Perpignan

Perpignan is a nice little city that connects France with Barcelona. There isn't a lot to see here, but Carl ended up here after failing to get a lift from Barcelona, and you may well end up doing the same. It's the first main town entering France from Spain, and so a useful place to change vehicles.

The southward view from the bridge over the autoroute.

Going South and North

Travelling North, is is probably best to wait by the traffic lights on Cours Lazare Escarguel, where traffic does occasionally stop. It's possible to get a lift from here to an entrance to the autoroute further along.

Walking to the autoroute is a very long, but very nice morning activity. Just follow the signs for Barcelona out of the city. You'll walk for hours probably, through many roundabouts and at one point you even have to go on a sort of nature walk (Zac can't remember what prompted this, but there was an obvious reason and a clearly cut trail through the woods that passed under a bridge) a and eventually you'll get to a long, lonely but beautiful road with viniards on either side. Keep going and eventually you'll get to the autoroute onramp situated on a bridge over the A9. You can stop here if you want to try your luck, or you can go to the Péage which is visible from the bridge. Just follow the road down there and cut into the woods to get around and come out on the south side of the Péage. From there you can thumb a ride and there's even a parking area big enough for a lorry to stop for you. Note: getting to the other side of the Péage involves crossing a creek and jumping one or more fences! Attempt at your own peril (or pleasure!).

Other options to get to autoroute

To get to the peage (pay toll) by public bus, the best is to take the line number 3, direction Pascot. Get out on the last stop, then walk until the end of "Avenue Pascot", then go left on "Route de Canohes" until you see the big road (road D900). Go on right and follow this road for few hundred metres untill the toll. From this toll you can easily get a lift north or south. There is a international fruit and vegetable market (Saint Charles Market) close to this toll, many trucks coming from there are entering the autoroute here going to both Spain and France. If you go to Toulouse, it is best to use a sign and accept only lifts going there, because 60 km north in Narbonne, the highway spilts. Equally, if you want to go to Montpellier, don't accept a lift to someone going in the Toulouse direction.

If you're going to Spain and your driver is only going to Le Boulou (witch is the last exit before Spain), don't get out on the last petrol station, called "Village Catalan"; on the map it looks like the last best place to hitchhike but no one going to Spain stops here because petrol is cheaper on the other side of the border. So go to Le Boulou but ask your driver to drop you out at the final peage where all the traffic will have to stop, and not at the small one on the sliproad, which is used only by locals to exit and leave the highway.