Le Barcarès is an idyllic fishing village, which lives from fishing in winter and tourism in summer. But, like other villages at this time of the year, it is transformed at Christmas time to welcome Santa Claus, who is installed from November 25 to January 5 in the Village de Noël Le Barcarès.
Thanks to this magical village, where you can enjoy Christmas markets, parades, attractions and shows, Le Barcarès, just two hours from Barcelona, has become one of the most visited places in the south of France and one of the best plans to enjoy this holiday season.
What will we find in Le Village de Noel Le Barcarès?
Le Village de Noel Le Barcarès is a huge space inspired by Christmas and celebrates it in a big way. Entering the village is to get right into an atmosphere that will soak you in the Christmas spirit, ideal to go with family and friends, as everything is taken care of down to the smallest detail.
It is easy to find, Noel’s Village is in the Lydia Gardens in the village of Les Barcarès , in an enclosure of 3000 m2 full of attractions and decorated like Santa Claus’ house in France, where children can imagine visiting the bearded man and whisper in his ear the gifts they are waiting for this Christmas. It is located just 24km south of Perpignan.
With the basic ticket, priced at 5 euros, includes access to the site, visit the Enchanted Forest, you can get lost in the Labyrinth, Santa’s House or the Toy Factory. Besides, there is also a restaurant area and plenty of souvenir and craft stalls.
This year, in addition, new attractions have been added, such as the Makeup Booth, the House of Songs, the Christmas Ark and an immersive installation with a virtual sleigh.
In addition, there are many extra activities, such as skating on the ice rink, an Ice Museum, tobogganing, a quad track and a classic carousel. These activities are priced separately and cost between 5 and 13 euros.
But undoubtedly the biggest attraction, the final monster, is the Lydia, a ship moored at sea that can be visited and that these days looks like a giant Christmas tree, and at whose feet is the Maison de Santa Claus, where the little ones can take a picture with him and give him their letters with wishes.
Parades and shows at Le Barcarès
Every day there are parades through the streets of this Christmas village with different themes, from the Nutcracker Soldiers in uniform and walking to the rhythm of a military march; the Storytellers, characters dressed as book pages or sheet music, who narrate children’s stories; or the parade of the Toys of Childhood, through Disney, musicals, inspired by fantastic animals or even a parade of the Three Kings.
Here you can see the complete program, but it is in French.7
How to get to Barcarès?
The most comfortable way is by car, driving about 200 km on the AP-7 freeway to the north, which takes about 2 hours and a half.
If you prefer public transport, you can take a train to Perpignan (with companies such as Renfe-SNCF in Cooperation) and then a local bus to Le Barcarès. This trip combines fast travel and scenery that anticipates the magic of the Christmas village.