Perpignan basks almost continuously in blazing hot Mediterranean sunshine. Only 30 kilometres from the Spanish border, the town is more Catalan than French and blends perfectly the best of both cultures.
Shops and cafés are filled in equal numbers by affluent citizens and tourists escaping the beach at Canet-Plage, just 10 kilometres away. The labyrinth of streets in the Old Town is the best place for shopping, sight-seeing and feasting on the delights of Catalan fare and Rousillon wines, while the streets around the Cathédrale de St-Jean and the Castillet, a Medieval gateway, are perfect for souvenir-hunting and savouring the local ambience.
This town is hot. In summer and on holidays, dancers take to the streets to perform the colourful Catalan sardana, the very essence of Catalan life. It’s performed everywhere -in outlying villages, town streets, market squares and cathedral pavements. If you’re an onlooker, it’s hard not to join in. The accompanying music is fun and is perfect holiday entertainment.
Spanish music also fills bars and cafés and the aroma of spices wafts from the Arab quarter, where you’ll find North African shops and cafés plus a daily market.
What’s more, Perpignan is a great place to dine, with plenty of reasonably priced restaurants. If you’ve never tried escargots, this is the place to do it, Catalan-style snails come smothered in garlic. Salted smoked hams, richly stuffed sausages, salted or sugared flatbreads and nougat are all other delicious local delicacies.
And if you’re into history, you’re in for a treat. All the major sights and museums tell the town’s chequered past. Perpignan gets its name from a lieutenant in the Roman army, Perperna, who murdered his boss, a 1st-century general, Quintus Sertorius. The city’s heyday was in the 13th century when the King of Aragon and conqueror of Majorca, created the Kingdom of Majorca and County of Roussillon for his young son. This tiny kingdom was absorbed by the Catalan kings of Aragon in the 14th century, but prospered until 1463 when Louis XI’s army besieged the town. Rather than give in, the Perpignanais ate rats until they were ordered by the king to surrender or die.
Ironically, Perpignan was given back to Spain in 1493, but in the 1640’s Richelieu grabbed it back. Although there’s no separatist movement among French Catalans today, their sense of identity is still very strong, evident in both the language and frequent use of the national yellow and red colours.
This is a vibrant, southern town with plenty to see, ideal for either a short break or longer summer holiday, and has the added bonus of a wide, sandy beach just a few kilometres away for a cool dip in the Med.
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Large parts of the town are conveniently traffic-free, including the old town where the streets are paved in gleaming red marble, making it ideal to stroll around. Begin at Le Castillet, a 15th century red gatehouse with two towers, crenellations and a huge, pink dome, the only surviving part of the town’s fortified walls. It houses an exhibition of local crafts and festivals at Casa Pairal.
Then head for Campo Santo, a former cemetery, totally surrounded by cloisters, one of only two of its kind in Europe. Next door is the Cathédrale St-Jean, a grand Gothic church topped by a bell encased in wrought-iron, inside it’s adorned with marble and famous for the Dévôt Christ carving.
Don’t miss the railway station, few have been immortalised quite like Perpignan’s. On leaving Spain, Salvador Dali arrived there in 1965 and claimed it to be “the centre of the world”, so it’s worth at least a quick look.
Then head on to the town hall. With wide, wrought-iron gates and frontage of river pebbles, it’s a great example of Rousillon architecture. Break for lunch at any one of the local bistros at place Arago and then stroll around the gardens beside the River Basse or take a quieter route along the sweeping Promenade des Platanes, under the shade of plane trees and mimosas.
Eat late at perhaps Casa Sansa, on rue Fabriques-Nadal, for gypsy music that will serenade you into the early hours.
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Plenty of conveniently placed two- and three-star hotels near the city centre. The cheapest are by the train station on avenue du Général de Gaulle. Some are 16th and 17th century buildings and are surprisingly quiet with lovely courtyards and gardens. If you’re willing to spend more, there are some very friendly, Spanish-styled hotels with airy, sound-proofed, air-conditioned rooms and great views.
The two-star Hotel de la Loge, the three-star Comfort Inn and Campanile Perpignan are all featured by MyExtras. A full range of accommodation options is available on +44 (0) 871 900 8297. www.flybehotels.com
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By car: Explore the city and the countryside in comfort and style at greatprices! Get the best deal by checking Flybe's partner Avis for the best available car hire rates at www.flybe.com/avis
By road: Perpignan-Rivesaltes airport is seven kilometres northwest of the city centre on the D117. Contact Flybe’s car rental partner Avis for the best available car hire rates.
By bus: Regular bus transfers to city centre for about €4.50.
By taxi: Outside main terminal and take about 15 minutes, expect to pay €15.
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The 2,700-year-old citadel of Elne, overlooking the Rousillon plain, is Perpignan’s closest out-of-town attraction, but the city’s close proximity to the Spanish border makes it the ideal base for a touring holiday. The Spanish Pyrenées are only a short drive from Perpignan and the ski resorts of Andorra are also easily accessible for wintertime fun. The whole Catalan area is dotted with castles, including the mountaintop Queribus and Peyrepertuse near the town of Corbières.
But it is Canet-Plage that is easily the best place to test the waters of the Mediterranean. Just take the 25-minute bus ride, CTP bus number 1 from place Catalogne. The wide, sandy beach is perfect for sunbathing, swimming and safe for toddlers. And there’s plenty for families to do, playgrounds, mini-golf course, trampolines. The boardwalk is packed with vendors and children throng to the bright carousels on Espace Méditerranée. There’s live music after 8pm and, on the beachfront, it’s easy to find a cheap meal; Gallerie Cassanyes is lined with sandwich shops, pizza and pasta from about €7 a head.
Bargain-hunters will enjoy the market on place Foment de la Sardane for its inexpensive clothes and there’s another market about 45 minutes from the beach at place St-Jacques on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
If you fancy a flutter, chance your hand at the casino, tel: +33 (0) 4 68 80 14 12, which opens at 21.00 for slot-machines, roulette and black-jack, and there’s no strict dress code. Away from the beach, the disco complex La Luna pulls in a young crowd long after dark.
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Pick up a museum passport valid for one week, for €6 from any of the museums to gain cut-price admission.
Le Castillet, built as a gateway in the 14th century and now housing the Casa Pairal, an interesting museum of Roussillon’s Catalan folk culture, with samples of craft and religious art. It’s open daily except Tuesdays, mid-June to mid-September 10am-7pm and 11am-5.30pm the rest of the year. Entry is €4, tel: +33 (0) 4 68 35 42 05.
Musée Hyacinthe Rigaud contains a small but impressive collection of canvasses by the major 13th century Spanish and Catalan painters, plus works by Rigaud, Ingres, Picasso and Miro. Open everyday but Tuesdays, noon-7pm, entry €4, tel: +33 (0) 4 68 35 43 40.
Place de la Loge is the focus of the pedestrianised old town and home to Perpignan’s most beautiful building, the Gothic Loge de Mer. It was originally the city’s stock exchange and maritime court and is highly ornate with Venetian arches and loggia and a ship-shaped weathervane. Bizarrely, it is currently rented to a hamburger chain. Next door is the Hôtel de Ville, fronted by imposing wrought-iron gates and Maillol’s statue of La Méditerranée in the courtyard and the old Roussillon parliament building, Palais de la Députation.
Just to the east, is place Gambetta, site of the 14th century Cathédrale St-Jean, open Tuesdays and Sundays 2-5pm and every other day 10am-noon and 2-5pm. Inside the church are a number of elaborate Catalan pieces including the incredible Dévôt Christ, a wooden-carved crucifix depicting the agony of the tortured Christ in moving detail. One of France’s oldest cemeteries is just past the chapel, Campo Santo, 600 years old.
The Arab and Romany quarter, south of the cathedral, is packed with North African shops and cafés.
The Palais des Rois de Majorque is the oldest royal palace in France. Started in the 1270s, it is an opulent Spanish-Moorish building, designed for kings, with marble porch and two chapels. Open daily June-September 10am-6pm, October-May 9am-5pm, entry €3.
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Evening entertainment in Perpignan centres around cafê-life with no shortage of places for a leisurely drink on places Verdun and Arago.
Try Grand Café de la Poste for people-watching and it’s here you’re likely to be pulled into sardana dancing on balmy summer evenings. Bodega du Castillet, rue Fabriques-Couvertes, is a popular bar with locals and also serves good tapas.
For live music, go to Tio Pepe or La Fabrique in the old town. But if you really want to party, head to Canet-Plage where open-till-dawn clubs line the beaches, stay till 06.50 and you can get a morning bus back to town.
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With 300,000 hectares of vineyards, hot summers and sandy beaches, the Languedoc-Roussillon region has long been a magnet not just for holidaymakers but for second-home owners. And with the boost in flights from Flybe, now is the perfect time to invest here before property prices rocket. A one-bed flat with balcony and cellar, close to Perpignan’s shops and schools is on the market for £22,000 (non-negotiable). A two-bed stone cottage, recently refurbished and ideal for rental, can be had for £65,379 with the same company. www.frenchpropertylinks.com
This is also a thriving area economically. Although farming is of major importance and small or medium-sized companies are the backbone of the Languedoc-Roussillon economy, there are big business expansion opportunities. Aside from the tourism industry, fishing, textiles, agribusiness, metallurgy, building, civil engineering and IT are all of major importance. Nestlé, Danone, sweet giant Haribo, IBM and Dell Computers all have major plants in the area.
If you’re seeking help and advice, contact the Perpignan Chamber of Commerce Quai de Lattre De Tassigny, BP 491, 66020, Perpignan, Cedex France. Tel: +33 (0) 4 68 35 66 33 or Email: webmaster@perpignan.cci.fr
www.perpignan.cci.fr www.firmafrance.com
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