Pyrénées-Orientales Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

42°30′0″N 2°27′0″E

Map of Pyrénées-Orientales

• 42.69752.8947221 Perpignan — where the flag of Catalonia flies beside that of France
• 42.4433333.1647222 Cerbère
• 42.4880562.7513893 Céret
• 42.5255563.0808334 Collioure - Beautiful seaside town with historic fort
• 42.6002782.9711115 Elne
• 42.4977782.0338896 Font Romeu — (Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via) ski resort with a friendly micro-climate
• 42.5083332.127 Mont-Louis — a walled town at 1600 metres heavily fortified by Vauban in the late 17th century, still extensively used by the French army. Between here and Olette lies perhaps the most scenic section of the route of Le petit train jaune.
• 42.5488892.3877788 Vernet-les-Bains — the small village of Casteil is on the road above this and is the nearest access point for the monastery of Saint Martin du Canigou. The even smaller village of Fillols with a beautiful Romanesque church is a pleasing walk away from Vernet-les-Bains.
• 42.5872222.3677789 Villefranche-de-Conflent — perfectly walled village and the eastern terminus of Le Petit Train Jaune, a highly scenic stretch of rail with wonderful viaducts
• 42.4569442.63388910 Arles-sur-Tech
• 42.6319442.75638911 Thuir

• 42.5707471.9314991 Pic Carlit is a peak of 2921 m, but in summer it doesn't demand specialist climbing skills in summer.
• 42.4639291.9790712 Llivia is an exclave, a Spanish town surrounded by France.
• 42.4652781.8888893 Latour-de-Carol is a village with an international railway station, with trains to Barcelona (broad gauge), Toulouse (standard gauge) and Villefranche-de-Conflent (narrow gauge), plus bus to Andorra.

Perpignan is easily accessible by train from NE Spain and from Paris and southern France. There is also an airport.

High-speed TGV trains connect Perpignan with Paris direct in 5 hours. Many smaller towns are connected with regional TER trains. Additionally, there are overnight Intercités de Nuit trains from Paris to Latour-de-Carol and to Cerbère. Regional Spanish trains, connect Barcelona with the region.

• The petit train Jaune ^{[formerly dead link]} is one possibility, but it should be seen as an attraction in its own right rather than merely as a way of getting around.

• The southern end of the coast is the Côte Vermeille, a beautifully rugged stretch known for its vineyards and historic port towns such as Collioure and Cerbère.

• Pic Carlit — though nearly 3,000 metres in height, does not require specialist climbing skills in summer. Fabulous views and a good chance of seeing ibex and chamois.