The Greater Narbonne
In Aude, Narbonne, the central city of Greater Narbonne, is a medium-sized community of communes which benefits from a privileged location, very close to the sea and at the crossroads of the A9 and A61 motorways.
The Narbonne Mediterranean Innovation Park is one of the spearheads of its economic development.
The urban centre of Narbonne opens onto nature, on one side onto the Corbières mountains and the vineyards and on the other onto the ponds and the Mediterranean coast.
Narbonne between beach and ports
The sea, Charles Trenet, a famous Narbonne resident, sang: "the sea that we see dancing along the clear gulfs". In Narbonne, the sea is very close with, a few kilometers from the city center, the five kilometers of sand of Narbonne-Plage. The city also has three ports:
- the marina of Narbonne-Plage.
- Port-La nautique at the Bages-Sigean pond to the southwest of the city which was already the port site of the ancient city of Narbonne.
- The third port of the Canal de la Roubine is not maritime but fluvial. The Canal de la Roubine is part of the Canal du Midi of which it is a 32-kilometer long lateral branch that crosses Narbonne from Port La Roubine to the commercial port that opens onto the Mediterranean.
Narbonnaise Natural Park and Fontfroide Abbey
On the land side, Narbonne borders the Narbonnaise Regional Natural Park to the south, a vast preserved area on the edge of the Mediterranean.
- The Clape massif offers a panoramic view of the sea in an environment of Aleppo pines, holm oaks and vines.
- The park offers a diversity of landscapes: ponds, lagoons, pine forests, Mediterranean forest, arid and humid zones, steep cliffs above the sea, wild spaces, vineyards... Naturalists and hikers will find fauna and flora there.
Fontfroide Abbey: near Narbonne, to the west of the Park, on the dry and wild lands of the Corbières massifs, at the gateway to Cathar country, this 12th century Cistercian abbey is one of the best preserved in France.
Gruissan: beaches, port, ponds, nature and heritage...
About fifteen kilometers from Narbonne, Gruissan is a village renowned as much for its heritage as for:
- Gruissan, one of the most beautiful circular villages in France which has preserved its character inherited from fishermen and winegrowers. The remains of the medieval castle and the so-called Barberousse Tower, the former prison of the fortress dominate the old town, the site has been the subject of a beautiful restoration.
- The beaches of Gruissan: the historic beach of Chalets with its ten rows of chalets built on stilts, or 1300 by 1900m of shoreline on a unique site, which served as the setting for the famous film by Jean-Jacques Beneix "37°2 le matin". In the city center, the beach of Grazel, the beach of Mateille at the foot of the massif of La Clape and in its extension, the seaside promenade of the beach of Ayguades. To the west, the wild beach called the salt marshes of Vieille Nouvelle.
- The port of Gruissan: home port and stopover in the Mediterranean. Nautical, fishing and pleasure clubs, pedestrian quays and lively streets.
- The Clape massif, where the vegetation is typically Mediterranean, is home to preserved flora and fauna. Its panorama which opens onto the sea offers beautiful perspectives for walkers and marked routes for hikers.
- The ponds of Guissan where you can observe, from the paths, pink flamingos as well as many water birds and preserved flora. It is also a site for professional fishermen from Gruissan: sea bream, sole, mullet, sea bass and eels. Individuals can embark for walks and fishing trips.