How to get there
There are so many permutations to get you from the UK to Argeles it’s impossible
to list them all - and of course it depends on where you live and your preferred
method of travel. Even to me the following information sounds complicated but it
really isn’t and once you’ve eliminated what doesn’t apply to you, you will be
left with a tailor-made route to get you from where you live to Argeles sur Mer!
We haven’t yet met anyone willing to come and collect us from the UK but bear in
mind that once you’ve spent time in Argeles and made new friends they will do
what friends do and be more than happy to act as your chauffeur (and maybe
you’ll do the same for them) so taxis, trains and buses will become unnecessary:
BY AIR
Ryanair operate cheap flights from Stansted to Perpignan, sometimes for as
little as £20 return. www.ryanair.com
You can fly from Stansted to Perpignan with www.flybe.co.uk
Or from Manchester to Perpignan with www.bmibaby.com
One route from Perpignan airport to Argeles is via Canet Plage where, at the
right time of year, you can drive past the thousands of pink flamingos that
migrate there from Africa annually. An amazing sight!
Ryanair also fly to Gerona*,only an hour and a quarter south of Argeles, from
Bristol, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Durham, East Midlands, Glasgow, Liverpool,
Luton and Dublin.
When checking flights note that Girona comes under Barcelona (Girona) .
Alternatively www.bmibaby.com go from Southampton, Birmingham or Edinburgh to
Perpignan from March to October.
You could also fly to Narbonne, Carcassonne or Montpellier in France or to
Barcelona in Spain.
For a general overview of flights from where you live to where you are going see
www.skyscanner.net
BY TRAIN
From Perpignan airport you can take a taxi or the shuttle bus to Perpignan
station.
From Girona there is a train to Portbou on the Spanish border and a second train
to Argeles. Train travel is very cheap and no, I don’t speak Spanish but always
get by and I love this journey because it‘s so interesting (and you can smoke
inside Spanish train stations and elsewhere even though you aren‘t supposed
to!).
COACH AND SHUTTLE BUS
www.frogbus.com is a newish line of luxury coaches that goes from Girona airport
to Perpignan station, stopping at Le Boulou which is less than half an hour from
Argeles. When booking they ask for your mobile phone number. One day I received
a call from the driver saying he would be arriving at Le Boulou 10 minutes late
and I shouldn’t worry! Frogbus’ website says:
“For late arrivals/early departures at Girona airport, frogbus.com have agreed
special rates with the 4* Salles Hotel & Spa (500m from the airport). Simply
mention frogbus.com when booking to receive a discounted room rate. Similarly,
in Perpignan, we recommend Chateau La Tour Apollinaire.”
TAXI
From Perpignan airport you can take a taxi, or the shuttle bus, to Perpignan
station, the train to Argeles - and a taxi for the five minute drive to the
campsite.
A taxi from Perpignan airport to the campsite will cost €50/60. Or I can give
you the number of my lovely taxi driver, Francois, who will chat to you, bring
you up to date with the weather and goings on, and give you a 10% discount. If
I’m arriving at Perpignan airport I text him my ETA and he’s always waiting
inside to greet me with a hug and take my baggage straight off the carousel. Once, a Sunday, I texted him my departure instead of arrival time. So he had a
wasted journey but forgave me and absolutely refused my offer of financial
compensation for a drink or bunch of flowers for his wife. He and people like
him are one of the many reasons I love Argeles so much.
CAR HIRE
Ryanair, Flybe etc offer discounted car hire on their websites. Bookings can
also be made in the UK through www.holidayautos.co.uk and the car picked up in
Perpignan airport or station. Car hire is cheaper in Spain (eg Gerona or
Barcelona) but there is a supplement to drive from Spain into France so it‘s
perhaps swings and roundabouts.
DRIVING
By car from the south of England takes about 16 hours. Most people take the
opportunity to spread the journey over two days and spend the night en route.
Driving is also the perfect opportunity to experience the amazing Millau Bridge
(le Viaduct de Millau), the tallest bridge in the world. Google it for some
amazing photos.
CROSSING THE CHANNEL
Through the tunnel return prices are from £44 for car, passengers and luggage!
www.eurotunnel.com. By ferry try www.norfolkline.com or for cheap returns from
Dover to Boulogne go to www.speedferries.com
Eurostar trains go from Waterloo in London to Perpignan in about eight and a
half hours.
www.viamichelin.com offers a good route-planner.
