or simply playing bum in the beach resorts eastofPerpignan,or simplyplayingbuminthebeachresorts thisregion hasitall. country ( p196 ); communingwithnature intheParc Naturel Régional desPyrénéesCatalanes; the picturesque ruinsincowboyCathar Côte to12th-centuryfortress Vermeille; upnorth hiking totheMediterranean; tastingwineinvineyardsproppedupbydrystonewallsalong andAgly intheTech ValleysRomanesque chapelart thatspillfrom the (Têt) (), ofscapesismagnificent:beituncoveringOnce you’re insitu,thekaleidoscope exquisite ofGirona,95kmsouth,aswellPerpignan,the Spanishairport NîmesandBéziersAgde. students canstudyinCatalan. the region’s onlycityandcapitalofthePyrénées-Orientales Sardanes peak, (2784m), isreligiously revered byCatalans onbothsidesoftheborder. asking corridas on paper,yes,butitssoulremains staunchlyCatalan: sangria-fuelled fiestasandflamboyant ofCatalonia (officiallyonlythesemiautonomousregion now).Frenchpart innortheast flyinsummer. kite-surfers and make Locallore periods. saysitonlystaysinthree-day down fromthemountains,bonechillinginwinter andstrongenoughtoflipover acaravan Pyrenees. Itisanextreme incheckbytheTramontana,aviolentwindthathowls land,kept calledFrenchOften , RoussillonsitsonSpain’sdoorstep at the eastern endofthe Roussillon 210 © LonelyPlanetPublications Roussillon’s proximity iteasytoreach, toSpainmakes budget-airline travellers flyinginto Indeed, there’s endlesslore inthisimpassioned,sun-blazed landthatforcenturieswas

„ „ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS

Tuck into apolystyrene platter ofshellfish inafisherman’s PlummetfromBanyulsvinesup highdowntoCollioure tofollow Fauvist footsteps alongthe fire Seethesun make andlearnaboutsolar Watchmountain villagesandmind-blowing Walkthroughchestnutandbeechwoodsto uptobirdsongandthecallofwild Wake ( p233 ); lunchafterwards onthelawnin Côte Vermeille energy in Train Jaune scenery flashbyaboardthecanary-yellow Romanesque ( p228) in aforest tree house near (bullfights) are as common as muck in this earthy landwhere (bullfights)are thehighestmountain ascommonmuckinthisearthy folk dancesandtheCatalan languagethrive, nowhere more sothaninPerpignan, (p232) Font Romeu ( p232 ), Vallée duConflent Abbaye St-Martin duCanigou (p221) 24) and (p234) Prats deMolló Mont Louis (p233) Romeu Font mas Louis Mont Casteil on département, Cap Leucate du Canigou Abbaye St-Martin Prats deMolló Vallée duConflent where university (p220) Vermeille Cap Leucate Côte ROUSSILLON 211 9am- 04 68 51 7am- h % ( h 9am-7pm h , rebuilt during the , rebuilt . 04 68 86 08 51; place Arago; 04 68 51 74 58; 10-12 rue du % 1pm-1am Mon-Sat, to 8pm Sun % ( 04 68 66 30 30; www.perpignan ( 04 68 35 14 93; 45bis av du Général département Loge de Mer h % % ( ( (23 rue du Maréchal Foch; (box office), open until 10pm Thursday during July 10am-7pm Mon-Sat mid-Jun–mid-Sep, to 6pm Mon- to 6pm 10am-7pm Mon-Sat mid-Jun–mid-Sep, In 1640 the CatalansIn 1640 the the on both sides of Jul & Aug, 8am-1am Mon-Fri, 1pm-1am Sat, 1-8pm Sun Internet access. Sep-May) tourisme.com; place Armand Lanoux; Sights DE LA LOGE PLACE abuzz with café ter- This old-town square prized stone structures: three shelters races 14th-century h Tourist-office point and information Sat mid-Sep–mid-Jun) billetterie ). p215 text Jeudis d’Été (see the boxed and August’s Les Laverie Foch Librairie Chapitre Docteur maps, and walking Pous) This bookshop stocks and cycling guides. Net & Games Tourist Office 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun mid-Jun–mid-Sep; In the Palais Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm Sun mid-Sep–mid-Jun) des Platanes. des Congrès, off promenade Roussillon (until then the northern section of northern sectionRoussillon (until then the of to the indig- much Catalonia) to the French, the locals. nation of Orientation the Têt flow through Perpignan: Two rivers and its tributary, murky Basse, the banked and place de la Loge with trim gardens. Place by cafés, sit at the de la République, fringed old town. the pedestrian heart of Information Comité Départemental du Tourisme Espace Palmarium right as the capital of the kingdom of Mallorca Mallorca right of kingdom the as the capital of that force a Mediterranean to 1344, from 1278 as far as Montpellier northwards stretched the Balearicand included again fell Islands, it the Aragoneseunder alien of rule for much Middle Ages. late Castilian against the kings revolted Pyrenees Aragon. engulfed who had in distant Madrid, only re- a two-year siege, endured Perpignan to the the French lieved with the support of of with the Treaty came in 1659 north. Peace the border between defining the Pyrenees, for all and ceding Spain and once and 8.30pm) Laundrette. 8.30pm) 12.30pm & 1.30-6pm Mon-Fri) Tourist on the information Pyrénées-Orientales 52 53; www.cdt-66.com; 16 av des Palmiers; 52 53; www.cdt-66.com; 16 av des Palmiers; Leclerc; per hr €3; Leclerc;

Centre de Sculpture Romane Centre Sculpture de Romane PERPIGNAN & AROUND •• Perpignan , 5km southeast of Perpignan. Learn Perpignan. , 5km southeast of

, which encourages sculpture lovers to lovers sculpture encourages , which

04 68 08 51 31; Parc Guilhem; adult/12-18yr €3/1; Guilhem; adult/12-18yr €3/1; 04 68 08 51 31; Parc 10am-12.30pm & 1.30-6.30pm Tue-Sun May-Sep,10am-12.30pm & 1.30-6.30pm Tue-Sun to 6pm

The TGV speeds into Perpignan in 2009, The TGV speeds into Perpignan The Maître de Cabestany ( p40 ) whose ) whose p40 de Cabestany ( The Maître There is ample to entertain around the city: is ample to entertain There

% PERPIGNAN & AROUND & AROUND PERPIGNAN Catalonia-Aragon. After flourishing in its own After Catalonia-Aragon. over the Pyrenees in present-day Spain. In present-day in the Pyrenees over of the realm 1172 it came under the control of Perpignan’s relatively modern history was modern history was relatively Perpignan’s long time closely bound with events for a History History century garnets, dug from the nearby Pyrenees jewellers. Perpignan onto gold by and crafted edge piece of urban architecture – in crude urban architecture piece of edge bubble protrud- imagine an amber-red terms, by 17th- block – inspired ing from a concrete Jean Nouvel’s Théâtre de l’Archipel, a cutting- de l’Archipel, Théâtre Nouvel’s Jean placing the city a mere 45-minute train ride 45-minute placing the city a mere from Barcelona. In 2011 the curtain opens on families, Arabs and displaced French settlers families, Arabs and displaced French to Algeria. origins recent trace their alike, of refugees who fled over the mountains at the who fled over refugees of Civil War, while many other the Spanish end of

Perpinyà in Catalan – is a vibrant city with Perpinyà in its blood and Fiestas are character. bags of one: Iberia flows in its population is a mixed the thousands the descendants of of the veins PERPIGNAN PERPIGNAN pop 115,000 – Perpignan Catalan much it is French, as As h Oct-Apr) more at its didactic more ( finest Romanesque works originated from from originated finest Romanesque works Cabestany skilled hand sculpted some of Languedoc’s of some skilled hand sculpted heading east to the sea, a nature trail around a trail around heading east to the sea, a nature Or trip it north past magnificent fortresses lake. ). p220 Leucate ( beds to Capand oyster a wealth of vineyards (west), a finely sculpted sculpted vineyards (west), a finely a wealth of in Elne (south) and, Romanesque cathedral drapers and the myriad other traditional me- the myriad other traditional and drapers signs dieval street in the very trades evoked to agree. you see and you’ll be reluctant its vibrant maze of old-town streets ablaze ablaze streets old-town of its vibrant maze makers, soap silversmiths, of with the souls area of 4116 sq km populated by 422,000 by 422,000 4116 sq km populated of area stroll Yet ‘villainous ugly town’. today – as a In the 18th century traveller Henry Swinburne Swinburne Henry traveller In the 18th century summarised an Roussillon – the capital of lonelyplanet.com have a good feel. a have