Discover Ceret: art, history and weekly market

When planning a trip to Ceret, you can explore art, architectural history, market life and nature as distinct themes. The museums offer insights into modern art and musical instruments; historic buildings tell of different eras and past connections. The weekly market and natural areas add further ways to shape your stay.

Weekly market and shopping

Ceret’s weekly market takes place every Saturday morning in the town centre. Depending on the season, it includes between 100 and 200 itinerant vendors, so the number of stalls can vary throughout the year. Producers and craftspeople offer food such as fruit and vegetables, seafood, cheese, pastries, honey, olives and wine. The market brings together a range of goods on a regular morning of the week.

For planning purposes, Saturday morning is the specific time to keep in mind: the market is a recurring part of the weekly routine, while the number of vendors varies with the season. The foods listed give an idea of the range on offer, without limiting you to any one product category. If you are interested in markets and food culture, you can include this in your plans alongside the museums and historic buildings.

Modern art and musical instruments

The Musée d’Art Moderne de Céret was founded in 1950 by Pierre Brune and Frank Burty Haviland. Its collection includes almost 300 works on display and more than 2,700 objects of modern and contemporary art. Displays may change. A permanent exhibition is complemented by temporary exhibitions; the museum also offers educational and outreach programmes for all audiences. These programmes may change too.

The Musée de la Musique has a different focus: it presents traditional and popular instruments from around the world, including oboes, flutes, string instruments and percussion. The museum is housed in the former Hôpital Saint-Pierre. The building was constructed in 1649 and is listed as a historic monument. The art collection and musical instruments thus offer two distinct ways to explore culture: one focuses on modern and contemporary works, the other on instruments and their various forms.

Buildings and history

The Ancien portal de France is part of Ceret’s former fortifications. Two towers and a vaulted passage make up its surviving structure. Since 1949, the building has been included in the supplementary register of historic monuments. The Église Saint-Pierre combines pre-Romanesque and Romanesque features with elements dating from the 14th and 18th centuries. These buildings therefore reveal distinct historical and architectural layers.

The Château d’Aubiry is also listed as a historic monument in its entirety. The protected grounds include the chapel, greenhouses, gardener’s house, terraces and park. They also encompass all buildings within the estate’s perimeter wall, as well as the Oratoire Sainte-Marguerite. The Pont du Diable is a stone bridge dating from the 14th century. From the 14th to the 20th century, it served as the main route connecting the two banks of the Tech. The bridge can therefore be considered both as a structure and in terms of its former function.

Nature and trails

The area around Ceret includes the Tech Natura 2000 site and four ZNIEFF sites. One possible outing nearby is to the Ermitage Saint-Ferréol: it can be reached on foot from the Pont du Diable car park; the walk is listed as taking an hour and a half. Check trail conditions locally before setting off. The time estimate can help with planning your day, while local conditions remain the deciding factor for your specific plans.

If you would like to include a themed route, you could also consider the “Sur les traces des ancêtres de Galipan” trail. The route and app content may change, so check current availability if you plan to include this in your trip.

Discover more destinations: Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes, Pézilla-La-Rivière, Mosset, La Sacristie, Cabestany, Caramany, Osséja, Prats-De-Mollo-La-Preste.

For the broader travel overview: Pyrénées-Orientales.