Free walking tours in Bélesta and what to see

Must-sees

Bélesta is a small village in the inland Pyrénées-Orientales, perched on a rock among vineyards and scrubland, less than an hour’s drive from Perpignan. It keeps part of its wall with a medieval gate, narrow streets with vaulted passages and the church of Saint-Barthélemy, the former castle chapel turned parish church in the 17th century. The castle, of medieval origin, now houses a prehistory museum.

The museum is devoted to the Bélesta cave, discovered near the village in 1983, where a Neolithic collective burial of some thirty people was found. It displays intact pottery, tools and ornaments from those early farmers and herders, alongside full-size reconstructions. In the surrounding area there is a passage dolmen you can reach on foot or by car. For the landscape, the climb up the 541-metre Pic Aubeill offers a panoramic view over the Fenouillèdes, the Corbières and the Agly lake.

Free tours and guided visits

There are no free walking tours in Bélesta. What Civitatis offers are activities among the vines: a 4x4 route through the village vineyards, a guided walk through the same estates and a 4x4 trip up the Pic Aubeill to watch the sunrise from the top. Beyond that, the village is easy to explore on your own, and the museum and the area’s waymarked trails round off the visit.

How long to spend

The village and the museum can be seen in a morning or an afternoon. If you add the climb up the Pic Aubeill, a circuit of about three hours from the village, or one of the vineyard activities, give it the whole day. With a weekend you can also visit Ille-sur-Têt or Tautavel, whose prehistory museum goes well with a visit to Bélesta. Bear in mind that it gets very hot in summer and that on some days the tramontane wind blows hard.

Where to stay

Bélesta itself has few places to stay: the odd small hotel, country cottages and rooms in village houses. Staying there lets you walk among the vines first thing, in the loveliest light and before the heat. If you can’t find anywhere, Ille-sur-Têt and the villages of the Agly Valley have a little more choice, and Perpignan, less than an hour away, has the widest range.