The most beautiful tour of the Pyrenees

Day 1

Arrival in Lourdes or Argelès-Gazost

Your Pyrenean Road Trip begins on the welcoming plain of Argelès-Gazost. The site is gentle and sunny, just a few minutes from Lourdes. This is your chance to revisit this site, which is unique in the world. You will be free to visit the Sanctuary, on the banks of the river, an architectural ensemble unique in France, and attend the rosary by torchlight, a superb spectacle on the Parvis du Rosaire, on the banks of the river.

On your way:

• The Grotto: this is where the heart of Lourdes beats, in the Grotto, scene of the 18 Apparitions. A Madonna has been placed in the hole where the Virgin is said to have appeared.
• The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, slender and white, perched on the rock of the grotto.
• The Basilica of the Rosary, in the space below, decorated with superb Venetian mosaics.
• The underground Basilica of St Pius X, built beneath the esplanade and considered to be one of the largest shrines in the world, with a capacity for 20,000 pilgrims.
• The Pic du Jer funicular, a charming journey guaranteed aboard this century-old funicular that leads to the summit at an altitude of 1,000 m.
• The fortified castle and its Pyrenean Museum, on its rocky peak overlooking the Marian city and offering an exceptional view of the Sanctuary.
• The Pyrenees Animal Park, where you can see bears, wolves, lynxes, marmots, vultures and other animals.

You’ll find all our useful addresses and tips in the Roadbook.

Day 4

From Ainsa to Lake Orédon

102 km / 2h23

After discovering the famous and grandiose Ordesa Canyon, today we invite you to enter a wilder but equally magnificent canyon: the Añisclo Canyon. You can even take a dip in the natural pools of turquoise water formed by the river. After this Aragonese escapade on the arid slopes of the Pyrenees, you’ll take the Route des Lacs de Haute Montagne to reach one of the most beautiful lake landscapes in the massif: the Néouvielle National Nature Reserve, with its countless lakes. You’ll have plenty of time to explore it tomorrow.
This evening, make the most of this night in the mountains, by the lake, to observe the starry sky. Here, far from the light pollution of the cities, the nights are sparkling.

On your way :

• Tella, an ancient lookout point in the valley from which you can see in all directions one of the most beautiful panoramas in the Pyrenees.
• The Aragnouet-Bielsa Tunnel, 3 short kilometres of tunnel dug into the belly of the Pyrenees and you’re back in France.

Well worth the diversions:

• The Cap-de-Long dam, a monumental dam over 100 m high, it forms one of the largest water reservoirs in the Pyrenees.

Day 8

From Luz-Saint-Sauveur to Cauterets

40 km / 1 hour

You’ll love discovering Cauterets-Pont d’Espagne, an emblematic site in the Pyrenees National Park, a veritable Garden of Eden. The Puntas gondola lift and the Gaube chairlift make for an effortless visit. You can have lunch next to the Pont d’Espagne waterfalls or on the banks of the splendid Lac de Gaube, at the foot of the Vignemale, the highest peak in the Pyrenees. The more adventurous can even go for a swim!
For a gentle end to the day, the Bains du Rocher invites you to relax in a refined atmosphere….

On your way :

• Cauterets, with its Belle Époque monuments.
  Take a wellness break at the Bains du Rocher for a moment of relaxation in a refined atmosphere.

Well worth the diversions:

• A gourmet break at Refuge des Sens, a chocolate shop and tearoom: in Cauterets, the hardest thing to choose between here is Viennese chocolate, tarte tatin, pastries, crêpes…