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Tour de la Massane

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Tour de la Massane - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

• Sun - Sat 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
• (5.47 km) Madeloc Hotel
• (5.43 km) L'Hostalet
• (4.88 km) Hôtel & Spa Les Mouettes
• (5.61 km) Hôtel Restaurant La Frégate Collioure
• (5.39 km) Hotel Le Cottage
• (5.14 km) Restaurant La Table du Roua Argelès sur Mer
• (5.31 km) Restaurant L'Amuse Bouche
• (5.29 km) Restaurant La Quête
• (5.40 km) Bartavelle
• (5.22 km) La Trencadis

Tour de la Massane

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

TOUR DE LA MASSANE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

• Sun - Sat 00:00 - 23:59
• (5.47 km) Madeloc Hotel
• (5.43 km) L'Hostalet
• (4.88 km) Hôtel & Spa Les Mouettes
• (5.61 km) Hôtel Restaurant La Frégate Collioure
• (5.39 km) Hotel Le Cottage
• (5.14 km) Restaurant La Table du Roua Argelès sur Mer
• (5.31 km) Restaurant L'Amuse Bouche
• (5.29 km) Restaurant La Quête
• (5.40 km) Bartavelle
• (5.22 km) La Trencadis

Baguettes and Bicyclettes

A Travel, Culture, and Language Learning Blog with a French Focus

La Tour de la Massane: An Unmissable Hike in Mediterranean France

Breathtaking peaks, glimmering waterfalls, or serene lakes might come to mind when planning your next hike. At least, that’s what I used to think of when I still lived in the states! After living in France for almost four years now, I’ve gotten used to stumbling upon castles and fortresses while in the countryside.

During my visit to Argelès-sur-Mer before the last lockdown, I noticed a couple of different towers up in the hills of the Albères . These towers are actually remnants of Medieval watchtowers during the reign of the Kings of Majorca. From the towers, you can see magnificent views of the sea. The tower I chose to visit this time was Tour de la Massane , which has a longer itinerary than the Tour de Madeloc , but offers a better shaded path.

I found the itinerary on Visorando , a great website for finding trails in France. Since I don’t have a car, I arrived in Argelès by train and walked from there to the trailhead. However, if you have your own vehicle, you could park at Valmy or another spot higher up if you want a shorter hike. The trek up to Massane is considered difficult at 800 m (2624 ft) above sea level. I’m still getting into hiking shape after sitting around at home during the confinement , but I was still able to make the 12 mile loop in about 6 hours with a few breaks in between. My legs were sore for a few days after of course, but the views and fresh air were worth it!

The path I took leads from the Château de Valmy , or next to it I should say; the trail is not in the park itself, but just around the corner to the northwest. I saw a few mountain bikers at the start of my journey so be aware of your surroundings if leaving from Valmy.

Not even halfway into the hike your start to have some amazing views of the sea and the château. I went in early May and there were so many lovely wildflowers like Spanish Lavender. It was a bit warm when I began the hike around 9:30 AM, so if you go in the Spring or Summer, consider starting as early as possible because the Mediterranean sun is no joke! Eventually it got cooler further up the path when I was surrounded by trees and some clouds.

One surprise I experienced on the hike were the presence of two dolmens. Before this land was French, Spanish, or even Majorcan, it was inhabited by the Iberians of the Iron Age. These Neolithic tombs are thought to date between 2,500-1,500 BC. Seeing the ancient stone structures made me think about about what our descendants will marvel about from 2021.

Another hour after the dolmens is when it started to get hard for me. I let a few other hikers pass me and I took my time so I wouldn’t strain myself. Soon enough, the signs for the tower indicated I was getting closer and closer. The higher up I climbed, the more breathtaking the views were. I hadn’t even reached the tower yet and I thought to myself this is the most beautiful hike I’ve ever been on!

At last, I reached the tower and immediately found a spot for my picnic. After refueling, I took my camera back out to capture this moment. I almost didn’t hike that day. I went to bed later than I planned the night before and I was nervous about hiking on my own. I’m so glad I pushed myself to go however!

La tour de la Massane was constructed at the end of the 13th century and was part of a defense network of signal towers in the territory. Massane gets its name from a river whose source comes from the Albères . In its heyday it was actually called ” Torre de Parabona ” which means tower of good stone, in reference to the granite peak upon which it was built. Today it’s possible to walk around the base of the tower, but you cannot climb up it unfortunately.

After admiring the tower, it was time to head back down so I could catch a train in time for the curfew. I chose a different path to descend to make the hike a loop. The descent was obviously much less strenuous than the ascent, but there were times when I wish I had had hiking poles to help me balance going down the rocky trail. This trail on the western side of the loop was shady, then a little more sunny with some stunning glimpses of the Pyrenees. I could have taken another detour to see a little chapel, but since I was already pretty tired, I continued on.

On the way down I passed a little memorial about the “chemins de la liberté” ; from 1939-1944 the trails in this area served as escape routes for refugees escaping the Spanish Civil War, and for Jews facing persecution. This memorial reminds hikers like me that we are lucky and privileged to be able to walk these trails for pleasure rather than for fleeing across a border for our lives.

As the sun started to get lower and more clouds descended over the coast, I began to see glimpses of Valmy once again. The sea behind it had gone from azur blue to a pale periwinkle. I stopped back in the park to refill my water bottle from the outdoor fountain, a refreshing treat after the hike. I was also happy to see the vines were growing again and I could even spot some baby grapes. Maybe later this summer I’ll be back when more things are open again to do a wine tasting. I made it back to the train station in the nick of time, just five minutes before departure.

Thanks for reading about my adventure to the Tour de la Massane . Let me know in the comments what your favorite hike you’ve ever done is!

À la prochaine,

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This sounds like a great hike, and I’m glad someone has put up a memorial about the “chemins de la liberté”.

Like Liked by 1 person

I’m glad I stumbled upon it! The little bits of history made the hike a lot more meaningful.

Now this hike looks like my style! A bit longer than what I would take, but still, I’d go for the challenge and the rewarding views of Collioure and the deep-blue Mediterranean Sea at the top! Awesome place (and congrats on landing your job in Paris)!

Yes, it was a bit long for me too, but a good challenge nonetheless! The sea views were 100% worth it.

Thank you, Rebecca! I’ll be sad to leave the South, but I’ll be happy to be back in Paris as well.

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Tour de la Massane

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

TOUR DE LA MASSANE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Tour de la Massane

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

Tour de la Massane - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Pyrenees, France

28 May 2018

The Massane Tower, or Tour de la Massane in French, is an ancient lookout tower perched high atop a small ridge top overlooking the Mediterranean coast near the French-Spanish border. The structure was built by the kings of Majorca around the 13 th century and used as a watchtower for more than 400 years. The location is breathtaking and affords gorgeous views over the surrounding plains, the sea and neighboring peaks of the Albera Massif in the Pyrenees. It’s easy to see why back in the days people used this spot as the perfect vantage point to watch for any intruders approaching by sea or land.

The tower makes for a great short day-hike as it’s only about 840 m elevation gain and 13 km round-trip, the starting point being the large parking lot at the Château Valmy. The castle has its own vineyards and public park and is also worth a visit while you’re in the area.

We spent the first 20 minutes walking around the park trying to find a way out of the castle grounds to reach the main trail, only to realize that there’s another smaller path off to the west of the parking lot that we should’ve taken. This shortcut takes you right to the official route up to the Massane Tower.

The trail is quite rocky and leads through lush, dense forest up the north ridge of the peak. It had been raining lots recently and with the high humidity and constantly changing cloud cover it felt like a tropical outing in an evergreen rain forest today! Yellow markers helped us stay on track, but the sign posts that appear at various junctions aren’t always super helpful – the stated times seem to be off (generally underestimating the required hiking time) and sometimes we weren’t sure where the arrows were pointing.

Wen was in amazing shape today and I had trouble keeping up with her as she raced up the trail, perhaps mindful of the darkening clouds accumulating over our heads. Sure enough, about half way up it started to rain, but thankfully the squalls didn’t last long. By the time we reached the main summit ridge, it had cleared up a bit. Fortunate for us, because seeing the tower appear along the ridge with all the clouds around us was simply an amazing sight! Of course we had the place all to ourselves once again.

The tower is a relatively small structure, perhaps 5 metres in diameter, and there’s nothing but an iron ladder inside behind the locked gate. Through the swiftly changing clouds we could glance at Fort Saint-Elme on another smaller hill to the east, with the Mediterranean forming a spectacular backdrop. Another tower, Tour Madeloc, could also be seen on a neighboring ridge. To the west, Puig Neulós, the highest of all Albera peaks, was all but enveloped in dark clouds. There was an ominous roar of thunder in the distance, which felt quite unsettling up here on this very exposed ridge. We quickly devoured our lunch (which tasted like heaven!) and decided to get out of there before all hell broke loose…

Just as the thunder was getting louder and the rain started again, we came across a solo hiker on his way up. The brave soul seemed undeterred by the worsening storm brewing above our heads, while all we could think about is to hurry down as fast as possible! Soon after leaving the summit ridge, we turned left at a trail marker to follow the loop route that was recommended for an easier descent. The trail was indeed less rocky and, in my opinion, easier to hike now that it was pouring cats and dogs. We were already drenched as we donned our ponchos, only to take them off again half an hour later as the rain abated.

Our second and last human encounter was with a French hunter who had driven up some rough track in his little Suzuki jeep. He had taken his hunting dogs for a walk, both collared and equipped with sensors that were connected to his GPS so he could call them back anytime he wanted. Wild boar are quite common in the forests here, as evidenced by the churned up soil in many places. The hunting season had apparently just ended, with the next season starting again in September. The friendly hunter offered us a ride down to Argelès, but we politely declined – we were completely soaked anyway and figured that we might as well finish the last 30 minutes of hiking now. It was an easy walk back to Valmy on a network of muddy trails that turned into a dirt road lower down.

This was a great little hike that is no doubt even more enjoyable on a sunny, cloud-free day!

DOWNLOAD ROUTE (GPX FILE)

DISCLAIMER : Use at your own risk for general guidance only! Do not follow this GPX track blindly but use your own judgement in assessing terrain and choosing the safest route.

Château Valmy, with the Massane Tower hidden in the clouds behind.

Château Valmy

This is the correct start from the large parking lot at the castle. Down the small short-cut past the vineyards to the main trail.

Dolmen – pre-historic rock structures en route to the tower.

Huge rock slabs form small structures – dwellings or places of worship perhaps.

Fort Saint-Elme to the east.

The clouds seem to slowly rise with us as we gain elevation.

The path is well-signed out.

It gets pretty lush – almost tropical now in the rain – near the top!

It is unusually wet and stormy for this time of the year.

Finally, the Tour de la Massane!

It’s a simple, slender structure built atop a high point of the ridge.

Wonky stairs lead up to the base of the tower.

Tour Madeloc on another peak to the east.

Our descent takes us through some dark, tunnel-like stretches of forest.

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Tour de la Massane

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

TOUR DE LA MASSANE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

• Sun - Sat 00:00 - 23:59
• (3.42 mi) Madeloc Hotel
• (3.39 mi) L'Hostalet
• (3.05 mi) Hôtel & Spa Les Mouettes
• (3.51 mi) Hôtel Restaurant La Frégate Collioure
• (3.37 mi) Hotel Le Cottage
• (3.21 mi) Restaurant La Table du Roua Argelès sur Mer
• (3.32 mi) Restaurant L'Amuse Bouche
• (3.30 mi) Restaurant La Quête
• (3.37 mi) Bartavelle
• (3.26 mi) La Trencadis

Tour de la Massane

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

TOUR DE LA MASSANE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Tour de la Massane

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

TOUR DE LA MASSANE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

• Sun - Sat 00:00 - 23:59
• (5.47 km) Madeloc Hotel
• (5.43 km) L'Hostalet
• (4.88 km) Hôtel & Spa Les Mouettes
• (5.61 km) Hôtel Restaurant La Frégate Collioure
• (5.39 km) Hotel Le Cottage
• (5.14 km) Restaurant La Table du Roua Argelès sur Mer
• (5.31 km) Restaurant L'Amuse Bouche
• (5.29 km) Restaurant La Quête
• (5.40 km) Bartavelle
• (5.22 km) La Trencadis