Pyrénées-Orientales

Pyrénées-Orientales is a department in Occitanie, France.

Cities and towns

A westward view of the mountain lake, La Coumasse (2,160 m) in the Lacs des Bouillouses nature reserve.

• 1 Perpignan — where the flag of Catalonia flies beside that of France
• 2 Arles-sur-Tech — known for its abbey, the Abbaye Sainte Marie
• 3 Cerbère — an important centre for undersea diving
• 4 Céret — known for its Museum of Modern Art, its cherries, and its bullfighting tradition
• 5 Collioure — a beautiful seaside town with historic fort
• 6 Elne — known for its Roman architectural remains
• 7 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.
• 8 Thuir — it has a remarkable natural heritage
• 9 Vernet-les-Bains — nearby are 10 Villefranche-de-Conflent , a perfectly walled village, and 11 Casteil with the Abbay of Saint Martin du Canigou.

Other destinations

Ascending Pic Carlit

• 1 Font Romeu — ski resort with a friendly micro-climate, in Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via
• 2 Pic Carlit is a peak of 2921 m, but in summer it doesn't demand specialist climbing skills.
• 3 Llivia is an exclave, a Spanish town surrounded by France.

Get in

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

• 1 Latour-de-Carol is a village with an international railway station, with trains from Barcelona (broad gauge) and Toulouse (standard gauge). From there the scenic narrow-gauge Ligne de Cerdagne reaches Villefranche-de-Conflent, halfway to Perpignan. Latour-de-Carol also has bus service from Andorra.

By train

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.

Get around

• Ligne de Cerdagne (Train Jaune). A way to get around, but primarily an attraction in its own right. Also called le Canari ("the Canary") by the locals, it is the highest metre-gauge railway in Europe, with numerous impressive viaducts. It takes a journey with a difference in altitude of over a thousand metres over 63 km, between Villefranche-de-Conflent and Latour-de-Carol.  

See

La Tour de l'Etoile, an 18th-century fortification in Collioure

• 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.

Do

• 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.