Perpignan (Perpinyà in Catalan) is the capital of the department of Pyrénées-Orientales, the Northern Catalonia part of France and is situated about 15 km from the sea. Perpignan is home to about 100,000 people, and has two rivers flowing through it; with the Têt to the north, and the Basse through the centre. This article also covers Argelès-sur-Mer, one of the major seaside resorts in the south of France (300 days of sunshine per year). That old and lively Catalan village is built around its church and museum.
Understand
Perpignan sits on the crossroads of the French and Spanish, Catalan and Languedocian cultural spheres. It was the "mainland" capital of the Kingdom of Mallorca for a while and gained further fame as a connection point between France and Spain when the first high-speed standard gauge rail line between the two countries opened from Figueres in 2010 with the missing section onwards via Girona to Barcelona and thence all of Spain opening in 2013. Perpignan gained some questionable fame in the 2020 municipal elections when a member of the far-right RN and former partner of its leader Marine Le Pen, won the mayoral election, making Perpignan the biggest city with a far-right mayor in France.
Get in
By car
- Autoroute A9, from north (France) and south (Spain)
- D 914 (ex RN114)
- From Andorra, N116.
By plane
By train
- Gare de Perpignan, 42.696261°, 2.879733°. The station held major importance for Salvador Dalí, who proclaimed it "the center of the universe" and made a painting of it. As for travel, it sits along the first and thus far (2021) only standard gauge connection between Spain and France, served by French TGV and Spanish AVE bookable through RENFE and SNCF at rather affordable rates if you book early.
By bus
- Eurolines: 04 68 34 11 46 - 10, avenue du Général de Gaulle (close to the railway station); https://www.eurolines.fr
- German bus-behemoth Flixbus serves Perpignan
Get around
The main way to get around in Perpignan (due to its relatively small size) is by foot, but there are buses run by Compagnie Transports that go right through the city centre, and then further out, even going as far as Cabestany and Canet. Driving is also a good way to get about, with lots of underground parking in the city centre, but beware, during the summer and 'tourist season' there will be a lot of traffic, and few parking places left.
See
- Perpignan Cathedral (Basilique-Cathédrale de Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Perpignan), 42.700556°, 2.896944°. The cathedral of St Jean was begun in 1324 and finished in 1509.
- The 13th century castle of the kings of Majorca sits on the high citadel, surrounded by ramparts, reinforced for Louis XI and Charles V, which were updated in the 17th century by Louis XIV's military engineer Vauban.
Do
The festival Sant Joan is not to be missed.
- Musée de l'aviation (Museum of Aviation). Created in 1976 by Mr Noettinger, this museum located at "Mas Palégry" gathers planes, models and hundreds of original pieces. Open from Monday afternoon to Saturday from April 1st to October 31st. 2020-01-24
Spectator sports
Perpignan is one of France's rugby hotbeds, with professional teams in both rugby codes.
- USA Perpignan. Plays rugby union (15 a side) in France's Top 14 competition, where it is frequently one of the strongest teams. Home ground is Stade Aimé Giral.
- Dragons Catalans. Plays rugby league (13 a side) in Super League, where it is joined by 12 teams from England and one from Wales. Home ground is Stade Gilbert Brutus.
- Saint-Estève XIII Catalan are a semi-pro rugby league team in Elite 1, the top French domestic tier for 13-a-side rugby. Their home ground is Stade Municipal (capacity 6000) 3 km northwest of town centre. The playing season is Sept-April.
Buy
The centre of Perpignan is filled with lots of small boutiques, but there are also large stores such as the department store "Galeries Lafayette", and the small shopping centre "fnac".
Eat
Budget
All these are in the city centre:
- Le Petit Comité, 24 Bd Georges Clemenceau, 42.7008111°, 2.8908812°. 2023-02-05
- Pizzeria Ponte Vecchio, Rue Rouget de l'Isle, 42.7008242°, 2.8924422°. 2023-02-05
- L'Encas perpignan, 20 Rue de la Cloche d'Or, 42.6979755°, 2.8941860°. 2023-02-05
- Whateuteu!, 4 Rue Amiral Barrera, 42.6991075°, 2.8965950°. 2023-02-05
- La Carmagnole, 12 Rue de la Révolution Française, 42.6997395°, 2.8979025°. 2023-02-05
- Café de la Source, 1 Rue Maréchal Foch, 42.6970510°, 2.8924516°. 2023-02-05
- Ô liban, 6 Rue Mailly, 42.6986238°, 2.8932549°. 2023-02-05
Mid-range
- Restaurant Les Antiquaires, Place Joseph Desprès, 42.6985440°, 2.8974774°. Founded in 1973, this restaurant located in the heart of a historic neighborhood offers traditional French fare focusing on simplicity and authenticity. 2023-02-05
- Le 17, 1 Rue Cité Bartissol, 42.7005665°, 2.8964444°. 2023-02-05
- Restaurant Les Saisons, 6 Rue Camille Desmoulins, 42.7010430°, 2.8907900°. 2023-02-05
- Les Aristo, 3 Rue de l'Incendie, 42.7000796°, 2.8950617°. 2023-02-05
Splurge
Drink
Sleep
Budget
- Premiere Classe Perpignan, Chemin Du Mas Palegry Rn9, 42.659715°, 2.883862°, +33 892 707 134. Check-in: 13:30-0:00, check-out: 11:00-11:30. €34-47
- Best Hotel Perpignan, 900, Avenue D'espagne. Check-in: 15:00-22:00, check-out: 7:00-12:00. €45-60
- Tropic, Route D'Opoul. Check-in: 0:00-0:00, check-out: 11:00-0:00. €35-51
- Victoria, 57 Avenue Maréchal Joffre. Check-in: 16:00-20:00, check-out: 11:00-11:00. €44-62
- Hotel Aragon, 17 Avenue Gilbert Brutus. Check-in: 14:00-0:00, check-out: 0:00-11:00. €45-64
- Comfort Inn Perpignan Aéroport, Avenue Du Languedoc Espace Polygone.. Check-in: 12:00-0:00, check-out: 0:00-12:00. €48-84
- Campanile Perpignan, 12 Rue Alphonse Laveran, Lot. Porte D'espagne. Check-in: 16:00-23:00, check-out: 0:00-11:00. €49-70
- myerpignan, Centre of Perpignan, +33468350496. Check-in: 14:00-0:00, check-out: 10:00-11:30. €40-75
- ibis Perpignan Centre, 16 Cours Lazare Escarguel, +33 4-68356262. €55-75
Mid-range
- Arcantis Hotel Mondial, 40 boulevard Clémenceau, +33 4 68 34 23 45. Check-in: 14:00-0:00, check-out: 0:00-12:00. €53-80
- Hotel De France, 26 Quai Sadi Carnot. Check-in: 14:00-0:00, check-out: 11:00-12:00. €45-70
- Hôtel New Christina, 51 Cours Lassus. Check-in: 17:00-0:00, check-out: 0:00-12:00. €60-100
- Kyriad Perpignan Centre, 8, Boulevard Wilson. Check-in: 16:00-23:00, check-out: 0:00-11:00. €69-95
- PV-Holidays Port La Nouvelle, +33 1 58 21 55 84. Located between Narbonne and Perpignan and just a matter of minutes from the Spanish border. Also a car-free residence. Has at least 15km of sandy beaches (1.2km). On-site activities, include two large swimming pools, three tennis courts, table tennis, a multi-sports area, sailing, cycling and a children's playground.
Splurge
Stay safe
Perpignan is a reasonably safe city compared to larger and more populous ones. Being street smart and taking basic precautions should be enough to avoid problems.
However, some parts of the city, namely the district of Saint-Jacques, should be visited with caution, and ideally never on your own. No matter where you go in town, never wear jewellery or other signs of wealth.
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