Collioure
France
A Catalan fishing port at the foot of the Pyrenees, where Matisse and Derain invented Fauvism in the summer of 1905
Photo by Doyo Hermann on Unsplash
Photos by Jametlene Reskp, Nicolas HIPPERT, Jametlene Reskp and Antoine Demare on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of France
May to June, and September to October — high summer fills the one road in, and the tramontane blows in the cool season
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 85mm in Oct
Where it is
42.53°N, 3.08°E Open in Google Maps
Things to do
Several days- Arrive by train in summer rather than looking for a parking space
- Follow the Fauvist trail and compare the frames with what is in front of you
- Walk up through the vines to Fort Saint-Elme for the whole coast
- Taste Banyuls at a cellar rather than a bar
- Visit the grave of Antonio Machado, the Spanish poet who died here as a refugee in 1939
Collioure travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget France
Mid-rangeCards everywhere, including the anchovy shops and the wine cellars. Refuse the conversion when a terminal offers to charge you in your own currency.
ATMs & cards
There are a few bank machines in the village and they are busy in summer. Use a bank machine rather than an independent one that offers to convert.
Avoid these
- independent machines that offer to convert to your own currency
Use these instead
- Crédit Agricole
- Banque Populaire
- La Banque Postale
The village machines can run short on summer weekends; Perpignan or Argelès are the fallback.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of France
Very safeVery safe. The things to plan for are the summer crowds — the village is tiny and the road and car parks are full by mid-morning in July and August — and the tramontane, a cold north-westerly wind that can blow hard for days and makes the sea rough. The small beaches have no lifeguards out of season.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (7 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- the road into the village in summer — car parks are full by mid-morning in July and August; come by train or park outside and walk in
- The tramontane, which can blow hard for days, roughens the sea and makes the coastal path exposed
- the path to Fort Saint-Elme — steep and unshaded, and hot work in summer
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa France visa rules
No visa needed
Freedom of movement — no time limit, and no visa. Bring a passport or national ID card.
Other passports
No visa neededup to 90 days
90 days within any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area, not per country. ETIAS, a paid online authorisation, is being introduced for these passports — check the official link for whether it applies to your travel dates.
Visa required in advance€90 (Schengen short-stay visa)
A Schengen short-stay visa is applied for before travel, at the consulate of your main destination.
How to get it: Apply at the consulate or visa centre of the country you will spend most time in, typically 15 working days ahead and no more than six months before travel.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of France
Excellent and cheapRequired to enter
No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Routine vaccinations up to date
Getting treated
EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
Very goodCollioure anchovies are salted and cured in the village, and the two remaining houses that do it sell them in their shops — buy them there, not in a jar at a supermarket. Banyuls, the sweet fortified red from the next bay, is the local aperitif; the dry red and rosé under the Collioure name come from the same slate terraces.
Travel tipsGetting around
Workable- UberWorks here
- BoltWorks here
- G7Works here
- FREE NOWWorks here
G7 the taxi fleet, by app
- Against a taxi
- Much the same. The flat airport rate is a taxi rule and the apps price against it.
Time zone and your working day
Europe/Paris — 6 hours ahead of you
2 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–11:00 your time, 15:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 03:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 03:00–11:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for France, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
French
- HelloBonjourbon-ZHOOR
- PleaseS'il vous plaîtseel voo PLEH
- Thank youMercimer-SEE
- Yes / NoOui / Nonwee / non
4 more phrases
- Excuse meExcusez-moiex-koo-zay MWA
- How much is it?C'est combien ?say com-BYEN
- The bill, pleaseL'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON
- Cheers!Santé !son-TAY
Open with bonjour before anything else. Launching straight into a question without it reads as rude, and explains a lot of reputed French coldness.
Travel tipsReligion
Catholic, and strictly secular
Laïcité is a constitutional principle: religion is kept out of public institutions, and conspicuous religious symbols are banned in state schools. Cover shoulders in cathedrals.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Say bonjour before anything else, every single time you enter a shop
- Keep your voice down in restaurants and on public transport
- Keep both hands visible on the table while eating, wrists on the edge
- Dress a notch smarter than you would at home — it changes how you are treated
Don't
- Do not ask for a doggy bag or substitutions; the dish arrives as the kitchen intends
- Do not start with English without at least attempting bonjour, parlez-vous anglais
- Do not tip more than rounding up — service is included by law
- Do not eat while walking; it reads as slightly uncivilised
Where to stay in Collioure
No Holistay rentals in Collioure yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Collioure on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Perpignan–Rivesaltes PGF
35 minfrom the airport· 29 km as the crow flies
About 35 min by hire car, or a bus into Perpignan and the coastal train.
Also worth pricing: Girona–Costa Brava GRO — across the border in Spain, about 1h15 by road, with more low-cost routes.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
