A beautiful French city that’s “almost in Spain” is the perfect alternative to Paris and Nice.
Perpignan is a city in southwest France at the foot of the Pyrenees, just a few kilometres from the Mediterranean. It has a population of around 120,000 people.
Lonely Planet said that it “radiates out from the tight knot of the old town’s warren of alleys, palm-shaded squares and shabby tenements painted in shades of lemon, peach and tangerine”.
Being a bit more tucked away, the city gets way fewer tourists than France’s other cities like Paris and Nice, but brings more Franco-Spanish coastal charm.
It sits just 35km from the Spanish border but was considered the centre of the world by artist Salvador Dali. The Spanish surrealist said the city’s train station made him feel a “cosmogonic ecstasy”.
Perpignan’s main attractions include the Palace of the Kings of Majorca, which was built in the 1200s as the mainland castle for the monarchs of the nearby Spanish island. The tower offers the best views in the city.
Other spots on tourist’s to-see lists should be the Cathedral St Jean Baptiste, built through the 1400s with stained glass windows and a Moorish organ, and the Castillet, the city gate built during the 1300s.
There are also a number of art museums and galleries including Hotel Pams, an art nouveau gem that was once a cigarette paper factory, and Musée d’Art Hyacinthe Rigaud, a fine art museum with the baroque style and locally-inspired collections.
Just 13km from Perpignan is the coast, with golden sands and blue seas awaiting at a number of beaches as well as seaside resorts and towns.
Also in the nearby area are the Pyrenees, the mountain range which stretches along the France-Spain border. It is popular with walkers and cyclists with lots of routes to enjoy including its highest peak, Pico de Aneto. The range has cliffs, forests and waterfalls to explore.
Those hoping to visit Perpignan can get there via train from Paris or by plane from Stansted, Birmingham, Dublin and Leeds. The city and surrounding area has lots of accommodation options.