Towels around their necks and parasols under their arms, tourists take over the beaches of the Catalan coast in this second weekend of July. The choice is vast: sand or pebble, windy or sheltered, but above all paid or free parking, which are the most affordable? From Barcarès to Cerbère, L’Indépendant has compared for you the price of parking lots on all the beaches on the Catalan coast.
Salted parking on Catalan beaches? During the summer season, enjoying the beaches remains a free pleasure. However, the problem of parking can change the situation. And make the bill go up…
On the Vermeille coast, all parking lots in Collioure and Banyuls-sur-Mer are chargeable. In the first municipality, the fee schedule is higher, €8.50 for 5 hours. It is a little less salty in Banyuls, €5.50 for the same duration. To park for free in the area, it is necessary to favor the bay of Paulilles in Port-Vendres, the creek of Paiguilles between Le Racou and Collioure or the car park of the batteries between Collioure and Port-Vendres.
In Canet-en-Roussillon, the Aquarium, Vermeille and Méditerranée car parks are chargeable, with the same rates as those in Collioure. Stéphane Loda, mayor of the town, assumes: Building a parking lot is expensive. It was decided to pass the cost on to the user and not to the taxpayer. On the other hand, a little further, the Santorin and Floralies car parks, as well as the spaces available in the alleys, remain free. When they are available… The other option is to favor swimming at the nautical center, with several dozen places for which there is no need to pay 1 euro.
Same principle in Argelès-sur-Mer. Near the seafront, behind the alley of pines, the Grau, market and beach car parks are paid. For Claire, a tourist who comes straight from the Dordogne with her children, this is not a problem: free space”. However, a few minutes walk away, the bravest tourists can park for free in the car parks of the Tourist Office, the Abat, the Priou and the Plaisanciers vers le port. Near the north beach, it is between alleys and residential car parks that the rare free parking lots are nestled.
As for Le Racou, even if the car park behind the beach is practical for unloading windsurfing equipment, there is still a charge. 500 places at the entrance to the station are free.
I feel that I don’t have to pay to go to the beach
In Saint-Cyprien, the first car park at the entrance to the town coming from Canet is, of course, free but already full at 10.30 am, at the beginning of July. Although places are precious, a bather from Perpignan rejoices: I feel that I don’t have to pay to go to the beach. We are not on the French Riviera.
Many car parks are chargeable to prevent cars from being parked for entire weeks on the seafront. This is the case of Cerbère, where four hours of parking costs 20 euros, it is a measure to encourage rotation of cars, according to Christian Grau, the mayor. He adds: In the city, there are other car parks with nearly 500 spaces within a ten-minute walk.
In Barcarès, Torreilles and Sainte-Marie-la-Mer, no need to take out your wallet
These three municipalities in the department apply a 100% free parking policy. A stone’s throw from the beach, a thousand parking spaces are free of charge in Sainte-Marie-la-Mer. For Edmond Jorda, the mayor, it was a commitment, parking will remain free.
Same in the Lydia car park, which has 600 spaces, or in the rest of the town of Barcarès, locals and holidaymakers are guaranteed not to pay for their parking. Near the port, we are talking about about 400 places available.
As for Torreilles, there are car parks of equivalent capacity, a stone’s throw from the beach. But also a little out of the way, at the entrance to the city, where 600 parking lots are hidden.
