Perpignan in France, Tourist & Tourism Info

Perpignan in the South of France is a place that has been on my to do list for about 2 years and now we have finally managed to get there.

Every time I seem to visit one of the cities or towns in the South of France, especially in the Languedoc Roussillon region and perhaps in the interest of sorting out some business or simply to gather tourist information for the visitors to our gite in France, I end up being completely bowled over by just how attractive the cities are.You can't help thinking before you arrive, surely this one won't be as good as say Montpellier or Narbonne but then they turn out to be equally as good or sometimes even better.

Perpignan fits into that category, it really was gorgeous It had elements of the cosmopolitan feel and cafe culture of Montpeller but on a smaller and more familiar scale. Probably because Perpignan appears to be nowhere near as large a city as Montpellier, certainly in the city centre anyway. There was also a very attractive waterway running through the town which gave it a similar feel to that of the Canal de la Robine that runs through Narbonne.

Now don't get me wrong, Montpellier and Narbonne are both fabulous places to visit and you would be missing out if you didn't see either of them, its just that Perpignan seemed to offer such a lot in a smaller space than Montpellier and a little more than Narbonne generally. So what I would say is that you should, if you have time, visit them all, but if you are pushed for time and had to make a choice, mine would probably be a toss up between Montpellier and Perpignan, then Narbonne. I suppose that does make a little bit of sense as Narbonne sits pretty much in the middle of the other two.

You have to say straight away that Perpignan is a great place to head for if you like the idea of a city holiday in the South of France. It has a Mediterranean climate, it's own airport just on the outskirts of the city, it is, in relative terms, only a stones throw from the coast and has some fabulous places to visit in the locality. Places like Collioure, La Franqui and Ceret are not too far away for a day out and a change of scenery. Plus the wine regions of Corbieres, Fitou and Minervois are pretty handy as well. That is on top of the facilities the city itself has to offer, which aren't too shabby. You definitely could make a worse choice.

Places of Interest in Perpignan

• The Loge de Mer (once the stock exchange)
• Castillet, Museum of Folk Arts and Traditions
• Cathedrale Saint Jean Baptiste, building started in 1324 and it achieved cathedral status in 1601
• Hyacinthe Rigaud Museum, contains art and collections from the 13th century to present day.
• The Natural History Museum, dedicated to the fauna and flora of Southern France
• Palace of the Kings of Mallorca, an example of medieval civil and military architecture
• Gare de Perpignan, declared by Salvador Dali to be the centre of the world
• The Joseph Puig Coin and Medal Museum, collections of coins both modern and ancient particularly from Catalan and Roussillon
• Serrat d'en Vaquer, built in the late 18th century and spans some 10 acres with 40 rooms
• St James Church constructed in 2 stages, the first in the 14th century and the second in the 18th century
• Casa Xanxo, the house of Art and History built in Gothic style and houses a 3 dimensional map of Perpignan from the 17th century that displays the fortification project commissioned by Louis XIV

For more information on these places of interest you can visit Perpignan France Tourism Office on line. Or for an English version Perpignan tourism travel information is a good option.

Market day in Perpignan is on a Sunday, which is good because Sundays can be pretty quiet with most shops shutting, so having a Sunday market day means plenty going on all week.

Like most places in France, there is a big celebration on Bastille Day, Perpignan is no exception and the firework display is pretty good, not as good as Carcassonne but pretty good all the same.

For some great photo products using images from France visit Postcards of France