Abbaye Saint-Martin-du-Canigou

Lovely place to visit, but some might find the steep path a struggle. Lovely mountain, forest walk though, with lots of birdsong.
The abbey has limited tour times so give yourself time to walk up there. The place itself is full of interest and is very photogenic. Well worth a visit.

A stiff hike up into the clouds is like ascending to heaven, as the roar of the river fades away and the sound of crickets takes over. You stumble over the abbey as it suddenly appears, rearing up out of the rock. A well stocked gift shop with tasteful religious items and interesting books, excellent viewpoints around the precincts, and a wonderful 45 minute tour of the cloister, crypt and church. My particular guide (a lay member of the community) was absolutely excellent, and her talk was so clear I understood every word despite only having a little French.

A heavy but great climb (2km, 45min). Make sure to book a tour. You are helping the monastery and you'll get lots of info (in French). But cards with same info in different languages are available!

The walk up through the woods is always interesting no matter what time of year. Did the tour today and saw the viewing point from inside the abbey. There’s such an air of calm and tranquility about the place

Wonderful place to visit, very peaceful. Brilliant guided tour around the abbey however it is only available in french but an English sheet about the abbey is available.

Amazing place, wonderful hike

Beautiful nature, mountain and savor of history at the end. Renovation continue, you get detailed commentation in french, but you also get basic information in 14 languages and you can taste atmosphere of places during visitation. Road is OK, but you need big lungs :-)

Most amazing place, as if hidden in the clouds. Expect steep but rather short climb and really warm welcome

A big old walk up.a fairly steep climb, make sure you take plenty of water with you, there are springs to refill your bottles. The views are spectacular and the Abbey is a thing of beauty, make sure you do the proper tour, lots to learn. It's an absolute must for anyone visiting the area.

Fantastic place, definitelly worth seeing. Though there is only guided tour in French language and you cannot walk there by yourself. However, the views and the abbey itself are wonderful and the place is very calm. We were told that they also accommodate volunteers who come to meditate there and help with some work.

Awesome place. Splendid location in mountains, the cloister itself is fantastic! Payed guided visits inside, which are worth attending, are led by a local monk or a temporary resident. Don't miss a 5 minute walk to a viewpoint above the Abbey.

Super 👍

Fantastic place. In the Mountain
Take 1 hour walk from parking and up, but worth every step. Guided tours of abbey every hour all day. Ca 1200meter above sea level

Fantastic location, nicely restored building, helpful guide, get out and visit it! It is at the to of a steep climb although it is relatively short. There is an option to pay to be transported up on a 4x4 vehicle.

Abbaye Saint-Martin-du-Canigou
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📍 - 66820 Casteil, France
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The abbey of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou is a monastery built in 1009 in the Pyrenees of Northern Catalonia on Canigou mountain in present-day southern France near the Spanish border. Pau Casals wrote a composition entitled "Sant Martí del Canigó" for Orchestra.
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Long hike up (30 min! So wear sensible shoes!)
Very nice views along the route up, the abbey is very well kept, clean, and you get a tour from one of the monks or sisters there explaining well the history of the abbey, the pictures on the walls or pillars, while giving you enough time to take sensational photos of the views.

A marvellous place with a simple bit historic building in a stunning setting. The guided tour was very thoughtful as noise kept to a minimum and no commentary given to spoil the silence of the church itself.

Amazing, the walk up to the Abbey is long but worth it when you get there but if you don't want to walk you can drive up there, the building is in good shape and very interesting, you can get a tore around the inside of the building, there was drink and food machine's when we got up there but I do not know if they have any other food/drink places to go, the walk down was fun but steep in forestry area what led in to a nice village.

Not too far by foot, but a nice view for a short trip. With children this is totally possible and they get a reward for the walking effort.

Isolated Abbey dating back the year 1009.
Encapsulated among the pyrenees , the access is by foot only (1,6 km) or taking a cab.
A small community of monks still lives here.
Not to be missed.