The best things to do in the Pyrenees include adventurous spots where you can take in the views of this spectacular corner of Europe. Ranging from the wave-splattering Bay of Biscay in the north, all the way to the glimmering Mediterranean Sea in the south, they score across the French-Spanish border in grand style. There are plenty of travel itineraries within, for hikers, history buffs, pilgrims, and more.
This guide to what the Pyrenees is most famous for scours from the French Basque Country to the national parks to pick out a series of the top draws in the region. Naturally, it's packed with hiking and handsome villages. But you'll also find mystical Catholic shrines and enthralling historical museums. Read on to learn more about what brings many to the Pyrenees below.
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Hiking in the Pyrenees
Colossal massifs and gushing waterfalls
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The Pyrenees is a true hiking mecca. Trails weave and wiggle through this great mountain range from both the French and Spanish sides, and there are many options to conquer in Andorra to boot. Don't go thinking that these peaks are the little brother of the Alps, either. Not so. You only need one glimpse of the ancient volcanoes that soar above the Pic du Midi d'Ossau to prove that.
Perhaps the most rewarding route of all is the 1.5-hour ravine walk to the Cirque de Gavarnie, which culminates with a spectacular view of a rugged massif known as "Nature's Colossus." More classically alpine routes crisscross the remote Pyrenees National Park, while trails carve through verdant valleys to reveal gushing waterfalls in Lys and the Néouvielle Reserve.
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Pyrenees natural sites
Europe's beautiful natural treasures
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It's hardly a secret that the Pyrenees are among the greatest natural treasures of Europe. There are wonders to be seen all over, from gushing torrent rivers in France to snow-gathering peaks in Andorra, and deep cave systems in Occitanie to wave-splattered coastal paths in the Basque Country.
For this sort of travel, it's a good idea to begin in the iconic Pyrénées National Park. It spreads across probably the most dramatic section of the mountains, which hit a zenith at the jaw-dropping Cirque de Gavarnie and the mighty crags of the Lescun Cirque. Elsewhere are canyon paths along the Galamus Gorge, the shimmering mirror that is Lake Bouillouses, and the fantastical waterfalls of the Cascades de Cauterets.
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Pyrenees villages
Charming places where time stood still
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The villages of the Pyrenees ooze charm from every cracked stone façade and stucco frontispiece. They're found all over the remote region, from the deep valleys of the Catalan Pyrenees in Spain to the lush Basque foothills over in France. Many straddle medieval pilgrimage routes. Others sit on ancient Iberian trading paths. Almost all are steeped in history and culture.
You won't want to miss Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. A major pitstop on the mythic Camino de Santiago, it has cobbled streets and crooked riverside homes. Sun-seekers might prefer Eus, a beaming village of handsome cottages that officially gets more Vitamin D than anywhere else in France. Then there's the rejuvenating spa town of Arreau and the cave shrines of Peyre, plus plenty, plenty more.
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Lourdes
A pilgrimage site with healing mountain waters
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Lourdes is firmly established as one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in Europe – the world, even. It sits between the green hills of the Occitanie region, right where the Pyrenees begin to crumple the landscapes of southwestern France. Today, an estimated 6 million visitors flock to the bijou town throughout the year, most for the supposed healing powers of its natural springs.
They were made famous as the site of divine apparitions back in 1858 and have since risen to legendary status. The vast Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes marks the spot today and guests are now invited to pay homage in the grottoes where the religious visions once occurred. Water springs offer a steady trickle of the sacred H2O for splashing on your face and filling vessels to take home.
Dirección: Lourdes, France
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Grotte du Mas d'Azil
A prehistoric cave system in the Pyrenees
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The Cave of Mas d'Azil (Grotte du Mas d'Azil) is a vast cave system and famous prehistory site. You'll find it carving its way deep into the earth of the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, on the western banks of the Arize River. The drive in takes around 1.5 hours from Toulouse, and less than 30 minutes from the smaller regional town of Foix.
Visitors are invited to stroll through incredible underground tunnels replete with bulbous stalactites and stalagmites. That's just the beginning, though. There are also fascinating cave paintings and artworks that are thought to date back over 30,000 years, plus the remains of real mammoth bones.
Dirección: D119, Av. de la Grotte, 09290 Le Mas-d'Azil, France
Teléfono: +33 (0)5 61 05 10 10
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Pont d'Espagne
A stone bridge over gushing waters
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The Pont d'Espagne is the place to go to feel the raw power of the Pyrenees mountains. It's a small, stone-built bridge that arches across the gurgling torrents of the Gave de Marcadau river as it flows down from its source. You can either hike there through the forests from nearby Cauterets, or park up just shy of the falls. Either way, you're going to be delving deep into the stunning Pyrenees National Park.
There's history here as well as wild nature. The bridge was once a major part of the international road that cuts through the heart of the mountains to link up France and Spain. As such, it's been an important trading route and a tactical military pass in its time.
Dirección: Pont d'Espagne, Puntas, 65110 Cauterets, France
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Passerelle d'Holzarte
A cool place to challenge your vertigo
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The Holzarte Footbridge (Passerelle d'Holzarte) isn't for the faint of heart. A soaring suspension bridge that lofts a whopping 180 metres above the gurgling Olhadoko erreka river below, it occupies a seriously stunning section of the French Basque Country and the Pyrenees as a whole. To get there, drive southeast from Pau – the trip is just shy of 2 hours and takes you into the heart of the mountains.
Today, people come to test their vertigo on the narrow footbridge, which lets you peer right over into a sheer-cut gorge that plummets into the shadows below. There's a relatively accessible hike of about 2 hours to take you there, going through ancient groves of oaks and pockets of pine trees.
Dirección: Holzarte, 64560 Larrau, France
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Château Fort Musée Pyrénéen
A dramatic castle that gazes at the peaks
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The Chateau Fort Pyreneen Museum (Château Fort Musée Pyrénéen) is one of the great citadels of the mountains. It caps off a rock in the very heart of Lourdes town, keeping watch over the medieval Catholic shrines with its stone-built keep and crenulations. The spot has over 1,000 years of history and they say it's never been conquered.
If you manage to make the steep walk up to the Game of Thrones-style castle, you'll be treated to a comprehensive exhibit that chronicles the history of the Pyrenees region. It details the heritage of both the French and Spanish sides of the mountains and outlines some of the craft traditions that have existed here for centuries.
Dirección: 25 Rue du Fort, 65100 Lourdes, France
Teléfono: +33 (0)5 62 42 37 37
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Animal Park of the Pyrenees
A hillside home to exotic animals and ferocious bears
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The Animal Park of the Pyrenees (Parc Animalier des Pyrénées) is a zoo with a difference. Covering a whole hillside between the pilgrimage town of Lourdes and the smaller Argelès-Gazost, it was opened in 1999 with the aim of offering a semi-wild encounter with some of the native creatures of the mountains, both big and small.
Visitors embark on a mile-long path that hairpins through the meadows and the woods. As it goes, you'll spy out marmots and squirrels, wild foxes, and ibex. There are even potential meetings with more formidable critters of the forest, in the form of brown bears and wolves. Don't worry – the whole tour is done with a nature expert at hand.
Dirección: 60Bis Av. des Pyrénées, 65400 Ayzac-Ost, France
Teléfono: +33 (0)5 62 97 91 07
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Massey Garden
Peaceful gardens meet military history
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The Massey Garden (Jardin Massey) is a striking spot of greenery in the heart of Tarbes's downtown. Measuring around 300 metres across and 300 metres up, it's not huge but manages to pack a real punch for horticultural enthusiasts – the spot is now listed among the Remarkable Gardens of France and was designed by a certain Placide Massey, former curator of the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, no less.
Take a few hours to stroll these at a leisurely pace. There are sculpture gardens and orangeries to get through, along with a totally reconstructed medieval cloister that was transported down from Saint-Sever-de-Rustan in the high Pyrenees. On rainy days, the Musée Massey is a welcome addition. It tells the story of the European Hussars throughout the many wars.
Dirección: Rue Massey, 65000 Tarbes, France
Horario: Daily from 8 am to 6 pm
Teléfono: +33 (0)5 62 44 38 38
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