Would you/could you spend a day in Perpignan?
 

Is it worth spending nearly a full day there. My wife will be busy doing something for 5 hours ( don't ask !!!!!) and I will be at a loose end. We will have a hire car and I can either amuse myself or go for a drive....suggestions. ( we will be staying in Collioure.)

Can't answer a whole day there , but my late husband and I stopped there for a lunch at one of the many waterside cafes.
We were so impressed how beautiful the bridges were bedecked
with flowers,

Yes, definitely .. a lot of nice architecture, a few museums, etc. The other choice is to drive up the cost but given you are staying in Collioure, you are pretty much doing that already!

Most of the first pictures in this photo album are from Perpignan

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...03%3A924681828

Great shots, covers all the esentials :)

Visit the Castle of the Kings of Mallorca (12th century).
If you are interested in museums, visit Musée Rigaud, rue de l'Ange in a former private mansion. Rigaud was the official painter at the court of Louis XIV. The museum also has a very interesting collection of contemporary art, "les petits formats", small paintings (16 x 21 cm)
There is also a folk museum in Le Castillet, Place du Castillet.
Don't miss the cathedral and next to it the Campo Santo, a medieval burying ground. Near Saint-Jacques, a beautiful church, is the Mediterranean garden of La Miranda.
In Saint-Gaudérique, on the road to Cabestany is the Fondation Jean Lurçat : tapestry, pottery in a private mansion.

You can also visit the Castle in Salses (14th century) 20 km from Perpignan on the road to Narbonne or Castelnou, a medieval village near Thuir (15 km from Perpignan).

Thanks kindly !

Another vote for driving to Castelnou.