"La Retirada" and the paths of exile
This route does not return to its starting point, and no station or stop is listed at the other end: plan to come back the same way, about 10.5 km in total.
In the footsteps of exiles who fled oppression during "La Retirada" and during the war of 39-45.
- 💧 2 drinking water points mapped on the route (OpenStreetMap)
At a glance
5.3 km point-to-point route starting from Cerbère station, 6 minutes' walk from the platform. Allow 2h12 of walking, 417 m of ascent, estimated difficulty: easy. 2 drinking water points are mapped on the route.
Description provided by Geotrek PyMed (Pyrenees-Mediterranee); the rest is a summary generated from the route data.
Getting there by train and bus
This route links two stations: you can walk it in either direction, without coming back to where you started.
- Cerbère station start · 6 min walk (walking time measured on the IGN footpath network)
- Cerbère - Cave bus stop start · 11 min walk (walking time measured on the IGN footpath network)
Travel time from the main stations
- Toulouse Matabiau 2h50 by train
- Montpellier Saint-Roch 2h35 by train
- Nîmes 3h14 by train
- Perpignan 35 min by train
- Béziers 1h46 by train
- Carcassonne 2h06 by train
Indicative times from SNCF GTFS data. Actual times, there and back, are worked out on the interactive map.
Other hikes from Cerbère
Data source
Data produced by Geotrek PyMed (Pyrenees-Mediterranee), updated on 22 January 2026
Caminada lists trails, not their access status in real time. Always check the local situation (prefectural orders, weather, works) before you set off.