A PRETTY seaside town has compared to Cornwall – with a very arty history.
Collioure, in France, has inspired a number of artists including Picasso and Matisse.
Now dubbed the City of Painters, the Museum of Modern Art continues on the legacy.
As many as three million tourists visit a year, despite having just 3,000 locals.
It was even named France‘s favourite village, in a local competition that has ben running for more than a decade.
Expect influences from both France and Catalonia – it is 15 miles from the Spanish border.
Otherwise it is worth just walking through the multicoloured streets, full of cafes, shops and galleries.
Don’t leave without trying some local Collioure’s anchovies and locally-made white and red wines.
A tourist said it was “one of the prettiest towns in France,” while another said it “could be compared to St Ives in Cornwall“
One of the main attractions is the 800-year-old Meiveal castle, Château Royal de Collioure which is easy to walk to and has the best views of the town.
Anna Richards, who lives in France, said of the village to inews: “So many artists have set up studios that every narrow street feels like a gallery.
“There are hundreds of different kaleidoscopic interpretations of the town, the harbour and the Mediterranean Sea.
“Its two beaches include a crescent of custard-coloured, slightly shingly sand between the harbour and bell tower, and Plage de Port d’Avall, the other side of the Château Royal, which is framed by houses as colourful as an artist’s palette.”
The Château Royal looks like a sandcastle between them, angular and built in blocks, as though it’s made from Lego.
The best way to get there is to fly to Perpignan Airport, with direct UK flights from both London Stansted and Birmingham.
Collioure is just 20 minutes from there by train.
If you want an affordable stay, there is a Eurocamp just 15 miles away which the Sun’s Joel Davis visited.
Here’s another quaint village in France that is often named the country’s most beautiful.
A tiny French island is a popular place for locals to visit – that Brits may not have heard of.
And here’s the holiday region dubbed the French Cotswolds.
