Golf Trip Planner logo
Golf Trip PlannerPrivate Concierge
Golf guide • France • Roussillon, Pyrénées-Orientales

Golf in Perpignan: between the lagoon, the sea and the Canigou

Perpignan, capital of Catalan Roussillon, is played first and foremost at Saint-Cyprien, twenty minutes away: 27 holes opened in 1976, including the eighteen-hole Étang-Canigou, a par 73 on the edge of the Étang de Canet, facing the Canigou. For a day at altitude, the Domaine de Falgos offers a par 70 at 1,100 metres, about 1 hr 15 away by road. Golfers come for the winter sun, the Mediterranean and Catalan cooking, from autumn to spring.

Plan this tripUpdated

Mainland capital of the Kingdom of Majorca in the late 13th century, Perpignan keeps from that era a royal palace perched above the rooftops and an undiminished attachment to Catalan culture. The city spreads across the Roussillon plain, between the Mediterranean some fifteen kilometres to the east and the Canigou massif, snow-capped for much of the winter, which closes off the horizon to the west. Spain is only half an hour away by road.

Golf is concentrated by the water at Saint-Cyprien: a links-style eighteen and a nine-hole course in the pinewood, designed by the Scots Ben Wright and Barry Tomlinson, between the Étang de Canet and the beach. The ground is flat, the wind ever present, and the tramontane, when it blows from the north-west, forces you to keep the ball low. For a change of scene, Falgos climbs into the Vallespir, on sloping fairways above 1,000 metres.

Three to five nights allow you to play both Saint-Cyprien courses, devote a day to Falgos and keep time for the Côte Vermeille, its fishing villages and terraced vineyards. Stay at Saint-Cyprien to be on the first tee, facing the lagoon, or in Perpignan to dine in town, wander beneath the Castillet and taste Roussillon's sweet wines on a terrace as night falls.

The courses

Fairway winding between umbrella pines and eucalyptus, a pond in front of the green at sunset

Golf de Saint-Cyprien, parcours Étang-Canigou

  • Architect: Ben Wright & Barry Tomlinson
  • Opened 1976
  • 18 holes
  • Par 73

Saint-Cyprien's main course, opened in 1976, stretches over 6,388 metres to a par of 73, in the heart of a bird reserve between the Étang de Canet and the Mediterranean, 500 metres from the beach. The links-style front nine is the more demanding: long par 4s to slightly raised greens, water often on both sides and thick rough. The back nine turns inland, facing the Canigou, with water hazards that demand good tee shots all the way to the 17th, a par 5 of 550 metres. For regular players who enjoy the wind.

Signature hole. The 6th, a par 3 facing the Étang de Canet with the Canigou behind, is the hole everyone photographs.

Official website

Golf de Saint-Cyprien, parcours La Forêt

  • Architect: Ben Wright & Barry Tomlinson
  • Opened 1976
  • 9 holes
  • Par 35

Saint-Cyprien's nine-hole course, a par 35 of 2,916 metres, is played through a wood of pines, plane trees, Russian olives and eucalyptus, sheltered from the wind that sweeps the main course. It is technical but never punishing, and suits every level. The 4th, a long double-dogleg par 4 lined with century-old trees, is the hardest; the 7th, a short par 4, asks you to carry the water to reach an island green. Ideal for a late afternoon after a morning round.

Official website

Domaine de Falgos Golf & Spa

  • Architect: Alain Dehaye
  • Opened 1993
  • 18 holes
  • Par 70

At Saint-Laurent-de-Cerdans, near the Spanish border and about 1 hr 15 from Perpignan via the Tech valley, the Domaine de Falgos opened an eighteen-hole mountain course in 1993 at more than 1,100 metres above sea level. Par 70 over 5,117 metres: length matters little, while changes in elevation, narrow fairways and a few blind shots matter a great deal. The view reaches the Canigou massif and, on a clear day, the sea. The altitude makes it a cool refuge in summer. A four-star hotel and spa occupy the estate, for those who want to spend a night.

Official website

Where to stay

L'Île de la Lagune

A five-star Relais & Châteaux hotel set on a private island in the Saint-Cyprien lagoon, a few minutes from the golf course. A marine spa and heated rooftop pool, and the gourmet restaurant L'Almandin, where chef Frédéric Bacquié cooks local fish and Catalan produce. Ask for a Terrasse de la Presqu'île suite: on the first floor of the villas, by the little wooden jetty, with a private hot tub facing the lagoon and the mountains.

Villa Duflot

On the edge of Perpignan, between the city and the beaches of Canet, a four-star hotel with ochre façades and long galleries, set in a park of centuries-old olive trees, cypresses and oleanders. 52 rooms and suites, all with a balcony or terrace, a Nuxe spa and a restaurant beside the pool. The pool is open all year but closes between noon and 2 pm. Convenient for combining Saint-Cyprien with evenings in town.

Ochre building with an arcaded gallery and tiled roof, a pool, an ancient olive tree and oleanders at dusk

Where to dine

La Galinette

Christophe Comes's Michelin-starred restaurant on Rue Jean-Payra, in central Perpignan. The chef farms two hectares of organic garden and selects his own seeds, then composes menus in which vegetables take the leading role, alongside fish from the Catalan coast. One Michelin star and an evening to book for the end of the trip.

Manat

Near the Cathedral of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Yuka and Marc Meya combine Catalan produce with Japanese techniques around a counter and an open kitchen: some ten sharing plates each evening, karaage, bonito tataki. Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide. Booking essential; open in the evening only.

L'Assiette Catalane

On Rue de la République, in the heart of Perpignan, Jean-Claude Guitard has run this old-school Catalan dining room since 1996: stone, brick, beams, rugby shirts on the walls and a big snail on the bar. Everything is made in house: boles de picolat meatballs, pork cheeks, snails, salt cod, chips, and pa d'ous, a Catalan flan baked slowly in an earthenware dish. Lunch Tuesday to Saturday, dinner on Fridays and Saturdays only.

Beyond golf

The Palace of the Kings of Majorca

Built from the late 13th century for the Kings of Majorca, the palace overlooks the old town from its hill, enclosed within a brick citadel. Stacked chapels, a main courtyard and a view of the Canigou from the keep. On the way down, the Castillet, a former fortified gate, and the Musée Hyacinthe-Rigaud, devoted to Louis XIV's portraitist, who was born in Perpignan, round off a morning.

The Côte Vermeille

South of Argelès, the coast narrows between the Albères and the sea: Collioure, with its bell tower by the water and its Catalan boats, then Port-Vendres and Banyuls-sur-Mer. Matisse and Derain painted here in the summer of 1905, giving birth to Fauvism. The coastal path links the coves on foot between villages, less than an hour from Perpignan.

The wines of Roussillon

The schist terraces above Collioure and Banyuls produce renowned vins doux naturels, banyuls first among them, and dry reds under the Collioure appellation. On the plain and in the Aspres, Roussillon's estates offer tastings and cellar tours. A banyuls with a chocolate dessert, or a rousquille, the Catalan biscuit, to finish.

Catalan boats on a pebble beach, colourful houses and a stone bell tower, terraced vineyards behind

When to go

Roussillon is one of the sunniest regions in France, and golf is played here all year round. Autumn and spring are the best seasons, mild and bright, with snow on the Canigou from December to April. Winter remains pleasant in calm weather, but the tramontane can blow for several days. July and August are hot and very busy on the coast; play early, or head up to Falgos.

Getting there

Perpignan-Rivesaltes airport (PGF) is about fifteen minutes from the centre and around 25 minutes from Saint-Cyprien. Girona and Barcelona, with more flights, are about one hour and two hours away by road. Perpignan station is served by TGV from Paris and by the high-speed line to Barcelona.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Perpignan?

The Étang-Canigou course at Golf de Saint-Cyprien, a par 73 of 6,388 metres opened in 1976, between the Étang de Canet and the sea, facing the Canigou. It is about twenty minutes from Perpignan.

How many golf holes are there at Saint-Cyprien?

Twenty-seven: the links-style Étang-Canigou eighteen and the nine-hole La Forêt, a par 35 laid out in a pinewood. Both were designed by Ben Wright and Barry Tomlinson.

Where can you play mountain golf in the Pyrénées-Orientales?

At the Domaine de Falgos, at Saint-Laurent-de-Cerdans, a par 70 more than 1,100 metres above sea level, about 1 hr 15 from Perpignan. The estate includes a hotel and spa.

When is the best time to play golf in Perpignan?

From September to November and from March to June. Winter is mild and sunny, but the tramontane can get in the way; summer is hot and best played early in the morning.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Perpignan?

Perpignan-Rivesaltes airport (PGF), about 25 minutes from the Saint-Cyprien course. Girona, an hour away by road, offers more flights.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Perpignan

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

Hillside green above a turquoise lake beneath limestone cliffs, a village and chalets on the shore, late-afternoon light
Haute-Savoie

Annecy

3 courses
Rolling fairway lined with oaks, fields of sunflowers and wheat on the hills, snow-capped peaks on the horizon at dusk
Gers, Occitanie

Auch

3 courses
Flat fairway lined with rows of cypresses, a reed-fringed pond in the foreground and a limestone mountain on the horizon
Provence (Vaucluse)

Avignon

3 courses
Explore: France →