Perpignan (pehr-peen-yohn; pop. 117,000) is a few kilometers from the Mediterranean, 27km from the Spanish border, and 30km from the foothills of the Pyrenees. This is a town of contrasts—from the palm-lined and litter-strewn av. du Général de Gaulle to the tiny streets of the vieille ville and the massive Cathédrale St-Jean. Yet Perpignan is, above all, a daytripper’s paradise. Free weeklong regional bus passes give access to the remarkable, and otherwise nearly unaffordable, towns of Céret, Villefranche-de-Conflent, and Collioure.
Perpignan’s train station was once referred to as “the center of the world” by off-center Salvador Dalí. The liveliest part of the city is the labyrinth of small streets in the heart of the vieille ville, a 10min. walk from the station. The triangular area’s three corners are marked by the regional tourist office, pl. de Catalogne toward the train station, and the Palais des Rois de Majorque to the south. Avoid Quartier St-Jacques, near the intersection of bd. Jean Bourrat and bd. Anatole France, at night.
Cheap hotels are on avenue du Général de Gaulle, 10min. from the centre-ville.
Local charcuterie, Catalan pâté, and escargots with garlic are Perpignan’s specialties as well as nougat in flavors like caramel or almond. Place de la Loge, place Arago, place de la République, and place de Verdun in the vieille ville stay lively at night, as restaurants dish out French and Spanish fare. Pricier options and candlelit tables line quai Vauban, while avenue du Général de Gaulle, leading into town from the train station, has as many kebab shops and cheap boulangeries as it does Internet cafes. Fresh produce can be found at the open-air markets on place Cassanyes (open daily 7:30am-1:30pm) and place de la République (open Tu-Su 7:30am-1:30pm). A huge Casino supermarket is on bd. Félix Mercader. (☎04 68 51 56 00. Open M-Sa 8:30am-8pm, Su 8:30am-12:30pm.)
Along La Basse, flower-lined quais beg for afternoon strolls; it’s also worth setting aside time to wander the incredibly charming vieille ville.
Palais Des Rois De Majorque. An uphill walk across the vieille ville brings you to the red-rock walls of Perpignan’s 15th-century Spanish citadel. Concealed inside is the Palais des Rois de Majorque, where the kings of the Majorcan dynasty settled. The Sainte-Croix chapel’s marble facade reveals French, Italian, and Moorish architectural influences. The palace’s courtyard serves as a concert hall in July, hosting plays and musical (mostly jazz) performances. (Av. Gilbert Brutus. Open daily June-Sept. 10am-6pm; Oct.-May 9am-5pm. Ticket sales end 30min. before closing. 1hr. French tours available July-Aug. every 30min.; Sept.-June 2 per day or by reservation. €4, students €2, under 12 free. Concert tickets €5-25; available at FNAC.)
Le Castillet. Guarding the entrance to the centre-ville, Le Castillet, originally built by the Spanish in 1368, was intended to repel French invaders. After the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, the castle was transformed into a prison and torture chamber for those who refused to acknowledge the victorious French crown. No longer a frontier pillar, Le Castillet holds the Casa Pairal, a museum of Catalan domestic ware, religious relics, and farm equipment. Visit the reconstructions of Catalan houses as well as the giant statues of the king and queen of Majorca guarding the museum entrance. (☎04 68 35 42 05. Open M and W-Su May-Sept. 10am-6:30pm; Oct.-Apr. 11am-5:30pm. Guided tours in French twice a month in summer; call for exact dates. €4, students and under 15 €2.)
Musée Hyacinthe Rigaud. Back in the vieille ville, this museum contains a collection of Gothic paintings by 13th-century Spanish and Catalan masters as well as canvases by Ingres, Miró, Picasso, and Rigaud. The bottom floor houses temporary exhibits. (16 rue de l’Ange. ☎04 68 35 43 40. Wheelchair-accessible. Open M and W-Su May-Sept. noon-7pm; Oct.-Apr. 11am-5:30pm. €4, students €2, under 18 free.)
Cathédrale Saint-Jean. Partly supported by a macabre pillar depicting the severed head of John the Baptist, this cathedral is a paragon of Gothic architecture. Begun in 1324 and consecrated in 1509, the grandiose cathedral sports an 80m long nave—the third largest in the world. Stunning oil paintings, colorful stained glass, and crystal chandeliers designed in Renaissance, Baroque, and 19th-century religious styles compose the decor. (☎04 68 51 33 72. Open M 7:30am-noon and 3-7pm, Tu-Su 7:30am-7pm. Mass Su 8, 10:30am, 6:30pm.)
Perpignan is not known for its nightlife, but a few bars scattered on the tiny streets around Le Castillet keep a small crowd entertained until the morning. The clubs lining the beaches at nearby Canet-Plage (bus #1 from the train station, irregularly every 30min.-1hr. 6:30am-7:30pm) provide the wildest nightlife. However, getting back to Perpignan means paying €20-25 for a taxi, except on Saturday nights, when a bus service runs between Perpignan and the Canet clubs. (Buses leave from the Castillet at 11:45pm, 12:45, 2:10am; buses return from Canet-Plage 12:10, 1, 4, 5am. Check www.route-66.fr or call ☎06 09 49 89 27 for up-to-date schedules. €1.)
Trains (☎04 68 96 63 62) run from Perpignan to the Villefranche train station (1hr., 6-7 per day, €7.50). Couriers Catalans Buses (☎04 68 35 29 02) run from Perpignan directly to the gates of the ramparts around Villefranche (1hr.; M-F 5 per day, Sa 6 per day; €9.60, free with tourist pass). From the train station, located 200m before the town gates, cross the bridge and bear right along the highway to reach the centre-ville. The walls that surround the city have 2 gates that lead to the parallel main streets. The left gate leads to rue St-Jacques; the right gate opens onto rue St-Jean.
Don’t pass up a trip to the spectacular village-in-a-fortress Villefranche-de-Conflent (veel-frahnsh-duh-kahn-fluh), which lies deep in the Conflent mountains but is only a 1hr. (free) bus ride from Perpignan. The impenetrable Fort Liberia, a mere 734 underground steps above Villefranche, offers a stunning view of Mt. Canigou, and nearby stalagmite caves take visitors deep inside the mountains. Nature lovers will find canyons, valleys, and hiking trails only a short trip away on the petit train jaune, which goes into the heart of the Pyrenees.
Built into the mountainside high above the town, Fort Liberia takes the form of two overlapping hexagons, meant to prevent attacks from the building’s front and back. The stronghold was constructed in 1681 by Vauban in order to protect Villefranche and the rest of Catalonia from the Spanish army. The towers and narrow passageways make for an interesting tour, while the view of picturesque Villefranche amid sensational peaks, including Mont Canigou, is breathtaking. The “Staircase of 1000 Steps” leads back down to the city; although there are actually 734 steps, they’re more than enough to discourage most from walking all the way up. To reach the fort, catch the navette (shuttle) from the train station or the parking lot at the town gates (10min.; July-Aug. every 30min., Sept.-June request at the St-Jacques info desk) or take the 30min. hike up along the road that begins on the side of the train station farther from town. Buy tickets at the tourist office or at the fort entrance. (☎04 68 96 34 01. Open daily July-Aug. 9am-8pm; Sept. and May-June 10am-7pm; Nov.-Feb. 10am-5pm; Mar.-Apr. 10am-6pm. €5.80, including navette €8; students €5/7; ages 5-11 €2.80/4.10. Navette free for visitors who arrive on the petit train jaune. )
After a sweaty climb down from Fort Liberia, cool off by going underground. The magnificent Grandes Canalettes contain water-carved galleries, stalactite-filled grottoes, underground lakes, and a bottomless pit. In July and August, a son et lumière show is held at an auditorium in the heart of the caves. (☎04 68 96 23 11; www.grotte-grandes-canalettes.com. Open from mid-June to mid-Sept. daily 10am-6pm; from mid-Sept. to Oct. and from Apr. to mid-June daily 10am-5:30pm; Nov.-Mar. Su 2-5pm. ☎04 68 05 20 20; www.3grottes.com. Open daily July-Aug. 10am-7:30pm; Sept.-Mar. 10am-5:30pm; Apr.-June 10am-6pm. €8, ages 5-12 €4; 2 caves €12/6. Visit to Les Canalettes next door only by guided tour; reservations required. Son et lumière July-Aug. daily 6:30pm. €11, under 18 €6; includes guided tour. AmEx/MC/V.) Accessible through an entrance in the middle of rue St-Jacques, Villefranche’s 11th-century ramparts include rock passageways in the remarkably well-preserved walls of the city, with occasional peepholes onto city alleys and mountainsides. (☎04 68 96 16 40. Open daily July-Aug. 10am-8pm; Sept. and June 10am-7pm; Oct.-Dec. and Feb.-May 10:30am-12:30pm and 2-5pm. For guided group tours, call ahead. €4, students €3, under 10 free. Audio tour €3.) Running 63km through the Pyrenees, the petit train jaune departs from the train station and links Villefranche to Latour-de-Carol (3hr., 3-7 per day, €18). The train runs through mountain valleys on spectacular viaducts, stopping at 20 small towns. The train also carts skiers to the fashionable Font-Romeu (2hr., 3-8 per day, €10.30). Equipped with snow machines and chair lifts, this resort offers first-rate skiing. (☎04 68 30 60 61. Day pass €28. €4 student discount outside of vacances scolaires. ) The petit train jaune does not take reservations, so arrive at the station at least 1hr. ahead (2hr. from mid-July to mid-Aug.) or in the early morning.
The tourist office (☎04 68 96 22 96), post office, and Mairie (town hall) are all together at 1 pl. de l’Église. The tourist office provides free town maps. (All three open July-Aug. M-Sa 10am-noon and 2-6pm; Sept. and May-June M-F 10am-noon and 2-5pm, Sa 10am-noon; Oct.-Apr. M-Sa 10am-noon.)
Buses run from the train and bus station in Perpignan to the center of Céret (45min., 8-11 per day, €4.40). Pick up a schedule at the gare routière office in Perpignan. Most buses stop outside Perpignan at a stop that, confusingly, is called either pont or rue du 19 Mars. From the bus stop, turn back toward the traffic circle and follow the signs to Céret-Centre. At the next traffic circle, marked by a large fountain, turn right and continue to follow signs onto rue St-Férréol. At its end, turn left and make the 2nd left onto av. Clemenceau; the tourist office is on the corner (20min.). If your bus stops at Céret-Centre, follow av. Clemenceau uphill toward the centre-ville.
Tucked into a valley in the foothills of the Pyrenees, Céret (suh-ray) blossoms in the spring. Each season the president of France receives the first cérises (cherries) from the nearby orchards. Known as the “Cubist Mecca,” Céret was the beloved stomping ground of Chagall, Picasso, Manolo, and Herbin. As a result, it is home to one of the best modern art museums in France. At the same time, the town is far enough into the hills for spectacular hiking.
The Musée d’Art Moderne, 8 bd. du Maréchal Joffre, is located uphill from the tourist office. The collections in this modern building are composed primarily of personal gifts to the museum by artists including Picasso, Matisse, Braque, Chagall, and Miró. Rotating every three months, the temporary exhibits are usually minor outside of the summer but superb from mid-June to mid-September. The year 2009 will feature a retrospective “Centaine de Paysage à Ceret,” celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the first artist séjours in Ceret with collections from all the major artists who spent time in the village. (☎04 68 87 27 76; www.musee-ceret.com. Wheelchair-accessible. Open from mid-June to mid-Sept. daily 10am-7pm; late Sept. and May-June daily 10am-6pm; Oct.-Apr. M and W-Su 10am-6pm. Guided visits daily July-Aug. 10:30am and 3pm, Sept.-June or in English upon reservation. €5.50, students €3.50, under 12 free. Temporary exhibits €8/6/free. Guided visits €3.50.) In the centre-ville, the marble fountain of pl. des Neuf-Jets reminds visitors of the town’s dual French and Spanish roots. Originally, the fountain’s Castilian lion faced Spain. Now it faces France, symbolizing France’s 1659 victory over Spain. According to legend, the Pont du Diable (Devil’s Bridge), which links the town center to its outskirts, couldn’t be successfully built until the devil agreed to aid in its construction. Satan demanded the right to the first soul to cross the bridge, but the villagers foiled him by sending a sacrificial black cat across it. However, the devil got the last laugh, taking revenge by loosening one stone from the bridge.
From May 31 to July 1, Céret celebrates the Grande Fête de la Cérise and the Festival de Bandas with two days of cherry markets and Catalonian music. In late June or early July, the Querencias — Festival de Musique de Céret —features musical and dance performances. (☎04 68 87 00 53. Tickets €20 for 1 night, €30 for 2.) The most raucous festival, Céret de Toros, occurs every year for three days in mid-July, during which the town hosts three corridas (bullfights) and one novillada (a bullfight with an uncertified fighter). Music livens the streets well into the night. (☎04 68 87 47 47; www.ceret-de-toros.com. Tickets €35-86 for each corrida, €27-56 for the novillada. ) For a week at the end of July, the Festival de la Sardane commemorates traditional Catalan folk dancing with lively concerts and processions. The festival culminates in the concours des Sardanes, where Sardane groups compete against one another in the annual dance tournament and amateurs practice in the streets. (☎04 68 87 00 53. Viewers’ fee €10-12.) On September 18, the Festa Major de Sant Ferriol (☎04 68 87 00 53) brings runners to town for 6½ and 20km runs.
The tourist office, 1 av. Georges Clemenceau, provides a free map with a walking tour of the vieille ville and Les Petits Guides Rando Pyrénées Roussillon guide with 1-5hr. hiking itineraries around Céret. (☎04 68 87 00 53; www.ot-ceret.fr. Open July-Aug. M-Sa 9am-1pm and 2-7pm, Su 10am-1pm; Sept.-June M-F 9am-noon and 2-5pm, Sa 9:30am-12:30pm.)
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