Easy and cheap ways to have a perfect relaxing stay in Perpignan … with more than a bit of luxury thrown in too

It all starts with a cheap flight somewhere … and this time it was Perpignan in the south of France just a few miles from the Spanish border.

Ryanair flies into this tiny airport a few minutes from the city a couple of times a week – one of very few airlines to do so and usually very cut price compared to many other European destinations - which means Perpignan continues to remain so relaxing. Basically, few flights mean few tourists. Simple maths, really, even for me.

This city is close to the Pyrenees – you can see them in the distance from just around anywhere in the city including the balcony on our majestic Airbnb.

The return flight cost around £100 for two of us before a couple of 10kg cases which virtually doubled it but you can’t go anywhere without a few clothes, can you?

What we did in Perpignan was to search for a wonderful apartment and we certainly found it.  A tower in a chateau called Chateau Apollinaire set in its own grounds with a swimming pool just a 15-minute walk down one road right into the centre of Perpignan old town.

It was like living in history – the heavy and beautifully-decorated bedspread could have come straight from the 1700s – and the tower had two balconies so you could sit in the sun looking over the rooftops any time of the day.

The chateau is managed by Thierry, the kind of host who can’t do enough to make sure you’ve everything you need from information on the area to a jar full of coffee. Proper coffee.

Airbnb? More like Heirbnb as we felt to be living like royalty and all for just over £100 a night. There are other magnificent apartments in the chateau too, all immaculately renovated with a keen eye on style, culture and heritage. You won’t find better and it was peaceful and quiet. When sitting it in its large grounds you could be in the middle of the countryside rather than close to a city centre.

The area around Perpignan is stunning from the coast to the mountains – but how could we know that when we didn’t have a car to explore it?  Well, this is the kind of information you only discover when you’re here. The buses are heavily subsidised so it costs a Euro – yes, you read it right – just one single Euro to go just about anywhere by bus, be that to the beaches or up into the mountains and villages that give the word spectacular a whole new dimension.

The trains cost a bit more but still absolutely shame the ridiculous cost and terrible service we endure in the UK. There was a connecting train we caught from Perpignan to go just three stops down the line to then transfer to a bus and explore the mountains. That side train put British mainline trains to shame for its comfort – it was ride and glide on air unlike the shake, rattle, roll and cold we endure on the Huddersfield to Sheffield line.

The French love an abbey or a huge church on top of a hill with quaint red-tiled roofed villages and tiny narrow streets cascading down from it.

You’re spoiled for choice if that’s what you’re looking for.

We went in May 2025 and it was quiet, it was relaxing, it was peaceful just about everywhere we went. No tourist hustle and bustle, no cheap tat to affront the eyes. Don’t talk to me about tourist overcrowding, we’ve been to Santorini and Dubrovnik. This is the polar opposite.

In Catalan there’s just gem after gem to visit and sometimes we felt we had the place to ourselves.

And the quality of any area is often reflected jn the friendliness of its people. As a visitor here you feel truly appreciated. They’re glad you’ve come to explore Catalan, that you’ve made an effort to enjoy their magnificent area of France and support their local economy. People are eager to help … we were trying to work out the bus timetable and locals were quick to approach us to offer advice. They’re proud of their area and rightly so.

Try Villefranche-de-Conflent, an ancient village renowned for its UNESCO fortifications so well hidden in a narrow valley you can’t even see it until it appears as if by magic by the roadside. An ancient church, restaurants doing home-cooked, traditional Catalan food and a walk round the ramparts. A cracking day out.

Something we’d never heard of before was the ‘yellow train.’ Turns out it’s a special tourist train that runs through the Pyrenees with a wow factor that’s off the scale. You have to book it in advance as it’s full most days – this is no turn up and hope for a ticket job – and runs from Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour-de-Carol over a distance of 63 km, climbing 1,200 vertical metres to Bolquère, the highest ski station in France. It’s a three-hour journey rightly known locally as the Pride off the Pyrenees.

Perpignan is around eight miles from the Mediterranean coast that’s home to massive stretches of golden sands with great bus and train connections.

There are small, idyllic villages such as Collioure, named France’s Favourite Town in 2024. Think of a charming rustic French version of Robin Hood’s Bay but with a castle.

Then there’s the long promenade at the nearest beach, Canet. Take a tip and stay on the bus until the end of the line at Canet Sud, a quiet place with classy seafront apartments and then walk back up towards the heart of the resort which has a livelier vibe, family friendly complete with inflatable adventure play parks and large, classic roundabouts.

There are bars and restaurants right on the beach itself, some with their own sun loungers you can hire for 20 Euros a day just a few feet from the waves gently lapping onto the shore.

Foodies will love the fact that most restaurants anywhere in the region have a menu of the day for around 20 to 25 Euros per person and a litre of wine will add another 15 Euros on. Every meal was authentic, true Catalan and made with pride and an eagerness to please. Each meal came with bread and water with no need to ask, no fuss and no extra charge.

We found it better to eat out during the day and then get salad, dips, cold meats and cheese from a nearby supermarket for the evening sitting watching the sunset and the Pyrenees from our own private tower.

Perpignan is quiet city with only a handful of lively bars. It’s no party place but it’s full of history, an awe-inspiring cathedral, a 13^th Century palace, museums (including an art one featuring Picasso) and an incredibly picturesque canal. Don’t miss the flea market on Saturdays where you can buy old postcards of anywhere in France – and several places worldwide – for just a Euro each.  

Perpignan has a classical music festival in the summer and a jazz and world music festival in the autumn along with the international festival of photojournalism.

So, does it get better than this if you want a few days away from it all?

Not in our book it doesn’t and with so much more to explore we’ll be back.

To book the apartments at the Chateau Apollinaire direct go to https://www.chateaulta.com or through Airbnb at Historic Château: Romantic Tower Apt for 2 - Flats for Rent in Perpignan, Occitanie, France - Airbnb