Anchorage

Plage de Cerbère

Shelter: NW, W, SW, S
Seabed: sand, rock, algae, mud
Anchoring: Allowed

Pebble-and-sand bay at the last French village before the Spanish border, on the Côte Vermeille in Roussillon.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the east, clear of the rocky headlands of Cap Cerbère and Cap Peyrefite. Mixed bottom of sand, rock, algae and mud, so anchor on sand patches only. Shelter from NW through S; exposed to the tramontane that sweeps down from the Pyrenees from the north and to any easterly swell. Keep well clear of the marine reserve moorings off Cap Peyrefite.

Practical

No services on the beach. Small Port de Cerbère 0.2 NM west with a few visitor spots, water and a slipway. Shops, bakery and a railway station to the village centre within 200 m of the beach. Banyuls-sur-Mer marina 2.8 NM NW for fuel and full provisioning.

Ashore

The Réserve Naturelle Marine de Cerbère-Banyuls starts just south of the bay, the first marine reserve created in France in 1974, with a marked underwater trail from Plage de Peyrefite. GR 10 coastal path starts at Cerbère and climbs toward the border. Railway viaduct and Belvédère du Rayon Vert hotel built in 1932 overlook the village.

History

Cerbère grew as a French border railway station from 1878 when the Paris to Barcelona line reached the frontier, with a dedicated gauge-change shed for goods trains crossing into Spain.