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Free things to do in Perpignan

6 places in Perpignan with free entry or no charge, based on guide listings and map data.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Free things to do in Perpignan

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    Casa Xanxo

    Bernat Xanxo was a wealthy draper and had this mansion built in Catalan Gothic style in 1506. It's now a small art museum, but the building itself is the main attraction, with the ceremonial living room, and the frieze with symbols of the cardinal sins and the flames of hell awaiting.

    Tue-Sun 11:00-17:30Free

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    Centre d'Art Contemporain Walter Benjamin

    Rotating exhibitions of contemporary art. Benjamin (1892-1940) was a German Jewish philosopher and art critic. He escaped occupied France to Port Bou, but the Spanish intended to deport him back to France, and he took an overdose rather than be handed over to the Nazis.

    Tue-Sun 11:00-17:30Free

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    Hôtel Pams

    Charming mansion built 1896-1902 with money from a cigarette paper business. It's now a small art museum.

    Tue-Sun 11:00-17:30Free

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    Natural History Museum

    Extensive collections of the mineralogy, flora and fauna of the Pyrenees. There are also sections with archaeological objects from ancient Egypt, and an ethnological collection from Oceania.

    Jun-Sep: daily 09:30-17:30; Oct-Apr: Tue-Sun 11:00-17:30Free

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    Perpignan Cathedral

    Basilique-Cathédrale de Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Perpignan

    Work on this large brick cathedral began in 1324 during the rule of King Sancho I of Majorca. The fall of the kingdom and the Black Death impeded works, and the building was only finished in 1509. It became a cathedral in 1602. It's been modified many times over the centuries and the oldest part is the choir with its seven-sided apse. Attractions include the white marble main altarpiece with scenes from the lives of Jesus and St John the Baptist, and altarpieces of Notre-Dame-de-la-Magrana and Saint-Pierre. There's also a small chapel with sacred art of the early 14th century, and a wooden crucifix brought here from the Rhine Valley. The western façade of the cathedral has a bell tower with a bell made in 1418.

    Daily 08:00-17:00Free

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    Église Notre-Dame de La Réal

    The royal parish church was built on the site of a former convent and consecrated in 1323. During the Revolution it was a munitions factory, but in 1804 became a church again. It retains its Gothic structure, although the façade was renovated in the 19th century. Highlights within are the 14th century baptismal font and a 15th century painting of a tomb.

    Mon-Sat 10:30-18:30, Sun 10:00-12:00Free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Perpignan (CC BY-SA 4.0).