We will not deny that as good travel lovers, whenever we are not traveling, we are thinking of new destinations. One of the ones we have in mind right now is a route through the French High Pyrenees that we hope to be able to do shortly and that we are already beginning to sketch.
Way to reach the French High Pyrenees
There are different ways of get to the French High Pyrenees:
- From Barcelona / Lleida / Girona:
You can take the A2 to Lleida and always go towards Vielha. You have to go through the well-known Vielha Tunnel and from here you will roast to France for Les. In this area you have to take direction to St.Beat-St Gaudens-Toulouse and from here the N-125 towards Montrejeau from where you will reach the highway that will take you directly to Lourdes, point where you can start the route through the High Pyrenees French that we propose.
- You can also find flights to Toulousse from Spain for about 70 euros through Best Flight and from here rent a car to make the route or transfer by train to Tarbes.
Itinerary through the French High Pyrenees
After reading in different media the possible visits that we can make in the French High Pyrenees, we have chosen to take a tour of the best known points, mixing nature, culture, gastronomy and relaxation.
The Ideal duration for this route through the French High Pyrenees is about 4 or 5 days, adding the times we take in the round trip, as we choose to come by plane or by car.
Route through the French High Pyrenees
The idea is enter by Lourdes, where you can make base for the following visits to go later toPont d'Espagne and from here go to Cauterets already Les Bains du Rocher, a perfect relaxing stop to continue towards the Puerto du Tourmalet.
With the batteries already charged we will follow the route through the French High Pyrenees approaching Luz-Saint-Saveur, Trouque Cirque Y Gavarnie.
Another important point in this itinerary is to find a holiday rental in Hautes-Pyrenees that meets 3B (good, beautiful and cheap) and after seeing accommodations like these, we have our doubts between choosing to make the planned route or staying enjoying the facilities .
Rural house
Chalet Montagne
Visits in the French High Pyrenees
- Pont d'Espagne
Pont d'Espagne is the gateway to the High Pyrenees National Park, the oldest of the National Parks of France.
It can get to the Pont d'Espagne, its name comes from a bridge of this place, on foot or by chair lift. If you opt for the first option you have to have a one hour and a quarter walk more or less, with medium difficulty and if you decide on the chair lift the journey is half an hour plus a quarter of an hour walking in a flat area. The price is 9 euros per person and leaves you up to the Lake gaube where you can find a terrace with a spectacular landscape.
Lake of Gaube //www.lacsdespyrenees.com/
This is one of the most beautiful lakes in France, not surprisingly, its crystalline waters reflect the mountains that surround it, showing an impressive landscape both in summer and winter.
A good option, if you don't want to stop at the cafeteria, is to bring some food to enjoy a picnic in the middle of nature.
For this visit they recommend a whole day, but if you go with the most hurried time, with 3 hours (including a stop to eat) is enough.
- Lourdes
Lourdes It's a small town located in the Midi-Pirénées region known for its famous Shrine and one of the best known virgins in the world.
According to the Catholic religion, in 1858 a young pastor, Bernadette, had the apparition of the Virgin in a cave near the Gave river.
As of this apparition, millions of Catholics visit this sanctuary, causing it to be the second most visited place in France after Paris.
Sanctuary of Lourdes. Photo credit: stibou5 / iW / CC BY-NC-ND
But in Lourdes we will not only find the sanctuary, we can also visit a beautiful 14th century castle, former residence of the Counts of Bigorre.
The visit to Lourdes It can be done in half a day, combining it with that of the Pont d'Espagne.
- Cauterets
Cauterets is a town near Pont d'Espagne, about 1o kilometers, which can also be a perfect base for this route that we propose for High French Alps.
This small town is ideal both in summer and winter as it offers us a perfect entrance to the ski resort through its cable car, located practically in the center and also has several spas with healing waters.
Cauterets also has a large restaurant and store business where you can spend a few hours relaxing after some shopping.
The visit to Cauterets, not including skiing day, it can be one morning.
- Les Bains du Rocher
If we want to make a relaxing stop in this route through the French High Pyrenees we cannot do it anywhere better than in Les Bains du Rocher.
This is the most important resort in the area that enjoys not only incredible services, but also unique views of the surrounding mountains.
The visit to Les Bains du Rocher will depend on the treatments or the time you want to be. We would dedicate an average of 2-3 hours as way to end the day in Cauterets.
- Puerto du Tourmalet
This mountain pass, known especially to cyclists and the Tour de France, it runs through a good road although very narrow. Pass through high mountains through beautiful landscapes that are worth missing for a few minutes.
In the highest part of the Tourmalet there is a huge iron statue representing a cyclist as a tribute to this sport.
Touring this area can take us about an hour, counting the stops we make.
- Luz-Saint-Saveur
A beautiful and very lively town in which if we are lucky, we can see young people bungee jumping on their well-known bridge, a gift from Napoleon III to the population.
If you do this route in July you can't miss the jazz festival "Jazz to Luz".
Luz-Saint-Saveur. Photo credit: Garaigoikoa / iWoman / CC BY
- Cirque de Gavarnie
The Cirque de Gavarnier with more than 30,000 hectares was described by Victor Hugo as "colossus of nature".
Formed thanks to incredible glaciers, now disappeared, they have left us as inheritance absolutely stunning landscapes that will be the final climax of this route through the French High Pyrenees.
