Port-Vendres, France

Explore pretty Collioure, a favorite destination of Matisse, with its distinctive pinkish-beige houses, colorful harbor, winding streets and lovely church, and nearby Elne with its impressive fortified cathedral and beautiful cloister. Or visit magnificent Carcassonne, a breathtaking fortified hilltop city of turrets, churches, stained glass and lovely squares, resurrected in the 19th century from ruins of the fortress built and expanded over nearly 1000 years.