CAVES BYRRH — Attraction in Céret

Really interesting place to visit and fascinating history. Story of two brothers who started out selling haberdashery and cloth to make clothes and the other brother who wanted to concentrate on making a special "medicinal brew". The brew became so popular they used to ship to countries all over the world. So popular they built the worlds largest oak barrel which is still on show today.

There is so much more to the story than that and is absolutely worth a visit. Guided tours are in French but other languages including English are catered for by way of a little handheld gadget that translates the appropriate parts of the tour.

Per person this is about €6 for an adult and less for a child. Children under 8 years old are free. There are tastings of the current recipe Byrrh at the end of the guided tour along with the previous recipe. Byrrh is widely available but the older recipe Byrrh is only available to buy here at the Byrrh shop.

Several other drinks are made here at this location including Dubonnet and several others. Many of the large barrels on display are drying out and need refurbishment to enable the company to preserve them. It is possible to contribute to help save these unusual heritage items online.

This place is one of the Patrimoine pass visits so remember to pick up or bring your pass to get it stamped as it will save you a little money if you are planning on making on several visits elsewhere...

We live in Thuir and have visited the Caves irregularly since 1996. Over that time, the visiting experience has changed enormously for the better and is now truly excellent. Last night's visit was organised by the local insurance company Groupama which, having been originally founded as a mutuelle/self help co-op, still holds Annual General Meetings for its members. In addition to even further improvements in the visiting experience, the town of Thuir/ Community of Communes des Aspres have transformed part of the many buildings of the Villa Palauda Estate adjacent to the factory into the most beautiful assembly room(s) available for weddings, conferences, etc. If the Villa Palauda gardens are open when you visit the Caves make sure you visit them ask well. The Thuir Tourist Office is in the same place as the entry to the Caves so they will be able to give you information on local sites of interest. There is a large free car...

It was such a fun place with a lot to look at. The tour was about an hour long and had several educational videos that helped fill a time line of the history of Byhhr. We really learned a lot. At the end of the tour we were able to buy whatever product they made. We took our dogs on the tour too. It really made f9r a positive experience... until my dog needed to poo. We found the exit quiqly. We were pardoned without Hassel and even given free tastings at the end. Definitely recommend the experience. The tasty beverages made up for the...