Ceret is a small Catalan town in the foothills of the Pyrenees, close to the Spanish border but very much its own place. It has plane-shaded streets, a good Saturday market, red-tiled roofs, and one of the best modern art museums in southern France.
Artists came here before the First World War for the same reasons travellers still do: clear light, mountain edges, and a town that is lively without being frantic. Picasso, Braque, Gris, Soutine, and Chagall all passed through, and the Musee d'Art Moderne gives Ceret far more cultural weight than its size suggests.
The rest of the town is best taken slowly. Walk from the Place des Neuf Jets to the Church of Saint Peter, browse the Saturday market, then drop down toward the Pont du Diable over the Tech. Ceret makes an easy half-day from the coast, but it is better with a night, especially if you like your art towns a little sun-baked and stubborn.