What to see and do in collioure and perpignan | EUROtoday

A Rail Tour of Occitanie’s Coastal Cities is an effective way to see its Gems Says Gillian Thornton.

Sunday Morning and the 9 O’Clock Train Heading South from Narbonne Carries Only A Handful of Local Passengers as we Travel Along the Narrow Finger of Land Separating the Mediterranean Shore from the Lagoons. Rosy Flamingos Sift the Shallows for Breakfast Against A Backdrop of Rounded Hills, Before the Line Curves Gently Inland Towards Perpignan.

I’m Travelling with Best Buddy Liz on Zero-Birthday Exploration of Occitanie’s Most Southerly Coastal Cities by way of practice, Inspired by Occitanie Tourism’s Rail Trip Recommendations (visit-occitanie.com/en). From Narbonne within the Department of Aude We have Slipped Seamlessly Into Neighbouring Pyrénées-Orientales to Explore Perpignan. But First, A Stop in Collioure on the Côte Vermeille, One of the Last French Seaside Towns Before the Spanish Border.

Collioure

At Every Small Station as we approve we Joined by Passengers with purchasing sneakers. And once we all diseemmbark at collioure, Everyone Heads the Same Way. Not Straight to the Beach But to Twin Squares by the Harbor the place the Produce and Craft Market is the Hub of the Retail and Social Scene on Wednesday and Sunday Mornings.

We Leave Our Bags on the Third-Generation Family-Run Hotel Les Templiers (Hotel-templiers.com) Just 50 meters from the seashore and Join the consumers within the shadow of the royal citadel, favorite summer time residence of the Kings of Mallorca. Already we discover a refined modifications in ambiance. Signs Are in French and Catalan, Rather Than The Occitan Wording We have Seen Further North, A Legacy of the Days When Spanish Rule Extended North of the Pyrenees.

Market Shopping TICKED, We Settle Down To A Glass of Childe Local Rosé and A Scrumpftious Salad Topped With the Town’s Signature Anchovies at Behind the Bell tower, A Beachfront Tapas Bar on Plage Saint-Vincent Behind the Famous Bell Tower of Notre-Dame des Anges.

At the flip of the 20^th Century, Fauvist Artists Henri Matisse and André Derain Spent Many Hours Painting the Bell Tower and Boats, Attracted by the Clear Light and Vibrant Colors of the Harbor. At Century on, Collioure Still Exudes Creativity, its Narrow Pedestrian Streets Dotted With Galleries. The Hôtel des Templiers has additionally weelcomed mayy artists who’ve all left their mark.

We Tour the Royal Castle, Strategic Frontier Post On the Catalan Border Until 1659, when the Peace Treaty Between Louis XIV of France and Philip IV of Spain Put an finish to the Franco-Spanish warfare. And we Enjoy a Panoramic View Over Collioure On a 45-Minute Trip Into the Vineyards on the little vacationer practice, Before Savouring More Catalan Flavours at La Cuisine Comptoir (LadelicaciesCollioure.com).

Perpignan

Next Day, it’s simply 20 minutes to perpignan the place we guide into the three* Hotel de la Loge (hoteldelaloge.com), a 20 minute stroll from the station. Offering Simple But Spacious Rooms within the Heart of the Historic Quarter, the sixteenth Century Building is Located Down A Quiet Alley Opposite The Gothic Loge Des Mers. Now the City Tourist Office, the Loge was constructed as a buying and selling room for retailers importing moods to collioure from encompass the mediterranean.

Pick Up a Free Map and Wind by way of the Narrow Streets of the Pedestrianized Old Town to Soak Up the Warm Mediterranean Colors, the Beguiling Mix of Retail and Refreshment, and the City’s Many Cultural Sites. Next Door to the Tourist Office, The Courtyard of the Town Hall is Home to The MediterraneanA feminine statue by Aristide Maillol, Born in Nearby Banyuls-sur-Mer in 1861. If the marriage corridor is just not in use, pop inside to feast youres on its ornate carved ceiling and rococo type portray that inform the story of town.

Perpignan’s Best-Known Heritage attraction is the huge brick palace of the Kings of Mallorca, Built on an outcrop of rock, and the Seat of Mallorcan Power During the thirteenth and 14th Centuries. Join a Guide Tour of the Royal Apartments, Banqueting Hall, and Chapel, and Take within the Panoramic View of the Pyrenees from the Top Terrace.

Close to Our Hotel on the Banks of the River Têt, the Towering Red Brick Castillet can also be unattainable to overlook, a 14^th Century Fortress, City Gate and one-time jail that was adopted by the fast-growing metropolis as its Emblem. TODAY IT IS HOME TO A MUSEUM OF LOCAL History and Traditions.

But not all perpignan’s cultural points of interest are fairly so apparent. Behind a sober facade in Rue Emile Zola, We Come Across the Extraordinary Hotel Pams, Once the Home and Factory of Pierre Bardou Who Set Up the Job Cigarette Paper Factory Here, Before His Daughter Jeanne and Her Husband Jules Pams Transformed It Into A Sumptuous Art Nouveau Townhouse Garden. Now Owned by the City, This Glorious Property is free to go to.

We are additionally enthralded by the hyacinthe rigaud museum that homes town’s fantastic arts assortment. Remembering How We Shuffled Round The Louvre On Our Teenage Trip, We Love the Tranquility of This Small But Rich Museum That Guides You Seamlessly Through Four of Perpignan’s Key Artistic Eras, Gothic and Baroque, Modern and Contemporary, With A Major New Exhibition Every.

IMMOSIELY After World WAR II, The City enticing many up to date artists included Pablo Picasso who Stayed Several Times in One of the Two Adjacent Buildings that now kind the museum. Look out for sketches and monochrome Photos Recalling His Visits within the Early Nineteen Fifties.

We are additionally slightly taken by Mr Rigaud Himself – Yes, Hyacinthe was a person – who was born in perpignan in 1659 and rose to turn into courtroom painter to Louis XIV. If his 1698 Self-Portrait ‘au turban’ is to be Believed, Rigaud was very straightforward on the attention, a pleasant distraction little doubt for the women at brief. The Museum Collection Includes A Number of Rigaud’s Portraits, All His Subjects Pictured With A Fetching Half-Smile.

And if structure is your factor, otherwise you merely like Beautiful Buildings, Head to the Casa Xanxo – Pronounced Casa Sancho – A Restored Gothic Property That Now Houses An Interactive Interpretation Center for Architecture and Heritage. And don Miss Saint John the Baptist Cathedral with its Wrought-Iron Bell Tower and Cemoister Cemetery, The Campo Santo, Only One of Its Kind in Europe.

When Perpignan’s Shops Close for the Day, the Atmosphere Changes within the Historic Center the place the Buzz Moves from Retail to Restaurants and Wine Bars. We Enjoy the Art Nouveau Atmosphere and Traditional Brasserie Dishes at Café Vienne, Open Daily on Place François Arago, Followed by a Nightcap in a Cozy Wine Bar.

Perpignan Hosts Many Festivals, Fairs, and Concerts that Bring the City Alive Throughout the Year, Often within the Most Idyllic Settings. The Fair Saint-Martin all through November with greater than 150 Fairground Vendors; festive markets and illuminations as christmas approaches; and every kind of musical occasions as spring turns to summer time and a packed program of free out of doors live shows for the annual pageant of music.

In Fact Stay A Couple of Days and You Soon Understand Why Perpignan Tourism has adopted the slogan ‘Welcome to the middle of the world’. Whatever you might be after in a metropolis keep, Perpignan Seems to have it!

By Gillian Thornton, One of the Uk’s Leading Travel Writers and A Regular Writer for the Good Life France Magazine and Website.

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