Hautes-Pyrénées

Hautes-Pyrénées is in Occitanie. The area is known for its hot springs, most notably Cauterets, Luz-Saint-Sauveur and Bagnères-de-Bigorre. There are popular ski resorts such as Barèges-La Mongie, Gavarnie, Luz-Ardiden, Cauterets, Hautacam, Piau-Engaly and Saint-Lary-Soulan.

Cities

• 1 Argeles Gazost — the town serves as a "base camp" for both summer and winter tourism
• 2 Bagnères-de-Bigorre — a spa town with a casino. The ski resort of La Mongie is also nearby.
• 3 Gavarnie — best known for the Cirque de Gavarnie, a massive glacial cirque in the Pyrenees Mountains, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• 4 Lourdes — a global centre of pilgrimage to a wrotto where many Catholics believe that the Virgin Mary appeared 18 times
• 5 Tarbes — from Tarbes, you can explore the foothills and the mountains of the central Pyrenees

Other destinations

• 1 Pyrénées National Park includes well-known attractions such as the Cirque de Gavarnie and the Pont d'Espagne. The entire area is a favourite destination of hikers and mountain enthusiasts.
• 2 Saint-Lary-Soulan — offers a blend of authentic Pyrenean culture, outdoor adventure, and relaxing spa facilities; a destination for skiers in the winter and hikers, cyclists, and nature lovers in the summer

Get in

By plane

The airport Tarbes Lourdes Pyrénées Airport (LDE  ^IATA) is located 9 km south-west of Tarbes and 14 km (8.7 mi) north of Lourdes. It is served several times a day by domestic flights from Paris-Orly and by seasonal charter flights for pilgrims. The nearest international airport is Toulouse-Blagnac (145 km east of Tarbes).

By minivan

If you arrive at Lourdes, Pau, Toulouse or Biarritz airport you can use the shuttle arranged by Détours Pyrénéens, which also organises tours.

By road

The A64 motorway (Toulouse-Pau-Bordeaux) runs through this department. From here, the national road N 21 branches off at Tarbes to Lourdes and Argelès-Gazost, parts of which have been expanded to resemble a motorway.

A road comes in from Spain through the Bielsa-Aragnouet tunnel. You can drive through Aragnouet and Saint-Lary-Soulan towards either Lourdes or Bagnères-de-Bigorre.

See

A view of the Chapel of the Marcadau and mountains beyond, from the Marcadau valley, Cauterets

• 1 Pyrénées Animal Park.  

Do

• hike
• Winter Sports: There are several major ski resorts including Saint-Lary-Soulan and Grand Tourmalet–Pic du Midi (La Mongie/Barèges)
• Cycling: The slopes of the Pyrenees offer a challenge for trained cyclists, the Col du Tourmalet, for example, is an almost legendary climb in the Tour de France
• A jazz festival is held each year in Luz-Saint-Sauveur: Jazz a Luz.
• Tarbes hosts an annual horse festival, Equestria, and a tango festival, Tarbes en Tango.

Go next

• Gers
• Haute-Garonne
• Pyrénées-Atlantiques
• Aragón
• Navarra