Oms – Menhir, church and hiking trails

Oms combines historic sites in the village with hikes described by distance, elevation gain, and route format. To plan your stay, you can first decide whether you want to focus on church and local history, landscape views, or a particular hike.

Historic sites in Oms

The parish church of Saint John the Evangelist has been mentioned since 1010 and has Romanesque origins. It was listed as a historic monument in 1964. The church houses the marble sarcophagus of Bernât d’Oms, which was listed as a historic monument in 1927. Portanella, the surviving entrance gate of the former Castle of Oms, is located by the church.

A prehistoric site is the Roc del Ram, a Neolithic granite menhir standing 3.70 metres tall and weighing more than 10 tonnes. Font Nova is a surviving fountain in Oms dating from 1699, offering a shady place to rest during a visit. The menhir and fountain provide different points of interest: one reaches back to prehistoric times, while the other pairs a historic date with a rest in the shade.

Landscape and nature

The highest point of La Calcine is at an elevation of 600 metres and offers views of the sea and the Roussillon plain. Roc Catri is a limestone outcrop rising above the valley floor, with views across the plain. The viewpoints therefore differ both in their landforms and in the views they offer.

The landscape, flora, and fauna of Oms are characteristic of a dry environment. The municipality’s streams carry water only after heavy rainfall, and its flora includes many plants adapted to a dry climate. Along the La Calcine hike, various information panels describe Mediterranean flora. Plants found here include sarsaparilla, holm oak, lavender, downy oak, Montpellier cistus, woolly cistus, and rosemary.

Compare hikes

Le Tour du Puig is a very easy circular hike in Oms: it is 5.5 kilometres long with 190 metres of elevation gain. Santa Maria d’en Costa is an easy 9-kilometre circular hike with 250 metres of elevation gain. Oms à Taillet is an easy 7-kilometre out-and-back hike starting from Oms. Le Tour du Puig is shorter and has less elevation gain than Santa Maria d’en Costa; Oms à Taillet falls between them in distance but differs in route format. This lets you compare the routes by whether they are circular or out-and-back, as well as by distance, elevation gain, and difficulty.

More activities

Association Equestre – Or-limit offers horseback rides and hikes in Oms. As provider information can change, check the latest details in advance if you are planning an activity.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Enveitg, Banyuls-Sur-Mer, Calce, Caixas, Montalba-Le-Château, Sournia, Mosset, Palau-Del-Vidre

Go to the regional travel overview: Pyrénées-Orientales.