Sur les pas des contrebandiers
Along one of the most beautiful stretches of the coastal path, walk in the footsteps of the smugglers of Banyuls and their municipal and smuggling republic between 1780 and 1850.
This walk, themed around the history of smugglers, will lead you through beautiful coastal landscapes, whether along the water's edge or through the vineyards. The coves you pass offer opportunities to stop and rest. It's a chance to take a dip and discover the local underwater flora and fauna.
Take the coastal path which runs along the beach of the former Héliomarin centre (Sana beach for Banyulencs).
Further on, notice this proud and haughty rock tower called Castell de velut (velvet castle). It owes its name to the discovery by customs officers of a piece of Genoa velvet hidden by smugglers in an excavation of the rock. The path winds along the cliff and overlooks the cove dels tamarius (tamarinds) then the cove of the pistoline and its remolinats (whirlpools).
Further on, just before Cape Ullastrell, the cove of the felouga where the customs felucca the Lynx was set on fire with thorns by the Banyulencs in 1833.
The path arrives at Fourat (the hole), passes in front of houses (old fishermen's houses) and the beach.
To reach the entrance to the Paulilles site, continue to the left. This is the former site of the famous Nobel dynamite factory and the workers' village. Currently, visitors can explore a museum, a Catalan boat workshop, an exhibition hall, and the director's garden with its exotic trees and flowers.
The coastal path continues on the north side to Argelès-sur-mer and on the south side to Cerbère, on the other side of the border you pass on the GR92 to Roses and beyond.