About 25km, an easy short drive or train ride from the city.
Discover Authentic Pyrénées-Orientales & Aude: A Local Travel Guide by Mercure
At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Pyrénées-Orientales & Aude, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?
Our map pins local favourites such as the Yellow Train, the basalt columns of Ille-sur-Têt and Casa Xanxo in Perpignan, alongside our Mercure hotels.
Top 5 Things to Do in Pyrénées-Orientales & Aude
Collioure
A small port town about 25km from Perpignan, all cobbled streets and colourful houses, that once drew Matisse and Derain to paint its light. The anchovies here have their own local reputation too.
Céret
A town in the Vallespir valley known for its cherries, celebrated with an annual festival, and for its Modern Art Museum, which honours the artists who passed through here in the early 20th century.
Prades
Gateway to Mont Canigou and host to the Festival Pablo Casals, founded in 1950 by the cellist himself while in exile here. Concerts take place in the Romanesque Abbey of Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, a 9th-century site with acoustics to match its age.
Château de Peyrepertuse
One of the Cathar castles built into the Corbières ridgeline, its ramparts seeming to grow straight out of the rock. It sits roughly 40km northwest of Perpignan, in the Aude department.
Château de Quéribus
Nicknamed the 'last Cathar bastion,' this fortress held out longer than most against the Crusades and looks out over the Corbières and the Roussillon plain from its perch nearby Peyrepertuse.
Explore Pyrénées-Orientales & Aude's Best Local Spots with Our Interactive Map
What's on the map in Pyrénées-Orientales & Aude
We've mapped local spots across the Pyrénées-Orientales and Aude, from Perpignan's heritage to mountain railways and lunar landscapes.
Perpignan culture & crafts
Casa Xanxo (CIAP)
One of Perpignan's finest historic houses, now home to the centre for architecture and heritage. Travel through 500 years of architecture and decor via testimonies, films and projection mapping. Admission is free.
Perpignan · Heritage centre, free entry · Made for architecture lovers
À cent mètres du centre du monde
A contemporary art centre opened in 2004 in a renovated warehouse just off Perpignan station, where old wooden beams meet glass and metal. Guided tours Thursday to Sunday, by reservation.
Near Perpignan station · Contemporary art centre · Perfect for art lovers
Cré'actifs du 66
Cré'actifs du 66 is a collective shop of pieces handmade by local artists and artisans, from wooden pens and natural soaps to jewellery, bags, posters and ceramics. Just a six-minute walk from our Mercure Perpignan Centre.
Perpignan, 6 min walk from Mercure Perpignan Centre · Craft shop · Great for local souvenirs
Guinguette La Guarida
Unlike most guinguettes, La Guarida opens all year (weather permitting), grilling meat and fish at outdoor tables in Parc Sant Vicens. On Sunday mornings, the chef cooks a cargolade, the local grilled snail feast.
Parc Sant Vicens, 10 min drive from Mercure Perpignan Centre · Open-air restaurant · Perfect for local food
Palace of the Kings of Mallorca
A Gothic fortress-palace in the heart of Perpignan, seat of the short-lived Kingdom of Mallorca from 1276 to 1344. Explore its courtyard, arcades and chapels.
Perpignan · Historic monument · Ideal for history
Manufacture du Grenat
Founded in 1945 in Prades, a family jewellery house unique in France for crafting traditional Catalan garnet jewellery. Tour the workshops and watch the stones catch the light.
Prades · Workshop visit · Made for crafts
Byrrh Cellars
Home to the world's largest oak vat, the Byrrh cellars in Thuir tell the story of the Violet brothers, who created their aperitif in 1866.
Thuir · Cellar visit · Great for industrial heritage
Nature & scenic journeys
Les Orgues d'Ille-sur-Têt
About 30 minutes' drive from Perpignan, 'organ pipe' rock formations create a lunar landscape of fairy chimneys and winding paths. The protected site charges an admission fee.
Ille-sur-Têt, 30 min from Perpignan · Natural site · Perfect for walks and photos
The Yellow Train (Train Jaune)
Europe's highest narrow-gauge railway runs all year from Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour-de-Carol, through 22 villages on a 63-kilometre route across the Pyrenees. Grab a seat in the open carriage.
Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour-de-Carol · Scenic railway · Made for mountain views
Collioure
The 'pearl of the Côte Vermeille': a fishing village of colourful façades and medieval heritage that inspired many great artists. See it through their eyes.
Côte Vermeille · Village · Ideal for a day by the sea
Château de Castelnou
Built between 988 and 990, 20 km from Perpignan, one of the oldest medieval fortresses still standing in the region, with tours and events.
Castelnou · Castle · Perfect for history
Grotte des Grandes Canalettes
An 'underground Versailles' at the foot of the Canigou, 300 metres from Villefranche-de-Conflent, with striped galleries and the pure-white Salle Blanche.
Villefranche-de-Conflent · Cave · Great for families
Tropique du Papillon
A botanical garden in Elne, 12 km from Perpignan, where hundreds of butterflies from Asia and Latin America flutter around you.
Elne · Butterfly garden · Made for kids
Maison de l'Eau et de la Méditerranée
An interactive space in Le Boulou, near the Spanish border, about the marine environment and its challenges.
Le Boulou · Discovery centre · Perfect for families
Around Mercure Ax-les-Thermes
Bains du Couloubret
In Ax-les-Thermes, thermal water flows naturally at 33–38°C into a 200 m² pool under a glass roof, laid out like Roman baths with hot and cold plunges. Sink in.
Ax-les-Thermes · Thermal spa · Ideal for relaxing
Fontargente ponds
A half-day hike (about 3h30) to emerald-green mountain ponds. Pack a picnic.
Ariège Pyrenees · Hike · Great for walkers
AKRObranche d'Orlu
Ariège's largest adventure park: 15 courses and 18 ziplines in a centuries-old beech forest, crossed by a canyon with via ferrata.
Orlu · Adventure park · Perfect for families
Rafting on the Ariège
A half-day guided rafting trip at the foot of the Château de Foix – a gentle first taste of whitewater.
Foix · Rafting · Made for thrill-seekers
Mercus water sports centre
A lake with a free beach and a bar-restaurant, plus water skiing and pedal boats every afternoon.
Mercus-Garrabet · Water sports · Ideal for summer
Carcassonne
Cité de Carcassonne
One of the world's best-preserved medieval fortified towns: 3 km of ramparts, 52 towers and a castle. Walk the walls at dusk.
Carcassonne · Medieval city · Perfect for history
FAQ
Yes, the two Cathar castles sit near each other in the Corbières, roughly 40km northwest of Perpignan, so both fit into a single day trip.
It runs every summer at the Abbey of Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, with the festival marking its origins back to 1950 when Pablo Casals himself founded it.
The Yellow Train is Europe's highest narrow-gauge railway. It runs year-round through the Pyrenees from Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour-de-Carol, crossing 22 villages.
The Orgues d'Ille-sur-Têt, a striking rock formation about 30 minutes' drive away, and the Yellow Train from Villefranche-de-Conflent are two highlights.
Cré'actifs du 66 is a collective shop selling items handmade by local artisans, a six-minute walk from Hotel Mercure Perpignan Centre.
Where to Sleep in Pyrénées-Orientales & Aude
This Mercure hotel appears on our map:
- Mercure Ax Les Thermes