FORUM

I am interested in perhaps moving to a village which is alive during winter time as well as the summer but does not depend wholly on the summer season for its business.

Any pointers would be a great help as pasing through or even staying a week or two does not always give the correct impression of the life there.

Thanks in advance.

My wife bought our place in Vernet Les Bains because, when she visited one January, there were still chairs outside the cafes and people around.
When the Sun is out there are people around. And no Tramontaine !

J

Do you wanrt coast or mountain Monsans. I can only speak for the coastal area but far enough away from it not to be over run by tourists in the 2 month season. Sorede, St Genis des Fontaines, Laroque des Alberes, St Andre, Palau del Vidre, Elne, Corneila del Vercol, Alenya. None of these are more than 5 or 10 minutes from the beach.

I've scratched my head trying to think of a useful reply. But I can't. At the end of the day one man's meat is another man's poison. Anyway, you could find a house in your "ideal" village only to find yourself living next to the neighbours from hell!

Mary

Port Vendres ticks two out of three boxes - alive in the winter, not over-run in the summer (certainly by its neighbours' standards), but not a village (happily so, for us).

St Jean Pla De Corts works for us. The bar- restaurant gets busier in the summer but you are away from the crowds on the coast, have easy access to the mountains and all the shops are open during the winter.

Thanks so far for the above. I don't mind coast or in land but not too far up mountainous roads, not mad about them.

Forgot St Jean Plat de Corts and also St Jean Lasseille, Ortaffa and Banyuls des Aspres plus many more.

The beach area of Argeles-sur-Mer definitely alive in summer and sleeps in winter. But the actual village of Argeles-sur-Mer (about 1km inland from the beach) has more of a 12 month feel about it.