Perpignan – Collioure – Portbou
Part 1 Perpignan
A Excursion to the French neighbors is always a pleasant change. Perpignan is just outside the door and is only 1 hour’s drive from the Costa Brava. Shopping there can be combined with a subsequent stroll through Collioure – the pearl of the Côte Vermeille – and a varied return trip along the beautiful coast with stops in various wineries.
perpignan – Southern heart with a spicy accent – this is how the city is officially characterized. Perpignan (Catalan perpinyà) is the Capital of the southern French department of Pyrénées-Orientales.
Perpignan belonged to the crown of Aragon Catalonia since 1172. From 1276 to 1344 Perpignan was then the Capital of the Kingdom of Mallorca, of which today still the Palace of the Kings of Mallorca shows. In 1659 the city was attached to France by the Pyrenean Treaty. In the region around Perpignan – the Roussillon (Catalan Rosselló) – some Catalan people are still spoken today and good wine is pressed.
Perpignan impresses by Catalan culture and tradition paired with French charm and teach us the ease of being. Planets and palm trees alternate on the sunny wide avenues. There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the city’s many street cafés. Baroque and futuristic boutiques, a dusty little Lafayette, hip galleries and design shops make you want to go shopping. The weekly market Full of spices, fruit, vegetables, fish, sausage and baked goods seduced with thousands of scents and colors. Everywhere you meet history: from the monasteries to the museums, from the churches and chapels to processions and music.
Perpignan combines the here and there, the yesterday and today, is traditional and cosmopolitan at the same time. always happy and at any time of the year we let ourselves be through the small streets of the old town drive, watch over a glass of wine with curious passers-by and buy French delicacies. After all, you really know how to enjoy it here.
