Canigou

• Altitude2,784 m
• Fire festival23 June
• From Perpignan~1 h to the foothills
• Time1 day

At 2,784 metres, the Canigou (Canigó in Catalan) is not the highest Pyrenean peak, but it rises so abruptly from the plain of Roussillon that it seems enormous. For Catalans on both sides of the border it's a symbol of identity.

Climbing the Canigou

Walkers usually start from the Chalet des Cortalets refuge, reached by 4x4 taxi or a rough track, from where the summit is a long but non-technical hike. Fit hikers also climb from Mariailles or Vernet-les-Bains.

The Flama del Canigó

On the night of 23 June, a flame kept at Perpignan's Castillet is carried to the summit, and bonfires lit from it burn across Catalonia for the feast of Saint John.

Around the mountain

• The cliff-top abbey of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou, reached by a steep walk from Casteil.
• The walled town of Villefranche-de-Conflent, UNESCO-listed for Vauban's fortifications, and start of the Train Jaune.
• The spa town of Vernet-les-Bains.

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