fishing boats are often beached, all that remains of Collioure's traditional fleet. The attractive surrounding streets of pink- and beige-washed houses are the centre of tourist activity. The tourist office is here on place de 18-Juin (July & Aug Mon–Sat 9am–8pm & Sun 10am-noon & 1–6pm; Sept–June Mon–Sat 9am–noon & 2–6.30pm; tel 04.68.82.15.47, www.collioure.com). Two pleasant and comfortable places to stay are Le Boramar (tel 04.68.82.07.06; €40–55; closed Nov–April) and the nearby Triton, 1 rue Jean-Bart (tel 04.68.98.39.39, [email protected]; €30–40). The best campsite is the seaside La Girelle (tel 04.68.81.25.56, fax 04.68.81.87.02; closed Oct–March), but there are numerous others in the area, should it be full. Rue Camille-Pelletan, leading out to the harbour, has some cafés and restaurants. Off the main strip, try El Capillo, 22 rue St-Vincent (from €10.98; closed Nov to mid-March), or the smarter La Marinade, on place 18-Juin (menus €10 and €23; closed Nov–March), both serving Catalan dishes. Alternate spellings:: France, Argelès, Argelès, Argeles
| 
