Alert
Alerts
"La Retirada" and the paths of exile
IGN cards
Description
In the footsteps of exiles who fled oppression during "La Retirada" and during the war of 39-45.
Leave from the Cerbère Tourist Office and follow the D914 to the Cerbère photovoltaic lighthouse.
Go around the lighthouse, take the marked path which rises to the left above the cliffs.
When you arrive at the Puig de Cerbère, go to the right following the path and cross the D914.
At the old border post, turn right and go up to see the Retirada memorial on the hill. Continue and take the marked path on the left which descends towards Port-Bou.
Arrived in Port-Bou, continue on the GR-92. Head towards the beach and the "Passeig de Sardana".
At the corner of the restaurant "Voramar" turn right then take the first left, climb the stairs and go right following the signs "Memorial Walter Benjamin.
Technical Information
Altimetric profile
Starting point
Additional information
Public transport
Bus at € 1 to Banyuls-sur-mer, line 540. Banyuls-sur-mer / Cerbère shuttle, line 546. Port-Bou Cerbère train for the return trip, click here.
Advice
Bring water, walking shoes, windbreaker (whatever the time of year) and cap. Be careful above the Cerbère cliffs. Please bring back your waste.
Advised parking
Port car park
Access
D 914
Arrival
Mémorial Walter Benjamin - Port-Bou
Ambiance
This superb hike on the border offers magnificent views of the sea, from Cap de Creus to Cap Béar, as well as the mountains and the small port villages of Port-Bou and Cerbère. Memorials on the route will tell you that this path was that of many exiles who fled Francoist Spain or France occupied by the Germans.
Departure
Tourist office of Cerbère
