Site de Paulilles

We have been to this part of France, just south of Perpignan, twice but really wanted to see more this time and so went for 2 weeks. It is less well-known and that is one of the draws for us. After reading about Paulilles, I really wanted to see it. I had trouble convincing my hubby that it was a worthwhile place to go, but in the end he did like it. It is a former dynamite factory (!) that has been converted by the local authorities to a lovely park and small museum showing the life of the factory and village. It was opened by Alfred Nobel, of Peace Prize fame, in 1870. I found the story told by the museum to be a fascinating one, and very well done. There is lovely beach, one of the best in the area. When the Germans occupied France, they built a defensive wall at the beach, and this “mur des Allemands” is very useful now for providing shade on a hot day. The beach is not soft sand, but the coarse pebbly sand typical of the region, and the swimming is good (no lifeguard). There are no shops of any kind so bring all you need, although the museum has a cafe. There are nice modern toilets near the beach. There is a “vigie”, an outlook tower, which can be climbed, and shady boardwalk areas for relaxing when it gets too hot, as it was when we were there in September. Paulilles can be reached by public transport, the “one-euro” (yes, for any distance) bus from Perpignan, line 400, or by car. There is wheelchair access (paths, boardwalks) but not right on to the beach, as far as I could tell.