Assuming travel from the UK, the choice is either a budget airline to one of five or six local airports or car plus ferry or Eurotunnel. There is a MotorRail option, but this can be expensive. If you are driving all the way, you can pick up these directions from the Le Boulou interchange lower down the page (driving from the U.K. may require an overnight stop - Clermont-Ferrand is well-placed).

Perpignan, Carcassonne and Girona are all reasonable journey-times (up to two hours), but if the fares were attractive enough, then the other airports are close to motorways and don't represent much more than 3 hours driving.

If you are flying, you'll need a car. We always used to use ‘Holiday Autos’ - but if you are flying to Gerona, you can try ‘Gold Car’, who may prove cheaper. If you are hiring in France, do make sure that there isn’t any mileage charge once a certain number of ‘free miles’ are completed!

National speed limits are 90 kph (56 mph) for single carriageways, 110 kph (68 mph) for dual carriageways and 130 kph (80 mph) in fine weather for motorways (110 kph in poor weather). Note that the limit on Spanish motorways is 120 kph. Also in towns and villages in France the limit will either be 50 kph or even 30 kph.

When driving in French villages and towns in our area, you should assume that ‘priority to the right’ is in force. If a road on the right joining the one you are on doesn’t have a dotted or solid white line across it, other drivers, coming from your right, will assume that they have priority! Similarly, if you are joining a road by turning right into it, other drivers will sometimes (but not always) stop to give you priority.

The journey from Perpignan Airport (the nearest destination) to Laroque is about 25 kilometres. The distance from Girona (the next nearest airport) is about 85 kilometres and from Barcelona airport it is about 150 kms.

The French Route Nationale system (the 'N' roads) has been regionalised in 2006 and the major 'N' roads (like the N9 in our area) have been changed to 'D' designations. For example the N9 has become the D900 and the N114 the D914. However plenty of the old signs still exist, so be prepared for both designations!

Directions from each of the three nearest airports to Le Boulou on the A9/E15 are given next.

The directions from Le Boulou to Laroque are given last.

• Perpignan airport to Le Boulou
• Girona airport to Le Boulou
• Barcelona airport to Le Boulou

Perpignan Airport to Le Boulou

The journey from the Perpignan Airport to Le Boulou divides into two sections:

• going from the airport to the A9/E15
• going south on the A9/E15 to Le Boulou

Perpignan Airport to the A9/E15.

The route starts by leaving the rental car park at Perpignan airport (you will have been given a code to get through the security barrier):

• Turn right onto the airport approach road and after about 50 yards turn left at the junction with the D5g heading towards Perpignan, the D900 and the A9 motorway.
• After ½ a mile or so, go straight over the roundabout that you come to, joining the D117 for Perpignan and the N9.
• Now take the first slip-road right to follow the N9 south to Perpignan

• As you approach Perpignan on the D900 keep in the right-hand lane and watch out for blue A9/E15 signs for Le Boulou/Gerone/Barcelone.
• Turn right for the A9 just after crossing the bridge over the Têt. Continue on the D900 (it is all dual carriageway).
• At the first roundabout, follow the blue A9 sign. After this roundabout, get in the left-hand lane and follow the blue A9 sign when the road divides into three.
• At the second roundabout take the exit for the A9 (blue sign) and get in the right-hand lane. Continue to follow blue A9 signs and eventually head towards the Le Boulou/Gerone/Barcelone section of the motorway peáge to join the A9/E15 going south

The A9 to Le Boulou.

Once on the A9, you have a simple run of about 20 Kms down to the Le Boulou exit. Look out for the views of Canigou on the right, after some 10 Kms.

Girona Airport to Le Boulou

This airport has the simplest journey to reach the A7/E15 for France and Le Boulou. It is only a few kilometres - you leave the airport car park by the only road, and shortly you pass under the motorway and then meet a roundabout, where you take the exit for the A7/E15 north for Girona, La Jonquera and Francia (or França in Catalan). Simply stay on the motorway for about an hour and after passing the customs area the next exit is for Le Boulou.

Barcelona Airport to Le Boulou

Barcelona Airport is tucked away to the south-east of Barcelona and has a network of motorway and dual-carriageway roads linking up with the E15/A7 motorway going north to France. I can only suggest you study this and other maps, pay attention on the route to all the signs for Girona or Franca/Francia, and don't head into Barcelona. Leaving Barcelona airport you pickup the B22 for Girona. You will soon see signs for the E90/A2, still for Girona and after that signs for E90/AP2 again for Girona. After that you will see a sign for the E15/AP7 for Francia/Franca and that motorway will take you all the way to the border crossing. Allow 2 to 3 hours to complete the journey to Laroque.

Le Boulou to Laroque

The Le Boulou motorway exit (Jn. 43) is signposted for Prats des Mollo, Le Perthus and maybe Ceret, but once you have cleared the ‘Péage’, you will see Argelès and Port-Vendres signposted on the first roundabout that you come to on the D115.

• Take care at the second roundabout to take the exit almost immediately on your left, the D618, signposted again for Argelès and Port-Vendres.
• If you miss it you can go into Le Boulou and follow 'Toutes Directions' until you pick up the signs for Argelès and Port-Vendres from there.
• After a few kilometres, you will pass under the bridge for the TGV railway line - Beware just after the bridge, there is often a mobile radar here that can catch traffic in both directions.
• You should still see signs for Argelès and Port-Vendres and also for Sorède. Keep on this road for 5 or 6 Kms , until you have passed the slip road for St. Genis des Fontaines and you then see the slip road for Laroque des Albères on the right.
• Turn right at the bottom of the slip road onto the D50, continue for about 100 metres and then go straight over the Castro baker (on the left) roundabout that you come to and then follow the D50 on and into Laroque (3 to 4 Kms).

Laroque village plan