Coverage · France
Perpignan
Perpignan sits at the crossroads of Catalan and French history, once the continental capital of the Kingdom of Majorca and still marked by its medieval palaces, Gothic churches, and red-brick towers. The city's Catalan identity runs through its architecture, its Good Friday processions, and its covered medieval cloister-cemetery, the only one of its kind in Europe. Salvador Dalí declared its railway station the centre of the world in 1965, and the claim feels less absurd once you've spent time here.
29+ researched places in the app
Places researched in this city
A selection of the 29 places we've researched in this city. The full set is in the Parroo app.
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Palace of the Kings of Majorca
Built between 1274 and 1344, this fortified Gothic palace predates both the Palais des Papes in Avignon and the Château de Vincennes, making it one of the earliest examples of its kind in Western Europe. It served as the royal residence when Perpignan was the continental capital of the Kingdom of Majorca.
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Le Castillet
Constructed around 1368 as a city gate and defensive watchtower, this red-brick landmark later became a state prison before its current life as Perpignan's museum of Catalan arts and traditions. Its tower still offers a panoramic view over the city centre.
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Saint John the Baptist Cathedral
Construction began in 1324 under King Sancho of Majorca but was halted by the Black Death and the fall of the Kingdom of Majorca, leaving the cathedral unfinished for over a century. Architect Guillem Sagrera, who also worked on Palma de Mallorca Cathedral, redesigned it around a single vast nave in the Southern Gothic style.
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Campo Santo
Started as early as 1298, this is the only covered medieval cloister-cemetery in Europe, with 56-metre Gothic galleries lined with marble columns originally serving as the burial ground for cathedral canons. Today it hosts the Visa pour l'Image international photojournalism festival.
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Loge de Mer
Built from 1397 as the seat of the maritime tribunal established by John I of Aragon, this Catalan Gothic hall once stood at the heart of Perpignan's Mediterranean trade network. A ship-shaped weathervane still sits on its roof, and the building later served, improbably, as a theatre before becoming the city's tourist office.
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Perpignan Station
Salvador Dalí declared this 1862 railway station the centre of the world in 1965, following a vision he experienced on the platform, and he later painted the scene. The claim anchored Perpignan in Surrealist mythology and a ceiling decoration added in 1982 by Robert d'Hoosche marks the spot.
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Casa Xanxo
Cloth merchant Bernat Xanxo had five houses demolished to build this Gothic residence between 1506 and 1508, then decorated its 20-metre brick facade with a sculpted frieze depicting the Seven Deadly Sins. The building later served as a Freemasonry lodge before becoming the city's architecture interpretation centre.
Good to know
- How many places does Parroo cover in Perpignan?
- 29 researched places, from the Palace of the Kings of Majorca and the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist to lesser-known spots like Casa Xanxo. Each one has a short summary, a full article, and a ~3-minute audio story.
- Is there an audio guide?
- Yes. Every place has a ~3-minute audio story, written from the perspective of a guide standing next to you and produced with premium narration, not the article read aloud.
- Which languages is Perpignan available in?
- German, English, and French. Pick whichever you'd rather read or listen in.
- Do I need to book anything or be online?
- No booking, no signup. It's a self-guided walk you start whenever you like. You do need a connection for now to stream the audio and load articles; offline support is something we're still building.
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Updated: 2026-05-29