THINGS TO DO IN PERPIGNAN, FRANCE 🇫🇷 (occitanie day trip travel guide)

My Perpignan day trip included a bit of a surprise... make sure to watch the full travel vlog to see what it was!
In this Perpignan travel guide, I share a few recommendations of things to do in Perpignan, and show my surprise at happening upon a centuries old tradition that I did NOT expect to see. This is a really beautiful city, and I'm so glad that my artist residency brought me to this part of the world. For more videos about France and my artist-in-residence program, click below:
• MOVING TO FRANCE AS AN...
• MOVING TO FRANCE FROM ...
The music in this video is my original song 'Ivy & Vine,' which you can listen to on all streaming services.
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#francetravel #perpignan #francevlog
© Claire Hawkins 2023
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[@franchise6863]

Love your music and thank for walking me through Perpignan. We are traveling there in late April, after a few days in Barcelona.

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you so much! The song in this one is "Ivy & Vine," which you can find on all streaming services. Have a great trip to Perpignan!

[@green6629]

Fantastic, going to Barcelona for couples days, probably i'll go for a tour there, thanks for that video

[@ClaireHawkins]

Enjoy!!

[@jasonking6892]

Looks Fabulous 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@ClaireHawkins]

It is!

[@tty-494m]

Another enjoyable video. I really appreciate the bits of historical information you include to provide some background about the places you visit.

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you! I always like to include a bit of what I learn as I travel. 😊

[@mohammedsharif2651]

Very nice video and music. 🙏🙌👏

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you! The music in this video is my original song "Ivy & Vine." You can find it wherever you listen to music!

[@rehmaanfatahu1272]

Perpignan is a beautiful city and France is a good country. Thank you for the video Claire! Love you ❤ Enjoy and have a beautiful weekend

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you for watching!

[@NerfsDJ]

My family is frome here. Seeing all these sites made me feel very nostalgic, thank you :)

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you for watching! Your family is from a very cool place!

[@longlostkryptonian5797]

Great video and the music was amazing! You’re so talented. Good luck!

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you so much! You can listen to my latest song here: open.spotify.com/track/1wHM2OT9xRBwPyANoSpFRv?si=0d75c1229d914fce

[@JBisHere4AGudTime]

Wow! Such a good video! I used to go to Barcelona every 2 years for a skateboard contest so I made some friends from this area. I too was amazed at all the Catalan influence in the area. Everybody seemed to speak all three languages there (French, Catalan, Spanish) I love that area so much! Enjoy your time there, Amiga! I love the song for this video as well! Can't wait for all the coming videos!

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you! It really is a very cool part of the world.

[@metalllicznyy]

Perpigan and Bayonne are my favourite cities in France, wish I could visit more often 😢 nice video anyways!

[@MichelleLynnThompson]

Thank you❤

[@Abel_Lomeli]

Thanks for sharing this wonderful video

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you for watching!

[@noelquinones7188]

Do you have family in Puerto Rico? Phenomenal music by the way. Love it!!!

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you so much! And no, not that I know of, but I'd love to visit! haha

[@wilddata]

This is STILL Catalonia :) (you said “it was part of Catalonia”). Just not attached to the “spanish” part of Catalonia since the treaty of the Pyrenees. Thanks for showing my native city! I actually went to the school you mentioned near the king of Majorca palace. You don’t realize what you have as a kid unfortunately

[@marvinsalamero9111]

A blessed good day beautiful 😍 Claire Wowwww it's so nice Beautiful Perpignan place in France So Many Beautiful Apartments and historical fantastic Places And Nice delicious Foods, and I love your Background Song, 😍 of You Take care always Sending love from solid fan supporter from the Philippines 🇵🇭 sir Marvin 😍🎶🎧🎧🎧🇵🇭👏👏👏👏♥️🙏🙂👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thanks for watching!

[@marccolomayt82094]

Worth watching and I can’t wait! ❤

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you!!

[@danielrdiary]

Thank you for this. I'm just on my way there and know what to expect.❤

[@ClaireHawkins]

Enjoy your time in Perpignan!

[@lospopularos]

Great music! I was wondering, was that Amy Whinehouse?…. And that’s you in person, personally! Congratulations! Gee, how can I listen to it if I don’t have a Spotify account?

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you! That's my song "Ivy & Vine." It's available on all music services, so you can search for "Claire Hawkins" wherever you get your music online! I also sell CDs on Bandcamp. 😊

[@KntnWDHS]

Hi Claire, did you fly into Perpignan and get public transport to that beach area? Is transport to beach areas good?

[@ClaireHawkins]

There is a bus you can take, but I recommend driving if you can!

[@ngocvu8937]

@@ClaireHawkins Can you tell me the name of the beach ? a

[@ClaireHawkins]

@@ngocvu8937 That's Canet-Plage!

[@ilovejesuslofi]

whats the name of the food you were eating? it looked very nice

[@yannsiam7707]

Hello, nice video. May I ask you where you stayed with this nice beach view? Is it a hotel or a place you can rent for a month? TIA

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thanks for watching! I talk more about where I stayed in the videos on my channel about my artist residency. 😊

[@김언주-e7m]

I love your video❤

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you!

[@hankfontaine]

That palace was so cool!

[@ClaireHawkins]

It really was!!

[@Peregrin3]

I'm moving to a small village next to Perpignan 🎉

[@ClaireHawkins]

Best of luck with the move!

[@zaravielle]

Hello, hqve a nice day From🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭

[@ClaireHawkins]

Thank you!!

[@titteryenot4524]

I like Perpignan the way I like my least-likeable, wayward, troublesome child. I first visited back in 2013, and, having been all over southern France and its ‘preserved in tourist aspic’ sights, was pleasantly surprised by the place, albeit yes, with a slightly rough-around-the-edges authentic ‘take no prisoners’ feel to the city. However, not once (in about a dozen visits since) have I felt my personal safety even remotely in danger whilst there. (This includes several strolls around the so-called ‘notorious’ St Jacques area; alas, there have been mutterings for years locally about razing this entire area - really a small village within the city - and starting again, but I feel this would be an egregious error, both from a human point of view and from an aesthetic point of view as, in my opinion, the old cluster of St Jacques houses and intermittent churches and small squares is actually a potential jewel in the city’s crown. Perhaps they may have to gentrify it a bit to pull in the casual visitors, but to erase it from the cityscape? well, I shudder at the thought and pray they don’t.) But … and here’s what those not in the know may not be aware of: 1. Perpignan has a small but lively and lovely central core: sure, the cultural barbarians bulldozed the old town walls to, you’ve guessed it, put up parking lots and roads but they had mercy on the actual buildings within the walls, such that you can stroll around the town’s heart for a morning and be pleasantly surprised. 2. It’s sunny; almost always. I was once there in the depths of January one year and the thermometer shot up to 23/24/25 degrees on a blissful run of 3 days. Sure, doesn’t bode well for global warming enthusiasts (of which I am one) but hey: gotta take your pleasures where you can find them! 3. It’s close to beach and mountain. One of its delights is that splendid thing whereby you can take a photo in Perpignan with palm trees in foreground and Canigou dusted with snow, like icing on a birthday cake, in the distance. That sub-tropical/Alpine (strictly, in this case, Pyrenean) juxtaposition always fascinates me. 4. The people are, on the whole, warm and welcoming. 5. Spain is right on the doorstep; and to take you there a run of delicious wee Cote Vermeille villages, climaxing in the cute-as-a-button Collioure (due respect to the dinky, but frankly slightly underwhelming Cerbere). If you take the more direct route and the fast train from Perpignan, you can be in Dali’s birthplace in 20 minutes, or 20 minutes further down the line again and the quite glorious Old Town ensemble of Girona (where the city fathers - and mothers! - wisely opted to leave the city walls, such that they provide one of the most wonderful urban-based walks in all Spain), and just another 40 minutes after that, perhaps Spain’s most world-renowned city. (Due respect to the non-Catalans amongst us.) So there you have it. Perpignan is worth the hike. I did it on a Ouigo (Paris-Perpignan return) a couple of years back for less than the price of a round of drinks. Or thereabouts.

[@ejazahmed6079]

Good prononciation in french🖤

[@ClaireHawkins]

Merci!

[@maxxx3566]

(Calalonia o Pays Catalan day trip, but don't tell anyone)

[@germancreatives88]

This is not popular for tourists, it's good to visit not crowded like cote d azur

[@ClaireHawkins]

It’s a great spot!

[@goohber1]

wow, what a beautiful joi goddess ;-)

[@susanastephens7156]

This was part of Catalunya

[@MichelVoss]

6:06 filmed 7th April 2021

[@kidsclub-ky9ic]

I live in perpignan you shold go to the rugby pleace

[@manuelgomez6657]

This is a part of Catalonia. Això és Catalunya.

[@ejazahmed6079]

🌷

[@ChristinaNuesgen]

I can only see her, nothing of Perpignan.

[@tiryakidetiryaki1826]

Nobody out there why🤔

[@greeneileen]

English speakers persist in trying to wedge in their old mispronunciation of the place 'Catalonia' where it isn't needed. So, just say Catalan as the adjective for things and people. I'm Catalan by marriage and want to tell you that the comment, 'You can really see the Spanish influence' is super cringe-inducing. Catalans actually sometimes call this part of France 'Catalunya Nord' i.e. Northern Catalunya. While factually Catalunya is a province of Spain they aren't a nation of people without a state by choice. Read up a little on their massive, ongoing, annual demonstrations for independence and avoid misidentifying their culture as 'Spanish'!

[@alanobrien1696]

The adjective for her is verbose.

[@n.s.5278]

Who asked?

[@McMohamed99]

But living in Perpignan is horrible