You are here: Our place in Argelès / Getting there
1. Getting there
After five years of owning "Our place in Argelès" the journey to and from our apartment has settled into a regular pattern - we usually drive down.
We used to fly but it is too much hassle. As the crow flies Argelès-sur-Mer is over 1,000km (620 miles) from our home in Plymouth. The nearest budget airline (EasyJet) flies from Bristol to Barcelona with a mid-morning take-off, which, for us, involves an overnight hotel stop beforehand. RyanAir flies from Stanstead to Perpignan or Bournemouth to Girona, again these require an overnight stop (with relatives) beforehand.
On the other hand, Brittany Ferries have daily sailings from Plymouth to Roskoff in north-west Brittany. We can leave home at 10:45 to catch the midday ferry from Plymouth, which arrives at Roskoff at about 19:00. After a fairly leisurely drive, with two overnight stops, we arrive in Argelès about 48 hours after leaving home - it's almost as quick as flying!
2. By car
French Autoroutes
We prefer the Autoroutes over long distances. In our view, the cost of tolls is offset by improved fuel economy and they are quicker and safer, with less traffic and fewer entry/exit points.
In the vicinity of major cities such as Bordeaux or Toulouse the Autoroutes become toll-free as they enter the local, publicly funded network. Fortunately, in recent years, the speed limit on these roads has been reduced to 90kmh (56mph) for environmental reasons. Even at this speed, they tend to be race tracks, especially in the rush hour, and you need to take extra care!
Autoroute Péage 'zapper'
As regular users we have invested in a 'zapper' for passing
through the Autoroute toll gates automatically - no more queues or
fumbling with change.
We have a subscription to the "Libre" service, which means we
only get a bill when we use the zapper. There is no financial benefit,
we pay exactly the same for the tolls as everyone else. The zapper
itself is free but in any month that we use the zapper we get a paper
bill. They charge 1.40 euro for each bill they send to us to cover
postage etc. The bill is paid by Variable Direct Debit through
our French bank account. We think the convenience is well worth 1.40
euros.
Plymouth-Roskoff to Argelès
1150km (715 miles) - about 11 hours 30 minutes driving time*. The French motorways are toll-free until just south of Nantes. After Nantes we join the Autoroute network of toll-roads and follow the west coast - south to Bordeaux, east to the Mediterranean and south to Perpignan. Argelès is 30 minutes by car from the motorway exit at Perpignan Sud. The west coast route is also better for winter passages - with the moderating effect of the Atlantic Gulf Stream and little high ground along the route, there is less risk of ice and snow.
* Driving time does not include breaks of any sort.
Poole-Cherbourg to Argelès
1166km (725 miles) - about 11 hours driving time* - the route is similar to the Roskoff to Argelès route.
* Driving time does not include breaks of any sort.
Dover-Calais to Argelès
1164km (723 miles) - about 11 hours driving time*. We have never used this route, which passes through the centre of Paris!
* Driving time does not include breaks of any sort.
Plymouth-Santander to Argelès
This route entails a more costly 24-hour crossing of the Bay of Biscay to northern Spain. There is no direct route along the Pyrenees, you have to go well north or well south of the Pyrenees to cut across to the Mediterranean. It sounds good in theory but it only reduces the mileage/driving time by about a quarter to 773km (480 miles) - an advantage that has to be weighed against the additional passage time and cost of this ferry route.
3. By sea
Brittany Ferries sail from our home port of Plymouth so we joined their Property Owners Club - up to 33% off ferry costs and other perks such as free or reduced rate cabins and discount on meals etc. The Poole/Cherbourg route is a viable alternative for us but adds about 3 hours driving time on the UK side of the channel.
Dover/Calais crossings are shorter and more competitively priced but look at this map and you will see why we never consider them. Besides adding about 5 hours driving time on the UK side of the Channel this route would take us down through central France, including Paris.
4. By air
Nearest airports - listed in order of driving time from our apartment...
Perpignan
About 45 minutes by car from our apartment. Other transfer options to/from Perpignan airport are covered in Airport Tips. Ryanair runs daily flights from Stanstead during the summer. Flybe runs a Saturday service from Southampton.
Girona (Spain)
About 90 minutes by car from our apartment. Ryanair runs lots of daily flights from various UK airports. Our visitors have flown here from Stanstead, Bournemouth and Liverpool.
Carcassonne (France)
About 2 hours by car from our apartment. Ryanair runs daily flights from Stanstead. We have no personal experience, flight-wise, but we have visited the old city (La Cité) of Carcassonne and would recommend including this world heritage site in your itinery.
Barcelona (Spain)
2 hours 50 minutes by car from our apartment. That's the theory, but Barcelona is a big, busy city and it's easy to get lost! The airport is south of the city and Argelès is to the north. Our first journey from the airport was a nightmare and the return trip was even worse! But it's a wonderful, vibrant city to include in your itinery. We suggest a short stop-over on your return journey. A modern airport shuttle train runs right into the city centre at frequent intervals. Easyjet flies daily from Bristol.
5. Perpignan Airport Shuttle Bus
A shuttle bus service runs to and from Perpignan Airport (Rivesaltes) to the bus and railway stations in Perpignan city centre.
Buy your ticket as you board the bus. The single fare is 4.50 euros. For groups of 4 or more, students and persons under 26 years the price is 3 euros each. These prices are valid in 2010 and have not changed since 2004 to our knowledge!
The shuttle bus service timetable is adjusted automatically to changes in scheduled flights in and out of Perpignan Airport.
As soon as you have claimed your baggage make your way out of the terminal and the bus will be found waiting just outside - it leaves 15 minutes or so after touch-down. The bus takes about 15 minutes to reach Perpignan bus station (Gare Routiers) - see section 6 below for cheap buses to Argelès. The bus takes a further 5 minutes to reach the train station (Gare SNCF).
If you intend using the bus for your return journey, ask the driver for a timetable (Horaire Navette Aéroport) when you board the bus and make a mental note of the location of these stops for future reference - especially the stop outside the railway station.
The bus operators, Courriers Catalans, now have a website (at last) where you can download the latest timetable in PDF format by clicking on this link
If the above link fails try to find the timetable manually as follows...
- Go to www.courrierscatalans.com website
- Click on Navette Aéroport in the left menu
- Click on Informations
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page
- Click on Téléchargez la fiche horaire de la navette aéroport pour...
Check-in times
Please note that the bus service allows 1 hour (or less) for check-in. This may be acceptable for internal flights but for International flights most airlines recommend you check-in 2 hours before departure - if in doubt check this out with your airline. Our personal tip is, where possible, catch an earlier bus (for another flight) that gets you to the airport at least 2 hours before take-off.
6. By bus
We did not know much about local bus/coach services, until very recently (2009), when our English friends in France pointed out the excellent service provided by CG66 (Conseil General is the French equivalent of a county council in the UK). This solves the major problem of getting about without a car.Bus service between Perpignan Airport and Perpignan
See Perpignan Airport Shuttle Bus above.1€ each way fare - anywhere in Pyrénées-Orientales - Wow!
In 2009 CG66 introduced a 1 euro each way fare for all CG66 buses throughout the Département des Pyrénées-Orientales including the routes between...- Cerbère and Perpignan (Service 400)
- St Cyprien and Banyuls-sur-Mer via Argelès-Plage (Service 422)
- Céret and Argelès (Service 401)
See the full list of bus routes in the lower part of this page - click on an icon on the right to download a timetable in PDF format.
You can download a map of all the routes in Pyrénées Orientales here
- Under the route map with the title "Plan du réseau des Bus à 1 €"
- Click on the link marked Télécharger le plan du réseau to download the map in PDF format.
Bus service between Argelès and Perpignan
A regular service runs from Perpignan bus station (Gare Routiers) to various stops in Argelès-sur-Mer, Argelès-Plage and Argelès Port. Go to this page and scroll down to Fiches horaires des lignes de bus.Click on Cerbère - Perpignan 400 to download the timetable (PDF)
Make sure you refer to the latest version - the date of issue or period of validity is shown in the bottom right corner of the first page - return times are on page 2.
Bus stops in Argelès
Look for a sign like this in the vicinity of the 1 euro bus stops |  |
| Click here to see our Google Map of the bus stops. You must be in the English version of this website to view the Google map. |
Note:
After Rd point des médaillés militaires, the coach continues inland to the Mairie (Hotel de Ville) and Zone Commerciale in Argelès Village (Argelès-sur-Mer). We have not been able to clearly identify the positions of the stops at Mas Botte and Le Christ. These will be investigated during our next visit.Further information
Remember, the fare is only 1 euro per person, each way. For example, you can go from Argelès to Céret or Perpignan or Banyuls-sur-Mer and return for 2 euros per person!Save
even more with a weekly
(8€), monthly (30€) or annual (180€) subscription
You can buy weekly and monthly tickets from the bus driver - but don't
be surprised if they don't know how to do them. Annual tickets must be
applied for at the bus station.
If the links in this section become broken please contact us
- this is the most sought after information on our website!
7. By rail
Paris to Argelès
About 6 hours. A French neighbour often uses this route and it may become an option for us in future. The TGV network currently extends from Paris to Nimes. After Nimes it reverts to normal speeds but in the near future it will go all the way to Barcelona via Perpignan.
The TGV line is being built to pass directly through the Pyrenées on a route running parallel to the A9 Autoroute. Normal trains run a regular service from Perpignan to Argelès-sur-Mer and beyond into Spain via the coastal railway line, which is very picturesque.
Barcelona to Argelès
3.5 to 4 hours depending on connections. Argelès-sur-Mer is on the main route from Perpignan to Barcelona which currently follows the coastal route round the east end of the Pyrennees. The coastal section is especially scenic. We have enjoyed this journey several times on day trips to Barcelona.
Crossing the border by train is a novel experience. You buy a
ticket to Portbou (the last station in Spain) but you stay on the train
until you get to Cerbère (the first station in France). At Cerbère you
buy a ticket for the French leg of your journey! The same arrangement
applies in the opposite direction – your ticket says Cerbère but you
get off at Portbou!
Warning!
Some friends who tried this in 2010 say it is no longer possible to cross the border in this fashion anymore.
You can get direct/through trains but these are expensive because they have to stop at the border while the axles and wheels are changed because the tracks in France and Spain are different widths! And electric trains work on different voltages and different power pick-ups! It's amazing what they have to do - as described on this webpage.
Argelès-sur-mer
The railway station in Argelès-sur-Mer is 3.6km (2.25 miles) from the beach resort of Argelès-Plage and our apartment.
To Argelès-Plage by taxi
If there are no taxis waiting outside the station, a taxi office (Taxi Alazard) is only about 100 yards down the road from the station at 23, Av. De La Gare, (Tél: 04 68 81 05 12). The taxi fare from the station to Argelès-Plage is about 10 euros (2008).
To Argelès-Plage by bus
The equivalent of a local bus service is Les Petit Trains
Jaunes. These Little Yellow Trains (2 coaches and an engine) run on
local roads on a variety of routes in the surrounding holiday area.
Routes and times vary each year so get details from the Office du
Tourism in Argelès-Plage. Campsites often have copies of the timetable
- ask at reception.
A fun way to travel but they are not just for children, they are for
everyone, locals as well as holidaymakers. Fares are quite reasonable
and out of season the fare is FREE! Tell the driver where you want to
get off before you climb onboard.
8. Airport tips
Perpignan (Rivesaltes)
To Argelès by bus
We would recommend using the shuttle bus to Perpignan bus
station, which takes about 15 minutes - see section
5 above.
From the bus station we would get a Service 400 to Argelès-Plage
- see section 6 above.
From the Rond-point de l'Arrivée (Centre of Argelès-Plage) we
would walk to our apartment (0.75 of a mile).
To Argelès by Taxi
From the airport to Argelès by road is 32km (20 miles) - passing through Perpignan city centre. The taxi fare was 50 euros in 2004 and takes about 45 minutes - worth considering in a party of more than 2 adults.
Girona
The only tip we have about Girona airport concerns the parking if picking up someone or dropping them off.
Picking up
When you arrive at the airport stop well before you reach the
barrier and walk up to it so you can read the charges before entering
the large car park in front of the terminal building. The charges were
quite reasonable for short stay in 2006. When you enter the car park,
take a ticket from the machine to open the automatic barrier. If you
can, park near the left-hand end of the terminal building.
When you leave the car park, drive to the ticket booth near
the exit to pay for your parking. Feed your ticket into the
machine, make your payment and retrieve your ticket. You have
about 15 minutes to leave the car park.
On our first visit to Girona airport, we did not understand the system
and drove straight to the exit barrier. We could not get out and in no
time at all about 10 cars were backed up behind us! Eventually, they
allowed us to reverse so we could turn back to the pay booth.
Dropping off
No need to enter the car park - you are allowed to stop outside the terminal building for a short while to drop off passengers. But if you want to stay to see people off, use the car park as described above.
Bus services
The most frequently searched topic on this website concerns bus services between Perpignan Airport and Argelès.
This is all explained in Getting there... By coach,
which includes details about the Perpignan Airport Shuttle bus and bus services between Perpignan and Argelès
Copyright © 2002-2010 John Worsley - All rights reserved - Last updated 2010-07-17
Please contact us with any errors, omissions, suggestions or compliments.