The area close to Mas Saurine

We are located just between the villages of Joch and Vinca. Only three minutes away, Vinca offers local shops, restaurants and bars. The larger towns of Ille sur Tet and Prades, both ten minutes away, provide more comprehensive shopping and weekly markets.  There are numerous walks in the magnificent countryside surrounding the Mas.  For the more energetic, bikes are available.

Non-painting partners are very welcome and will find themselves spoilt for choice. There are golf courses, fishing, tennis, horse riding, wine tasting and sightseeing all close at hand, with excellent walking and cycling routes on the doorstep.

The Pyrénées-Orientales

Mas Saurine is in the département of the Pyrénées-Orientales. With its rich diversity of wildlife, flora and pure mountain air the Pyrenees Orientales is a wonderful place for a holiday. The area offers something for everyone with the wonderful sandy beaches on the Mediterranean coast, the plain of Roussillon where the vineyards and peach orchards are planted and rugged mountain terrain for walkers, skiers and people in search of peace and quiet away from the crowds. Mas Saurine is part way between the coast and the mountains, making it ideally situated for those who want the best of both worlds.

The wide, sandy beaches of the Mediterranean are forty minutes away at Argelès. A little further on is the picturesque fishing village of Collioure, which attracted artists such as Matisse, Derain and Picasso.  Close by is the town of Céret, famous for its bullfighting and its Museum of Modern Art.

Inland, the medieval fortified village of Villefranche is 20 minutes drive from Mas Saurine.  From here one can take the famous Little Yellow Train, a narrow gauge mountain train with open-top carriages which snakes it way up to the high mountain pass towards Andorra.

The city of Perpignan, 30 minutes away, offers good shopping and nightlife. On Thursday evenings throughout July and August there is free street entertainment. This includes bands, jugglers, fire-eaters and dancers and is not to be missed

We are just 1 hour from the border with Northern Spain where one can buy duty free goods and only 2 hours from the lively and exciting city of Barcelona, which makes it close enough for a day-trip.

In this area there are many churches, priories and abbeys that are open to the public, that are on the Route de Compostella - which is the ancient route that all the pilgrims once followed and many people still follow today.

Rennes-le-Chateau is the scene of an early 20thC mystery involving the local priest who was found on his death to have acquired a large fortune. The source of these funds has given rise to much conjecture and has featured in many books, films and television programmes including The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail and the Da Vinci Code. Rennes-le-Chateau is an easy day trip from Mas Saurine.