Give Me 5 – Perpignan airport information

Give Me 5 – Perpignan airport information

1. Where is Perpignan airport?

While technically in the commune of Rivesaltes, unlike many Ryanair destinations (I mean you “London” Stansted!), Perpignan airport is actually very close to the centre of Perpignan. I live about 3 minutes walk from the central square, Place de la République, and I can (traffic permitting) get to the airport in 10 minutes by car.

If you’re thinking of buying property in the Perpignan area, the whole of the Pyrénées-Orientales department is easily accessible from the airport. Here are approximate journey times by car to some popular towns:

Argelès sur Mer – 30 minutes

Céret – 30 minutes

Canet-en-Roussillon – 15 minutes

Collioure – 35 minutes

Font Romeu (ski resort) – 1 hour 30 minutes

Prades – 40 minutes

Saint Cyprien – 25 minutes

Thuir – 25 minutes

2. Routes from Perpignan airport

The summer schedules for 2012 have been released. The following routes are operating this year:

Perpignan – Stansted with Ryanair from March 2012 – no news on whether these will continue through winter 2012/13 yet

Perpignan – Birmingham with Flybe from May to September 2012

Perpignan – Southampton with Flybe from May to September 2012

Perpignan – Dublin with Aer Lingus from March to October 2012

Perpignan – Brussels with Ryanair, currently showing schedule until March 2012

Perpignan – Paris Orly with Air France, currently showing schedule until March 2012

For more detailed information, have a look on the airport’s own website which is clear, informative and in both French and English. The link is here.

3. New routes from Perpignan airport?

It was announced in January 2012 that Perpignan airport will receive 45.5 million euros of investment to be spent on modernising and expanding the airport. This is good news for tourism in the region, and will hopefully mean that the airport will have better facilities and additional routes in the future. I will post more news on our site as it is announced.

4. Facilities at Perpignan airport

Parking - The airport currently has one paying car park, although the first 15 minutes are free. Parking tariffs are displayed here. You can purchase monthly, quarterly or annual season tickets.

Shopping – Don’t keep back lots of euros to spend at the airport. There is no duty free, and just one small shop landside which sells newspapers, drinks, sweets, a few books and a limited choice of local products (wine etc).

Eating and drinking – there is one small café landside with limited seating and selling drinks and a few sandwiches and pastries. There is also a restaurant on the first floor but I’ve never been and it seems to be frequented more by airport staff than travellers.

It is worth noting that there are no shops, cafés or restaurants airside.

Bus service – there is a regular bus service from the airport into Perpignan city centre. This goes from Cabestany, stopping in Perpignan (Place Catalogne, by FNAC) to the airport and then on to Peyrestortes. The timetable is displayed here.

5. Alternatives to Perpignan airport

If the routes above are not convenient for you, there are a number of airports which are within easy reach of Perpignan and the Pyrénées-Orientales. These include Girona (Spain), Carcassonne, Béziers, Nîmes, Montpellier, Toulouse and Barcelona.