Reserves and protected sites

Le Racou

El Racó

Argelès-sur-Mer · The beginning of the Côte Vermeille

Conservatoire du littoral · Natura 2000

Photo: Jean-Pierre Bazard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

South of Argelès-sur-Mer, the sandy beach comes to an abrupt end at the foot of the first cliffs: at Le Racou, the Pyrenees plunge into the Mediterranean and the Côte Vermeille begins, with its hamlet of cabins, its coves and its coastal path.

Visit Opening hours, prices, access and events on site ↓

Overview

Le Racou, “El Racó” in Catalan, meaning the nook, marks the southern end of the great beach of Argelès-sur-Mer. After seven kilometres of sand from the Mas Larrieu, the coast changes abruptly: at the end of the beach, the first schist cliffs rise up. It is here that the Albères massif, the last foothill of the Pyrenees, plunges into the sea and that the Côte Vermeille begins, rocky and indented, all the way to the Spanish border.

Behind the beach, a small hamlet of low houses, grown out of fishermen’s cabins, stretches along sandy, flower-lined lanes. The place has inspired painters: Étienne Terrus, a friend of Matisse and Derain, painted Le Racou at the turn of the 20th century.

To preserve this landscape, the Conservatoire du littoral acquired nearly 30 hectares around the site between 1996 and 2004: the rocks of Porteils, the promontory of the En Sorra mill and the Valmarie wood. The cliffs between Le Racou and Collioure are recognised for their ecological interest and are part of the Natura 2000 network of the rocky coast of the Albères. The vegetation found here is specific to Catalonia, including the Roussillon thrift, a protected plant.

From the beach car park, the coastal path sets off, following the coves all the way to Collioure: one of the finest walks on the Catalan coast.

Key figures

Côte sableuse d’Argelès: 7 km, as far as Le Racou
Côte rocheuse d’Argelès: 2 km, from Le Racou to the Ouille
Conservatoire du littoral: nearly 30 ha acquired (1996-2004)
Cliffs from Le Racou to Collioure: ecological area of 31 ha
Beach: Blue Flag, supervised bathing in summer
Path to Collioure: about 4 km

Wildlife, plants and landscapes

From sand to rock

At the end of the beach, the sand gives way to the first schist cliffs: this is the boundary between the sandy coast of Roussillon and the Côte Vermeille.

The Pyrenees in the sea

The Albères massif, the eastern end of the Pyrenees, plunges directly into the Mediterranean here.

Catalan flora

The cliffs shelter vegetation adapted to wind and sea spray, including the Roussillon thrift, a protected species.

A small, discreet fish

The shallow sandy seabed at Le Racou is home to the amphioxus, a primitive marine animal studied by scientists.

A painter's landscape

Étienne Terrus, a painter from Elne close to the Fauves, depicted Le Racou.

A hamlet of cabins

The hamlet grew up around former fishermen's cabins, now low houses between the sand and the flowers.

When to go

The site is freely accessible all year round. The beach of Le Racou, awarded the Blue Flag, is supervised by municipal lifeguards in the summer season. For the coastal path, choose spring, autumn or the cooler hours of summer; some sections may occasionally be closed after rockfalls.

Getting there

The car park for the beach of Le Racou lies south of Port-Argelès, off the D114; it has spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility and a launching chair for entering the water. The coastal path leaves the beach towards Porteils, the cove of the Ouille and Collioure (about 4 km, allow an hour and a half to two hours).