Getting There -- Four trains per day arrive from Paris from both the Gare St. Lazare and the Gare de Nord (trip time: 6-10 hr.) after stopping at Montpellier; the one-way fare is 105€ ($137). Three conventional trains arrive from Marseille via Narbonne (trip time: 4 1/2 hr.; one-way fare: 40€/$52). For rail information and schedules, call tel. 36-35, or visit www.voyages-sncf.com. Perpignan is well connected to Collioure by bus. Five buses run between the two cities Monday to Friday, four on Saturday, and one on Sunday. Buses depart from 17 av. Général Leclerc (tel. 04-68-35-29-02), in Perpignan. The fare is 6.60€ ($8.60).
If you're driving from the French Riviera, drive west along A9 to Perpignan.
Visitor Information -- The Office Municipal du Tourisme is in the Palais des Congrès, place Armand-Lanoux (tel. 04-68-66-30-30; fax 04-68-66-30-26; www.perpignantourisme.com).
Special Events -- In the heat of July during a 4-week cultural binge, Les Estivales (tel. 04-68-35-01-77; www.estivales.com) causes the city to explode with music, expositions, and theater. Our favorite time to visit this area is during the grape harvest in September. If you visit then, you may want to drive through vineyards of the Rivesaltes district bordering the city to the west and north. Temperatures have usually dropped by then.
Perpignan is host to one of the most widely discussed celebrations of photojournalism in the industry, the Festival International du Photojournalisme (tel. 04-68-62-38-00; www.visapourlimage.com). Established in the late 1980s, it's also called Le Visa pour l'Image. From September 2 to 17, at least 10 sites of historic (usually medieval) interest are devoted to photojournalistic expositions from around the world. Entrance to the shows is free, and an international committee awards prizes.
