Col des Gascons from Banyuls-sur-Mer

Date of your route : Jan 05, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful day, a bit windy but pleasant with a view of the sea.

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Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The descent is very steep and may pose a risk for some people.

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Date of your route : Apr 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A nice little loop that's not too difficult.

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Date of your route : Mar 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

To park your vehicle, there is a large, convenient car park just after the railway bridge on the right.

Head towards the police station, follow it and take the stairs on the left where a short climb awaits you to warm up...

You will then cross some uninteresting housing estates and follow a small single track under the pine trees to the little white chapel of Notre Dame de la Salette, which can be seen from many places.
The first viewpoint offers a 270° view of Banyuls and the Pyrenees.

From point 3 to 4, the climb is steady but easy.
After point 4, about 300 m, leave the yellow markings and follow the red dots on the left. This avoids reaching the Col des Gascons via the tarmac road, taking a much nicer path instead.

When you reach the pass, there is a beautiful view and you descend about a hundred metres down the road to take a small staircase on the left-hand side of the road.

This is a slightly tricky part of the hike with a steep, rocky path that is quite steep and probably serves more as a small stream when it rains than as a path.
So be careful, especially in wet weather.
Walking sticks are useful here.

This path crosses the road twice before reaching point 6, the Llagastera pass. Here you will find an orientation table forming a small amphitheatre
which is very convenient for a picnic with a great view.

We then take the small path opposite, which climbs gently for a hundred metres, and then we just follow the yellow markings and descend gently to Banyuls.

We pass under the railway line once. We cross the cemetery, then pass under the railway bridge again and return to our vehicle.

So, a very nice hike that's a bit of a climb but doesn't break your knees on the way down. Best done in good weather and, if possible, without a tramontane wind.

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Date of your route : Jun 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We preferred to follow Visorando's directions. The descent is quite difficult, but if you're careful and used to hiking, it's not a problem. There are beautiful views, and after the pass, we continued on the road that climbs up to the Madeloc tower for a good kilometre, which allowed us to admire the view of the coast.

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Date of your route : May 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We followed the route suggested by Visorando in reverse, as recommended in the tourist office brochure. This saved us from a very difficult and even dangerous descent, given our level of ability. Of course, it's quite a steep climb. There were lots of spring flowers along the way.

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Date of your route : Dec 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk. Before the road to the Col des Gascons, the red markings lead to a small path on the left that we didn't take. We were wrong because it leads to the pass, avoiding the road. The descent at the start of the GT 10 is steep and rocky, but easily passable in dry weather.

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Date of your route : Dec 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful views, especially on the way back. A few scents of the maquis, even in the middle of winter (but it was warm today: 21 degrees!). Negative point (currently): it feels like nature is dead (it hasn't rained for two years).

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Date of your route : Dec 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, not difficult, even the "challenging descent" is easy if you take care.

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Date of your route : Apr 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

S/E This hike can start from Banyuls Town Hall (which is easy to find as it is located on the seafront and is the starting point for the GR10). Then go up Avenue du Général de Gaulle (to the right of the town hall) towards the railway bridge.
(1) Please note that the steps are located immediately after the gendarmerie (cars are often parked in front of them, which can make them difficult to spot).
(2) At the left-hand bend, continue straight ahead along a path. A fire has changed the area, making it difficult to find the path.
(5) Be careful on this descent, which is relatively slippery even in dry weather (lots of stones).

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Date of your route : Jan 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike under the January sun, with superb panoramic views of the sea and surrounding mountains throughout.

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Date of your route : Dec 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

One of the most beautiful hikes in the region. It's a bit of a climb, but the scenery is truly magnificent, so you're guaranteed to be rewarded. I did it last year, and this year I extended it to the Madeloc tower. Fantastic!

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Date of your route : Nov 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route with magnificent views, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I chose to do the route in the opposite direction, which I think is a good idea. Going in the opposite direction, the climb is gentle, and the relatively steep sections with steps are much easier in this direction. These kinds of sections are always better going up than down, especially in wet, rainy weather like today.
And the descent is really easy with superb views of Banyuls.
Thanks for this route.

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We climbed the Madeloc Tower via ND des Salettes/Col des Gascons: well-marked route.
We descended via the Serra pass and ND de la Consolation, arriving in Collioure and returning to Banyuls on the LIO bus (€1, thank you Occitanie Region). A superb route with splendid views (we were lucky with the weather).
The descent from the Madeloc Tower, while not particularly difficult, has a few sections that require a little caution.

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Date of your route : Apr 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The route and map are very accurate, but I think the return leg, and especially the start of the GR10, is really difficult for inexperienced hikers.

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