The old village of Gruissan extends between sea and ponds in the heart of the Narbonnaise en Méditerranée Regional Nature Park. This atypical village is recognizable by its circular shape dominated by the medieval Barbarossa tower. The town has two marinas and a seaside resort bearing the name of Pavillon Bleu (Blue Flag), located 1.24 miles (two kilometers) from the village. In the 2nd century BC, the Romans had already understood the strategic interest to install a port in Gruissan, on the island of Saint-Martin. Together with that of Narbonne, it allowed them to extend the Empire by sea. The circular village and the castle, whose main purpose was the protection of Narbonne, came later, in the 10th and 11th centuries.