Mariannes blog
Saint Martin Lys - A pearl in the Pyrenees
Saint Martin Lys is located in the most southerly part of
France only 60 km north of the Spanish border and only
60 km from the Mediterranean.
The Village, the commune and the nature
Saint Martin Lys is a small independent commune with
a population at about 100 persons and 52 houses.
The village is located on the right bank of the Aude River.
It’s possible to swim in the river. But the water is rather
cold because it’s melding water from the mountains.
In Saint Martin Lys the river is only 50 km from it’s
headwater – so it’s still a young and wild river perfect for
wild river rafting etc.
Further more there are a lot of fish in the river, which
attracts anglers from all France. For those who wants to
push theirs limits it’s possible to do rappelling and
mountaineering on the vertical mountain walls.
In the area there is also marked trails for trekking.
On those trails you can walk from vegetation, typical for
the southern most French lowland, up though a belt of
beech forest ending up in a belt of coniferous forest or even
above the limit for trees.
Shops
There are no shops in Saint Martin Lys. The nearest village
with shops is Axat only app. 3,5 km away. In Quillan, which
is located app. 8 km from Saint Martin lys, are all the
necessary shops.
Wine
Wine and France is for almost for all of us connected.
Saint Martin Lys is situated on the border of the
Lanquedog-Roussilon wine area.
There are endless wine fields
both towards Carcassonne and Perpignan.
Endless wine fields
means also a lot of vineries. So winetasting in the
vineries in this area is no problem!
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is located app. 60 km. north of Saint Martin Lys.
One of the most famous attractions “La Cite” is located in
Carcassonne .
La Cite is a very old castle dated back to app year 1200.
The castle has been restored in the end of the 1800th century
and appears today like it appeared in it’s most glories days.
Beside being an impressive construction it’s very special
because ordinary people are still living inside the thick defense
walls of La Cite.
La Cite is most certainly worth a visit.
The entrance is free, but you have to pay for parking.
Perpignan
Perpignan close to the Mediterranean is also located app.
60 km
from Saint Martin Lys. Like the drive to Quillan the drive to
Perpignan
is beautiful.
It can’t be described in either words or pictures.
You just have to se it.
Perpignan is a modern metropolis with shops, cafés and
Mediterranean’s beaches.
Barcelona in Spain
Barcelona is located only 265 km from Saint Martin Lys.
It’s possible to go to Barcelona and back the same day.
Andorra
Andorra is a small independed country only 100 km from
Saint Martin Lys. Andorra is an absolute tax-free area.
But remember – Andorra is a non-EU country.
So it’s limited what you can bring both to France and Spain.
How to get to Saint Martin Lys ?
You can drive.
There is app. 2.150 km from Denmark. Remember all the motorways in France are toll roads.
The prices for driving on the motorways are app 0,05 to 0,06 EUR pr km.
The driving time from Denmark is about 18 hours + breaks.The gas prices in both Germany and France are about 1,50 EUR/l.
The diesel prices are about 1,30 EUR/l (Sep. 2015)
You can fly
There is none-stop plane from Copenhagen to Barcelona in Spain . The distance from Barcelona to
Saint Martin Lys is app. 265 km.
The price for a one-way ticket starts at app. 80 EUR.
There are also none-stop planes from Billund in Jutland Girona app. 100 km north of Barcelona.
The price for car rent is about 160 to 190 EUR for a small (economic) car pr week. If the driver is under the age of 25 the price is higher.It’s possible to go by plane both to Carcassonne and Perpignan. But there is
no none-stop plane from Denmark or the rest of Scandinavia.
There are none-stop planes from London to Carcassonne and Perpignan
The ground floor, where the kitchen and the living room are situated, are arranged with modern kitchen facility and dishwasher. From the window there is a nice and free view over the Aude river and the mountains
From the kitchen and living room the staircase is leading up to the next two floors.
On the second floor there is a room for two persons. On the third floor there is a much bigger room. The room is a combination of a sleeping room and a living room. It’s possible to sleep 2 people in the room.
The house is ideally for two couples.
Both from the secondand thirdfloor there are unique views over the river and the mountains.
The bathroom/restroom is situated on the first floor. In front of the house there is a small and completely undisturbed patio. The patio can bee lock up.