PERPIGNAN DAY TRIPS
 

<BR>We will be in Perpignan the first week in April, please give suggestions for day trips or overnight trips near this area. Thanks, Susan

For a very pleasant "day at the beach," (even if it isn't all that warm) try Collioure. <BR><BR>http://www.collioure.com/ (english version available)

I second the idea of Collioure -- beautiful. Will you have a car or travel by train? Sete is interesting, as is Aigues-Mortes, and you can easily do Montpelier by train or by car -- quite an active and modern city with a rather quaint old section. You could also go to Carcassone. Narbonne is fairly interesting.

A trip down to Figueras in Spain to the Dali Museulm.

Hi Susan:<BR>When in this area we enjoy driving inland. Check out one of the ruined Cathar castles say Peyrepertuse or Monsegur etc. Drive along the D117/D118 and just take in the sights of the area. We always head for the town of Limoux where we indulge in a great lunch at the maison de Blanquette. This town has a great sparkling wine industry. check out the winery of sieur d'arque or another. It's lovely stuff and they like to tell you they invented the method which Champagne now claims as their own. ?? Make sure to take a drive through the old Abbey town of St Hilaire. It's quite beautiful here.<BR>We did this trip last year for the second time while staying along the Languedoc coast north of Narbonne. We passed lots of vineyards, followed canals, found some great little villages and the Cathar castles are definitely awesome. We took a detour (due to construction) and ended up on some smaller "C" roads which always have something interesting around each corner.<BR>Enjoy!<BR>Lynn<BR>

Plan a lot of them. we were in Perpignan for several hours last week and we felt it was more than enough time. Frankly, we didn't see anything particularly appealing about the city. Sorry to disillusion you.

For sheer terror, take a drive through the Pyrenees. Outside Banyuls and Collioure are wineries (Templar rings a bell). For a beach-beach, try Argeles-sur-Mer. I second the reco for the Dali Museum in Figueres.

Susan,<BR><BR>It has been some years since we did this but there is the little yellow train that goes from France to Spain. We stay in Collioure and it was located about 50kms north of there. The ride takes about an hour each way and is very scenic. Not for someone who fears heights. Take a sweater regardless of weather.<BR><BR>Collioure is a beautiful little village near Perpignan. Try to find when tne locals dance the "Sardanne", on the weekend. It is a beautiful peasant dance that probably inspired Matisse to paint the "Dancers".<BR><BR>Gpood luck.

Buy a bottle of Banyuls in...Banyuls. Delicious (IMO) dessert wine, virtually unobtainable in N. America.<BR><BR>I like Perpignan for its feel more than for any sights or monuments. (The pastel buildings and blue sky are very much like San Francisco.)<BR><BR>Day trip possibilities are numerous - follow the suggestions of the other posters, or just pick "coast" or "mountains" and let the force flow through you. Hard to go wrong in this wonderful area.