Perpignan (Perpinyà in Catalan) is the capital of the department of Pyrénées-Orientales, the Northern Catalonia part of France, and about 15 km from the sea. Perpignan is home to about 120,000 people, and has two rivers flowing through it; with the Têt to the north, and the Basse through the centre. Once the continental capital of the Kingdom of Majorca, Perpignan has been an economical and educational centre for centuries, and this is evident in its architecture.
Perpignan sits on the crossroads of the French and Spanish, Catalan and Languedocian cultural spheres. It was the "mainland" capital of the Kingdom of Mallorca for a while and gained further fame as a connection point between France and Spain when the first high-speed standard gauge rail line between the two countries opened from Figueres in 2010 with the missing section onwards via Girona to Barcelona and thence all of Spain opening in 2013.
Walk: town centre is compact, and much is pedestrianised. Buses are operated by Sankeo: their website has a route planner, timetables and maps. The network extends to nearby towns. Taxis wait at the airport and railway station. Firms in town are Accueil Perpignan (+33 468 351515) and Alternative Taxi (+33 652 664318). Driving: not if you can avoid it. Especially in summer, the streets are congested and central car parks are full. 3 Parking Square François Arago, Square François Arago. open air Paid parking. (updated Jan 2026) 4 Q-Park Perpignan République, 9 Pl. de la République. Underground €2.9/hr, €37.5/day.
Established south of the Basse River, Saint-Jean is the historic part of Perpignan. In the 11th century the counts of Roussillon established a fortress around the small church of Saint-Jean le Vieux. It's a lively part of the city largely composed of brick buildings with or without coating and small alleys and squares between them. Many streets are pedestrianized and lined by shops and restaurants. Place de la Loge is the most famous square, and was known in the Middle Ages as Plaça dels Richs Homens (the square of the rich people in Catalan).
1 Théâtre municipal, Place de la Republique, ☏ +33 468 663354. Theatre. (updated Mar 2026) 2 Cinéma le Castillet, 1 Bvd Wilson (next to Le Castillet). Cinema. (updated Mar 2026) 3 La Casa Musicale (L'Arsenal), 1 rue jean Vielledent. Cultural centre focusing on music of many genres with performances and courses. (updated Mar 2023) Rugby Union: 4 USA Perpignan, Stade Aimé-Giral, ☏ +33 468 596037. Nothing to do with American football, the name stands for Union Sportive Arlequins Perpignanais. They play rugby union (15 a side) in France's Top 14. The stadium (capacity 14,600) is named for fly-half Aimé Giral, one of seven of their players killed in the First World War.
The Roussillon cuisine is a variant of the Catalan cuisine, with ingredients from mar i muntanya - the sea and the mountains. Common ingredients include fish and seafood (the "fruits of the sea"), charcuteries, the "fruits of the land" like tomatoes, peppers, peaches, apricots, cherries and of course aioli (known as all i oli here). Classics of the local cuisine include suquet (fish stew with saffron and tomatoes), esesxaida (red salad with peppers), llagosta i pollastre (dish based on lobster and chicken), bullinada (fish and seafood pot), llagostada (lobster simmered in olive oil with sofregit - sauce), or cargollada (barbecued snails). Iconic products include botifarras (sausage) and fuet…
1 O'Shannon, 3 Rue de l'Incendie (next to Les Aristo), ☏ +33 612 754239. Tu-Sa 18:00-02:00. Friendly Irish pub with beers from all over the world. Two large rooms but still very busy after work hours and in the weekend. (updated Jan 2024) 2 Jet Set, 4 Rue Labédoyère (50 m south of Place de la Republique), ☏ +33 664 626277. Th-Su 19:00-02:00. Bar serving local wines with Catalan tapas, plus karaoke. (updated Jan 2024) 3 Nitos Distillery, Le moulin à eau La tourre Sud. Makes rum and gin. (updated Mar 2026) Wine: the lowlands around Perpignan produce Roussilon and Rivesaltes red, white and fortified (muscat) wines.
Perpignan is a reasonably safe city compared to larger and more populous ones. Being street smart and taking basic precautions should be enough to avoid problems. However, some parts of the city, namely the district of Saint-Jacques, should be visited with caution, and ideally never on your own. No matter where you go in town, never wear jewellery or other signs of wealth. Also, don't leave valuables in parked cars. 1 Main police station (Hôtel de police nationale de Perpignan), 33 avenue de Grande-Bretagne, ☏ +33 4 68 35 70 00. (updated Feb 2018)
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Aug, Perpignan typically sees ~31°C daytime highs and 5 rainy days.
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