It is when one approaches from the north, along the route de Sainte-Marie, that the old town of Canet comes into view, in its true form of an ancient castle perched on a hill from where it could survey the sea which was both a source of danger as well as of prosperity.

The houses climb up from the Saint-Jacques church to the viscount’s castle in a complicated network of alley ways. Its city wall has long since disappeared but one can see where it once stood because there are a few towers and bits of wall still standing.

Canet still bears the traces of human occupation stretching back many centuries. From the very beginning it was a place where people managed to find food to survive in an environment which was regularly disrupted.

The association of the Friends of Old Canet has been involved since 1964, in the conservation of the viscount château of Canet, which was a stronghold of the Catalan defensive system. In summer it organises guided tours for visitors to explore the heritage of Canet: the viscount chateau, its chapel, its ice well (a French listed monument) which has been exceptionally well preserved, its ramparts, its towers, and its Saint-Jacques church…
Information: 04.68.80.38.24