Prades, France Hotels, Vacations, Tourism

The valley capital is Prades , easily accessible by train and bus on the Perpignan–Villefranche–La Tour-de-Carol route, and the obvious starting point for all excursions in the Canigou region. It's an attractive place, although there are no great sights beyond the church of St-Pierre in the town centre, and it enjoys a standing way out of proportion to its size or economic power. This is largely thanks to the Catalan cellist Pau (Pablo) Casals, who set up home here as an exile and fierce opponent of the Franco regime in Spain. In 1950 he instituted the internationally renowned music festival now … more »