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Quote: deanos rhinos "We've flown Liverpool - Carcassonne for the the last 2 years and then got the train to Perpignan. It's a a great trip. You'll have to change at Narboune but it's only a 2 hour journey in total.
You can just buy the tickets on the day at the trian station in Carcassonne from one of the those self-service booths, it's all very easy. The train station in Perpignan is in the middle of the town and you could walk to your hotel depending on where you stay. Accommodation is filling up for the Sunday night so I'd be quick. All the trains were those double deckers ones, virtually empty and very clean and on time, you get some great views because you're so high up. I think we paid about £30 return. The link below might help.

rlhttps://www.raileurope.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid'"

I can vouch for there being a rail-replacement-bus-service in place last year, on the Narbonne to Perpignan section which added to the time a little.

It might be possible to pick up a 'Prem', a French railways well-in-advance cheap ticket for the journey, so that might tempt you to book before you go. Bookings become available around 90 days prior to travel. It is also worth considering that some trains require pre-reservation, so the sooner you do it the better.

Rail Europe is essentially the French Railways UK arm, but they do charge a hefty booking fee if you book them over the phone. If you do it online, rather than send you the tickets to your English address, you can go to the ticket machine at any staffed French station (if even it is not connected to where you're travelling to) and collect / print your tickets there.

NB - Some of the long distance TGVs are double-deckers, but the regional trains (which the chances are will be the ones you're on) aren't much different from what you'd find back home in the UK.

Whilst a lot of people scoff at the overland option, it is worth considering that this might be the way to Perpignan in the future. It is forseeable the cheap air travel will go (certainly the days of the Ryanair flights for pence are long gone), once there is an environmental impact levy placed on airlines and many route will either be too expensive or unviable for a commercial service. Thus, the overland option to Southern France might be the only way of seeing this fixture in years to come.