Airports / Trains in France / Spain border

[Wilmslow]

Needing a little advice from any seasoned travellers in the French / Spanish border areas.

My mother has recently bought an apartment in St Cyprien, close to Perpignan, mainly based on a good flight from Manchester to Perpignan.

BMIbaby are closing down in Manchester, so the route will literally cease to exist. (Unlike BA Connect going bump and Flybe taking over, because the BMIbaby planes are moving to Cardiff).

There are other options to fly to Gerona, Barcelona, Toulouse and Carcassonne airports.

For me, I would pick up a hired car, but mum is not the best at driving in France when stressed, as I found out last week when I was over with her.

A couple of questions:

1. What are the 4 airport options above like for train / access from the airport getting to Perpignan by train?
2. Gerona may be a car hire option – however, I am struggling to find a website that has cross-border option for checking the rates and options.
3. Are there an other good UK to Perpignan routes? I heard there was a flight from Birmingham which is easy enough to get to, but can only find a Flybe to Toulouse – really don’t want to have to go to London airports unless really needed.

It is a very nice apartment, if we can get to the darned place!!

[TimberWolf]

Go to the popular airline websites and click on their route maps to see which route suits best. E.g. Ryanair goes from Leeds to Montpelier and there's likely a regular bus service along the coast. I took a coach up the coast from Spain to France last year, don't remember the stops though, but is was bloody full. Cheap though.

[scotspine]

eeeeeeeuuwwwwwwwwwwww....funny that. a chance meeting with a fellow contractor not so long ago prompted a visit here this morning and this thread. i was in your area not so very long ago... flew into girona, picked up a car from carhire4lless and was in francia within the hour. it was about (can't recall exactly) 5 or 7 euros a day extra for going into france. but the journey was effortless, a good road all the way up to perpignan, with the cut off to st cyprien just over the border very eay to find.

hth + cfn,
yours most sincerely,
sp

[Wilmslow]

eeeeeeeuuwwwwwwwwwwww....funny that. a chance meeting with a fellow contractor not so long ago prompted a visit here this morning and this thread. i was in your area not so very long ago... flew into girona, picked up a car from carhire4lless and was in francia within the hour. it was about (can't recall exactly) 5 or 7 euros a day extra for going into france. but the journey was effortless, a good road all the way up to perpignan, with the cut off to st cyprien just over the border very eay to find.

hth + cfn,
yours most sincerely,
sp

Where abouts were you staying?

I am leaning to Liverpool to Gerona - just £25 for parking at liverpool for the week, and cheap car hire an hours drive away. Still got trouble getting a website for all inclusive cross-border insurance though, looks like I will have to email firms separately which is a PITA......

[scotspine]

hi wilmie. i was in banyuls dels aspres, close to le boulou. i doubt if you will get an all inc rate, since it is applied locally by the operator. anyway, congrats on your apartment - hope you enjoy it!