Perpignan

Day 1: Old town, markets and first tastes of French Catalonia Perpignan’s historic centre eases you into French Catalonia: narrow lanes, sunlit squares and café terraces. Today is about grounding yourself in the city’s rhythms—markets, a leisurely lunch and a deep dive into local wine.

• Morning: Start in the Saint-Jean quarter with coffee near the cathedral, then browse Les Halles Vauban for oysters, tapas and seasonal produce; arrive by 10:00 for the liveliest atmosphere. If it’s Saturday, swap in Marché Cassanyes for a raw, multicultural market experience—bring small change and go early.
• Midday: Settle into a traditional table in Saint-Jean for the plat du jour; try boles de picolat with haricot beans, pa amb tomàquet and a carafe of local rosé. Book ahead for La Pessebre or look for short, chalkboard menus marked cuisine maison.
• Afternoon: Siesta time for locals; do a gentle stroll via the Castillet and riverside before a guided tasting at a bar à vin. Ask for a flight featuring Collioure whites, Maury or Banyuls (pair a small square of dark chocolate with Banyuls for a classic match).
• Evening: Choose modern bistronomie or a meat-forward grill: La Galinette for garden-led tasting menus (reserve well in advance) or Le Divil for expertly fire-cooked cuts. For an apéritif, try a chilled Muscat de Rivesaltes and olives; dinner rarely starts before 19:30.

Day 2: Sea and vines – Collioure, Port-Vendres and coastal wines With the Mediterranean minutes away, lean into the mar i muntanya spirit: anchovies, just-landed fish and cliffside vineyards. The day balances a coastal wander with tastings in one of France’s most exciting wine regions.

• Morning: Train or drive to Collioure (30–40 mins). Visit an anchovy workshop such as Anchois Roque to see traditional salting and filleting, then snack on anchovy-stuffed olives or anchoïade on bread; winter weekends may feature oursinades (sea urchins) along the coast.
• Midday: Head to the barques in Port-Vendres for lunch by the boats—order the day’s catch grilled simply with lemon and olive oil. Pair with a crisp Collioure white; book ahead in high summer.
• Afternoon: Taste at nearby domaines in Banyuls/Collioure or detour to the Agly Valley for old-vine reds and natural wines. Reserve appointments, use spittoons if driving, and ask about drought-year vintages and how growers are adapting.
• Evening: Back in Perpignan, do a relaxed tapas-and-wine crawl: start at Les Halles Vauban for small plates, then move to a wine bar like Via del Vi for natural pours and escalivada. Finish with crème catalane or rousquilles from a local pâtisserie.

Day 3: Country larder, Catalan rituals and a slow Sunday-style lunch Today is for living like a local: market shopping, a long lunch and, if the season allows, the quintessential cargolade ritual. You’ll close with a final toast to Roussillon’s wines.

• Morning: If it’s the weekend, return to Marché Cassanyes for herbs, sausages and stone fruit in season (apricots in summer, citrus in winter). Otherwise, pick up bread, local olive oil and rousquilles in the Saint-Mathieu/La Réal streets and wander the old lanes.
• Midday: Embrace the long lunch tradition. In cooler months order ollada (hearty pork-and-vegetable stew); in spring-summer go light with escalivada and grilled fish. House wine by the pichet is normal—tell the server your preference and keep it local.
• Afternoon: Drive 20–30 minutes to a vigneron indépendant for one last tasting—seek Banyuls doux naturel for desserts or a refined Maury. Autumn visitors may catch vendanges buzz; in spring, look for early cherries around Céret.
• Evening: If you find a community cargolade (late spring–summer), join the snails-on-the-vineshoot grill with aioli—stand, dip, and savour with friends. Otherwise, celebrate with a final dinner at a stalwart like Casa Sansa or a grill at Le Divil, and end with a glass of Banyuls. Note many restaurants close Sunday/Monday; book ahead and aim for 20:00 like locals.

Tips threaded through the days:

• Meal times are fixed: lunch 12:00–14:00, dinner from 19:30; the plat du jour at lunch is often best value.
• Look for cuisine maison and short menus; avoid laminated multi-language cards.
• Seasonal compass: spring lamb and asparagus; summer apricots, tomatoes and seafood; autumn mushrooms and game; winter stews and sea urchins.

By Air

• Perpignan–Rivesaltes Airport (PGF): 6 km north of the centre. Small airport with limited (often seasonal) routes. Taxi/ride-hail 10–15 min; local bus roughly 15–20 min to the centre.
• Girona–Costa Brava (GRO), Spain: ~95 km/1h15 by car. Seasonal low-cost flights; onward by car or cross-border bus.
• Carcassonne (CCF): ~110 km/1h20 by car; onward by train via Narbonne or by car.
• Montpellier (MPL): ~155 km/1h45 by car; frequent trains Montpellier–Perpignan (~1h30).
• Barcelona El Prat (BCN), Spain: ~200 km/2h15–2h30 by car; high-frequency global flights. Fast trains Barcelona Sants–Perpignan in ~1h20–1h40.
• Toulouse (TLS): ~200 km/2h15 by car; train TLS–Perpignan typically ~3h via Narbonne.
• Béziers (BZR): ~105 km/1h15 by car.
  Times are approximate and depend on traffic.

By Train

• Main station: Gare de Perpignan (also signed “Centre del Món”), with adjacent bus terminal.
• High-speed: TGV INOUI/AVE to Paris (about 5h–5h30, some direct/seasonal variations) and to Barcelona via Figueres and Girona (~1h20–1h40).
• Regional (TER Occitanie): Frequent links to Narbonne (35–45 min), Béziers (~1h), Montpellier (~1h30), Nîmes (~2h), Carcassonne (~1h30, often with a change), and Toulouse (~2h45–3h, usually with a change at Narbonne).
• Check timetables as cross-border high-speed services and frequencies vary by season.

By Bus

• Gare routière next to the train station. Long-distance operators (e.g., FlixBus, BlaBlaCar Bus) to:
  • Barcelona (~3h–3h30) and Girona (~2h).
  • Toulouse (~3h–4h), Montpellier (~2h–2h30), Marseille (~4h–5h), Paris (overnight).
• Regional liO Occitanie buses connect coastal towns (e.g., Collioure, Argelès), Céret, Prades, etc., at low fares.

By Car

• A9/E15 motorway (La Languedocienne) links Perpignan north to Montpellier/Nîmes/Lyon and south to Spain (AP‑7). Some sections are tolled; AP‑7 in Spain is largely toll‑free.
• Typical drives: Barcelona 2h15–2h30; Montpellier ~1h45; Toulouse 2h15–2h30 (via A9/A61); Carcassonne ~1h15; Collioure 30–40 min.
• Car hire available at the airport and the train station; multiple city-centre car parks.