Drawn by the light of the Vallespir from 1910 onward, Picasso, Matisse and Soutine turned Céret into one of the cradles of Cubism. The town remains France's cherry capital today and a gateway to the Canigou. Curated from the Loca database, no paid placement.
Museum, medieval bridge and old town packed into a few hundred metres beside the Tech river.
Founded in 1950 around gifts from Picasso, Matisse, Chagall and Soutine, who came to paint here from 1910 onward. Regarded as one of the birthplaces of Cubism, with one of the richest Picasso ceramics collections anywhere.
A single-span 14th-century Gothic bridge over the Tech, one of the tallest medieval bridges in France when it was built. Catalan legend says the devil built it in a single night.
A classic Catalan bell-tower gate overlooking Place des Neuf-Jets, famous for its fountains installed in 1919 and the beating heart of the old town.
Narrow lanes, arcades and remnants of the medieval walls around Place de la Liberté, best explored on foot with no fixed route.
Catalan sculptor Manolo Hugué, the very man who drew Picasso and Braque to Céret from 1910 onward, is buried in the village cemetery, where a monument honours the artist who brought Cubism here in the first place.
Céret opens onto the Vallespir trail network toward the Canigou and the Spanish border, threading between the river and terraced orchards planted with cherry trees.
The hillsides around Céret produce IGP Côtes Catalanes wines, on terraces that alternate with cherry orchards, another farming side of the Vallespir to discover on the roads climbing out of town.
In late May and early June, Céret celebrates its title as France's cherry capital, its harvest traditionally the first of the national season, with tastings on Place des Neuf-Jets.
A weekly Saturday-morning market in the old town, Vallespir produce and cherries in season.
Restaurants and tapas bars cluster around Place des Neuf-Jets and Place de la Liberté, at the heart of the old town.
A full-day excursion through Céret, Collioure and Banyuls-sur-Mer, following the trail of the painters who made the Côte Vermeille's artistic reputation. Transport and guide included.
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