We will be staying in Barcelona for 9 days and want to do a day trip to Collioure--where we spent a day previously and loved it. Can get to Perpignan easily by train but there is an hour layover for the onward train to Collioure. Not having any luck finding buses or taxis that would take us from Perpignan train station to Collioure (and return later the same day). Has anyone done this or is there someone local who can recommend a taxi service?

If that is not possible, please recommend sights and restaurants in Perpignan for a day trip. Thank you.

You can take the €1 bus to Collioure. Perpignan bus station is next to the TGV station, on your left as you exit.
Bus timetable : http://bus1euro.cd66.fr/telechargez-...ches-horaires/ Click on "Ligne 400 - Perpignan Cerbère

You can also take a slow train from Barcelona to Cerbère, then a train from Cerbère to Collioure. Timetables here :
…gencat.cat/web/.content/pdf/horaris/R11.pdf
…sncf.com/medias/PDF/languedoc_roussillon/FH…
On the way back, buy a ticket from Collioure to Portbou, then Portbou to Barcelona (at the border, Spanish train go to Cerbère and compe back empty and French trains go to Portbou and come back empty). No reservation needed.
Taxis : www.accueilperpignantaxi.fr and ask for a quote.

Link for slow Spanish train :
http://rodalies.gencat.cat/web/.cont...oraris/R11.pdf

I hope you are able to get to Collioure. We spent several nights there and enjoyed it so much.

Thank you Pvoyageuse so very much for such helpful and complete information. We love Collioure and truly hope we can work these connections you've furnished in order to return for a lovely day.

HappyTrvlr, glad, you, too enjoyed Collioure. It's really a gem of a small seaside town. I purchased a stylized print of the town from the Galerie Dumortier which I have matted and framed and hanging just above my computer. I'm looking at it right now and hoping I can see the real thing very soon.

TGV tickets bought in advance can get nifty discounts but are train-specific and can't be changed and on day trips you never are sure when you want to return - www.voyages-sncf.com (you probably know this but for others...) maybe go TGV and take milk trains back? Check www.seat61.com for help on discounted tickets.

Pvoyageuse, Is the Perpignan TGV station connected to their "regular train station" and does the slow train come in at the same place as the sncf trains do? Thinking I might be able to cobble together something using regular sncf trains and slow trains by only taking the slow trains for part of the journey. (Does this make sense?) Thanks for all your intel.

Yes, it is connected by an underground passage. The slow trains use the old station which faces the new TGV one. When you get off the train and enter the hall you'll see escalators on your right. Take them down and follow the crowd (!).
If you have bought the Perpignan to Collioure ticket in advance, ask the TGV conductor if he knows the platform to Collioure. Platforms are numbered A to F and you can access them directly from the underground passage (look for the white on blue signs) without having to walk all the way to the old station hall.
Yes, your plan does make sense !

Salvador Dali once proclaimed that Perpignan's station was the "center of the universe."

http://inperpignan.net/2010/?p=1167

"Today arriving at La Gare de Perpignan is like entering the center of Salvador Dali’s psyche. The ceilings are painted in large swirls of bright yellows, oranges and blues in a fashion that makes one question if there is such a thing as too much color. The swirls create enormous butterflies, an homage to Dali’s art, and tempt the imagination to see how many butterflies can be found among the flurry of color. The boarding platform displays the words “Perpignan Centre du Monde” painted in chalky white paint across the black pavement."

Too late : the ceiling (who was never painted by Dali) is now painted white

Sad. For a moment there I was really excited about the bonus I was going to get. Thanks again, for all the wonderful information. it's starting to sound doable.