5 Things to do in Villefranche-de-Conflent

Introduction

Nestled deep in the valley of the River Têt, Villefranche-de-Conflent is an attractive, historic, walled town, located in the Conflent region of Catalonia, a commune of Pyrénées-Orientales in southern France. The town first dates from as far back as 1098.

This area has been long contested through the ages, changing hands many times between rulers from France and Spain. As such, many of the strategically positioned towns in this region have been heavily fortified. In the 1700s, the French marshal, Vauban, instigated a programme of improvement of outlying French defences. The historical significance of all these defences, including those at Villefranche-de-Conflent, are together recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

A visit inside the fortified town walls makes an interesting day trip if staying in the region. The dramatic, surrounding mountain landscapes also offer endless opportunities for scenic walks and further adventures.

Here are some suggestions for 5 of the best things to do when visiting Villefranche-de-Conflent:

#1 Explore inside the Fortified Walls

As you approach Villefranche from the main N116 road (that links Perpignan on the Mediterranean coast with the high mountains of the Pyrénées Catalanes), the fortified city walls immediately come into view. Once parked in one of the several car parks that surround the town, you then enter via one of the impressive stone entrance gates that allow access from all sides. Inside of the walls, the roads are largely pedestrianised (other than local traffic), so make for a pleasant environment for wandering around and exploring.

Lining the narrow lanes of the two parallel main streets are an assortment of small shops, largely there to service the steady stream of tourists that pour into the town each year. There are some individual and quirky shops amongst them, providing good possibilities for unusual souvenirs, including one shop that is themed on witches and even another that is concerned with all things mushroom!

When you feel like taking a break from exploring, relax for a while at one of the town centre’s cafes or restaurants. If stopping for a drink, when the weather is good, it’s lovely to sit outdoors in the square at Le Vauban. Alternatively, check out the Cafe Le Canigou, decorated using an interesting assortment of fire brigade memorabilia. The centrally located Le Patio restaurant serves up delicious and hearty local Catalan dishes, with a variety of set menus to suit all tastes and budgets.

#2 Grotte des Grandes Canalettes

A few hundred metres outside of town on the road heading south, are these extensive, natural caves. Visitors can enter into a substantial portion of these caves, with wooden walkways leading you around a circuit of impressive underground caverns with illuminated, other-worldly stalactite and stalagmite formations. The tour ends with a chance to sit and watch an audio visual experience, with images projected onto the walls of one of the larger caverns, accompanied by a stirring sound track.

Outside the cave, entrance also includes the chance to explore some pleasant outdoor garden space, complete with giant dinosaur sculptures, making for a great fun visit for all the family.

#3 Fort Liberia

Hugging the hillside, looking down on Villefranche from high above, is the imposing Fort Liberia. A key part of Vauban’s defence improvements for the town, this stone fort is positioned to benefit from great views down the valley, so as to warn of any incoming invaders. The construction methods used and arrangement of defences were unique at the time, which is a major contributing factor towards the UNESCO classification. The fort was never conquered.

As well as boasting panoramic views, the fort is also interesting to explore, with atmospheric passageways interspersed with reconstructed scenes using mannequins. The entrance ticket can either be purchased at the bottom or top of the hill, depending on your chosen method of approach.

Fort Liberia can be reached in 3 ways. A combination of these can be used for different routes up and down.

• The first, is a reasonably strenuous walk up from the town below. The walk starts from turning off the footpath that leads from one of the town’s rear entrance gates towards the nearby train station. It takes a bit of effort (especially on a hot day) but my 2 year old managed it, so it can’t be that bad.
• The second way up is to get a 4WD ride up the gravel track that winds its way up the hillside. Tickets for this can be bought in the centre of town.
• The third (and most unusual) ascent is via an enormous flight of covered stairs, built within a tunnel and linking all the way from the town right up to the fort on the hillside. It’s an incredible piece of construction, especially when considering how long ago it was built.

Personally, we opted for walking up the path and descending the tunnel staircase, which seemed a decent choice. I don’t think I’d fancy walking all the way up those stairs!

#4 Train Jaune (or Yellow Train)

Departing from Villefranche station, itself only a short walk outside of the town’s fortified walls, is this charming yellow tourist train. This cute and historic train, some of which has open top carriages, winds its way from Villefranche on a scenic trip up into the high Pyrénées Catalanes mountains. If you’re someone who enjoys a good train ride, or who likes to be able to appreciate impressive mountain scenery up close (without having to walk!), then this is definitely the activity for you. It’s a beautiful and great fun way to spend a day. The train departures are fairly infrequent, so check timetables carefully first before planning a ride.

#5 Walk to Chapelle Notre-Dame de Vie

The countryside all around Villefranche is perfect for walking, with steep valley sides creating some unforgettable viewpoint opportunities. Other than the fun walk up to Fort Liberia, another great option is a walk up to an extremely cute and crumbling stone mountain chapel, the Chapelle Notre-Dame de Vie.

The ascent begins from a small footpath that departs from just past where the train line crosses the N116 road to the west of the town. The path is, for the most part, easy to follow and in good condition (although the gradient of the hillside that the path criss-crosses does feel pretty steep at times). It is quite a long and strenuous walk up and the orientation of the path means a lot of direct sunshine, so hats and plenty of water are recommended for summer. Again though, my 2 year old made it almost all the way up on her own (with only a small carry towards the top), so it is nothing too crazy.

Once the chapel is reached, the path continues higher, up to a natural cave up on the hillside above. This bit of the walk is where the path condition worsens and includes some small sections which are a bit more like climbing. We all made it up but if you’re worried by heights, you might want to leave this bit well alone. For those who do make it to the cave, you are well rewarded with truly breathtaking views down the valley. You can easily imagine prehistoric cave-dwellers occupying such spaces as this, thousands of years ago.

It’s honestly one of the best walks that we’ve done anywhere, that can be completed in a few hours. It’s definitely well worth the effort.

Around Villefranche-de-Conflent

The area around Villefranche is full of other visitor attractions to keep you entertained if visiting for longer. There are many attractive villages and small towns that follow the river as it descends down the valley.

• Prades has lively bi-weekly markets showcasing some of the best regional produce.
• The town of Eus seems to cling to the hillside, topped by a pretty church and offering great views across the valley to the looming presence of Mt. Canigou, the region’s highest mountain and thing of local legend.
• Vinça has a swimming lake with artificial beach, perfect for cooling off when it’s hot (the water can be freezing!). There is even an inflatable obstacle course for children on the water, open in the peak summer months.

Following the river further down the valley eventually brings you to the historic (if a little run-down) city of Perpignan, as well as sandy beach resorts at Canet-en-Rousillon and Argelès-sur-Mer.

If you prefer your swimming a bit warmer, head in the other direction towards the mountains, to discover the excellent Bains de St Thomas, a thermal swimming pool that utilises naturally heated water from the onsite hot springs.

Climbing further still brings you to Les Angles, a pleasant mountain lake in summer and tidy little family-friendly ski resort in winter.

In Summary

The town of Villefranche-de-Conflent has much to offer visitors. Its historic, fortified centre is perfect for a casual day trip, with a selection of additional tourist attractions available if desired. Add to that some great shops and restaurants, as well as a wealth of beautiful surrounding mountain countryside, and you’ll see that there is something for everyone. There’s easily enough here to make you want to extend your stay in the region for longer (or leave you wanting to come back once you leave).

This part of the Pyrénées-Orientales really is a wonderful and laid-back region of France, displaying a uniquely Catalan style and character. It also welcomes fewer tourists each year than some of the other traditionally more popular regions of France, meaning now is a great time to visit. Come see for yourself, before everyone else beats you to it.

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