Like many medieval towns, Perpignan was once encircled by defensive walls. Today all that remains is the red-brick town gate of Le Castillet, at the northern end of the old town. Inside the gateway is the Casa Païral museum, displaying Catalan ephemera from traditional bonnets and lace mantillas to an entire 17th-century kitchen.
Le Castillet & Musée Casa Païral
Perpignan
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
16.56 MILES
Roussillon had its artistic heyday around the turn of the 20th century, when Fauvist and cubist artists flocked here, attracted by the searing colours and…
Monestir de Sant Pere de Rodes
29.5 MILES
Views of distant Pyrenean peaks and the deep-blue Mediterranean combine with a spectacular piece of Romanesque architecture at this hillside monastery,…
0.45 MILES
Perpignan’s most dominant monument, the Palace of the Kings of Mallorca sprawls over a huge area to the south of the old town. Built in 1276, the castle…
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13.9 MILES
These rock formations must be one of the most striking geological wonders in Occitanie, though they have remained well under the tourist radar. They…
29.48 MILES
Founded by Cistercian monks in 1093, Fontfroide Abbey became one of southern France’s most powerful ecclesiastical centres during the Middle Ages…
16.75 MILES
Perched 728m up on a rocky hill, Quéribus was the site of the Cathars’ last stand in 1255. Its structure is well preserved: the salle du pilier (pillars'…
20.88 MILES
Peyrepertuse is the largest of the Cathar castles, teetering on a sheer spur of rock with a drop of 800m on either side. Several of the original towers…
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Musée de Préhistoire de Tautavel
10.78 MILES
The cave-riddled cliffs above Tautavel, 34km northwest of Perpignan along the D117, have yielded a host of prehistoric finds, most notably a human skull…
Nearby Perpignan attractions
0.06 MILES
Three fine stone structures flank place de la Loge. The 14th-century La Loge de Mer was rebuilt during the Renaissance; it was once Perpignan’s stock…
0.07 MILES
The 14th-century La Loge de Mer, rebuilt during the Renaissance, was once Perpignan’s stock exchange, then its maritime tribunal.
0.07 MILES
The Hôtel de Ville has a typically Roussillon pebbled façade of river stones.
0.14 MILES
Perpignan’s old town has several intriguing churches, but the most impressive is the Cathédrale St-Jean, begun in 1324 and not completed until 1509…
5. Musée d'Art Hyacinthe Rigaud
0.16 MILES
Occupying two elegant hôtels particuliers (private mansions) right in the historical centre, this museum was entirely renovated in 2017 and now ranks as…
6. Palais des Rois de Majorque
0.45 MILES
Perpignan’s most dominant monument, the Palace of the Kings of Mallorca sprawls over a huge area to the south of the old town. Built in 1276, the castle…
7. Musée de Préhistoire de Tautavel
10.78 MILES
The cave-riddled cliffs above Tautavel, 34km northwest of Perpignan along the D117, have yielded a host of prehistoric finds, most notably a human skull…
13.9 MILES
These rock formations must be one of the most striking geological wonders in Occitanie, though they have remained well under the tourist radar. They…