Sights in Perpignan
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A
Palais des Rois de Majorque
The Palais des Rois de Majorque sits on a small hill. Symbol of Perpignan's late-medieval splendour but now echoing and sparsely furnished, the palace was built in 1276 for the ruler of the newly founded kingdom. It was once surrounded by extensive fig and olive groves and a hunting reserve, both lost once Vauban's formidable citadel walls enclosed the palace. Pick up a guide sheet as you enter and climb the 70 steps of Tour de l'Hommage for a sweeping panorama of the Pyrenees and Mediterranean.
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B
Casa Païral
Casa Païral, the museum of Roussillon and Catalan folklore, occupies Le Castillet, a 14th-century red-brick town gate. Once a prison, it's the only vestige of Vauban's fortified town walls, which encircled the city until the early 1900s. The museum houses bits and pieces of everything Catalan - from traditional bonnets and lace mantillas to a 17th-century kitchen. From the rooftop terrace there are great views of the old city and citadel.
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C
Hôtel de Ville
Place de la Loge has three fine stone structures. Sandwiched between La Loge de Mer and the Palais de la Députation, once seat of the local parliament, is the Hôtel de Ville with its typically Roussillon pebbled façade of river stones. Pass by on summer weekends and you may well see locals of all ages dancing the graceful sardane, folk dance of the Catalans.
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D
Cathédrale St-Jean
Topped by a typically Provençal wrought-iron bell cage, Cathédrale St-Jean, begun in 1324 and not completed until 1509, has a flat facade of red brick and smooth, zigzagging river stones. The cavernous single nave is marked by the fine carving and relative sobriety of its Catalan altarpiece. For centuries, Perpignan believers have venerated the engagingly naive statue of the Virgin and child in the chapel of Nostra Senyora dels Correchs in the north aisle.
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E
La Loge de Mer
La Loge de Mer was constructed in the 14th century and rebuilt during the Renaissance. At various times Perpignan's stock exchange and maritime tribunal, its ground floor is now occupied by the stylish café-restaurant Le France.
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F
Campo Santo
Immediately south of the cathedral (leave by a small door in the south aisle) is the early-14th-century Campo Santo, France's largest and oldest cloister-cemetery, lined with white-marble Gothic niches.
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G
Palais de la Députation
Next to La Loge de Mer is the Palais de la Députation, once the seat of the local parliament.
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Place de la Loge
Place de la Loge has three fine stone structures. Fourteenth-century Le Loge de Mer, rebuilt during the Renaissance, was once Perpignan's stock exchange, then maritime tribunal. Between it and the Palais de la Députation, formerly seat of the local parliament, is the Hôtel de Ville with its typically Roussillon red-brick and pebble facade.
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Le Castillet & Casa Païral
Once a prison, the 14th-century red-brick town gate of Le Castillet is the only vestige of Vauban's fortified town walls. Inside, Casa Pairal, a folklore museum, houses bits and pieces of everything Catalan – from traditional bonnets and lace mantillas to an entire 17th-century kitchen.
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