Castelnou
Member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
The Aspres, a sliver of Roussillon between the Têt and the Tech, take their name from their stony soil, and Castelnou (Castellnou dels Aspres in Catalan) sits in these hills beneath its castle. The fortress rides a limestone outcrop; the base of its walls dates from the 10th century, though much was remade in the 19th. Below it, lies the old village and the Romanesque church of Sainte-Marie du Mercadal.
Highlights
- The viscounts' castle on its limestone outcrop above the village
- The Romanesque church of Sainte-Marie du Mercadal
- The old watchtower of Castelnou
- Voted seventh in France's favourite-village contest in 2015
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Castelnou, Castelnou, Pyrénées-Orientales, Castelnou (Francia)), Wikivoyage (Castelnou). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 280
Things to see
Events through the year
- Winter patronal feast
- Summer patronal feast
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Castelnou). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Specialities of Occitania
Typical of the region rather than of this village.
- Petit pâté de NîmesBread and pasta
- Fish soup of SèteDishFish cooked with vegetables, white wine and olive oil, served with rouille croutons
- Pain paillasse de LodèveBread and pasta
- BajanaDishTraditional chestnut soup of the Cévennes
Adapted from Wikipedia (Cuisine occitane). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
3 places to stay within 3 km
- B&Bs and guest houses 2
- Hotels 1
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Thermal baths nearby
- Thermal spa: Thermes du Boulou · ~31 min by car
- Hot spring: Source chaude · ~57 min by car
- Hot spring: Bassins de Thuès 42° · ~58 min by car
- Hot spring: Source Saint-Louis · ~58 min by car
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Eus · 20 km
- Villefranche-de-Conflent · 28 km
- Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste · 30 km
- Évol · 37 km
- Beget · 38 km