The Pyrenees (Les Pyrénées) is one of the seven great mountain ranges of France. They mark the division between France and Spain and stretch from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean coasts in southern France, with little Andorra nestled in the middle of the mountains. The range is 430 km (270 miles) long with its widest point being 129 km (80 miles). The highest point is Pico Aneto at 3,404 meters (11,169 feet) in the central massif of the Maladeta Pyrenees (“Maldito”), while there are many other peaks over 3,000 meters (8,842 feet).
The Pyrenees are impressive, with snow on their peaks most of the year. But the most interesting thing is the two very different cultures that they encompass. Near the coastal town of Biarritz, on the Atlantic coast, the area is Basque-speaking, while in the eastern Mediterranean you will feel that you are in Catalonia, both in language and culture. The center of the Pyrenees has the Parc National des Pyrénées, a paradise for walkers with its varied flora and fauna. For the serious hiker, the GR 10 runs the entire length of the mountain range from coast to coast.
To the northeast, the area is known as Cathar country. It is a charming stretch with its ruined medieval fortresses stretching between Quillan and Perpignan and history comes to life in the ruins of Puilaurens, Queribus and Peyrepertuse. Heretic Cathars were seeking a quiet, peaceful but alternative religion and had turned away from the wealth and corruption of the established church. The challenge to the establishment was too much and the powerful Catholic Church retaliated with extreme brutality during the crusades known as the Albigensian Crusades after the Cathar fortress of Albi.
The movement was finally crushed after the fall of Montsegur, the site of the last Cathar position, in 1244.
Main towns
- Biarritz has a history of fluctuating fortunes. Napoléon III put the town on the map after that regularly came here to party with kings and queens, aristocrats and rich in the middle 19th century and remained the place to be until the 1950s In the early 1960, the Mediterranean and the Côte d’Azur became the place for young people to visit and Biarritz settled into graceful decline. A decade later, it was rediscovered by the youth of Paris and the rest of the world as a great surfing destination and its character changed once again. Biarritz is a lively city, with the splendid Art Municipal Casino Municipal, a reminder of its inhospitable past, taking pride of place on the Grande Plage beach. It has museums, including the Biarritz Aquarium , one of Europe’s great aquarium collections, a harbor, charming streets for strolling, and a lively restaurant and nightlife.
- Bayonne , 5 km (3 miles) from the Atlantic Sea, is the most important city in the Basque Country. Located where the Ardor and Nive rivers meet, the city has a true Spanish flavor. The Basque Museum gives you an insight into the Basque past both on land and at sea. Also worth visiting the old town around the fortifications built by the military engineer Vauban great in the 17th century, a cathedral and the botanical garden.
- St-Jean-de-Luz is an attractive resort with a beautiful sandy beach and an old town with half-timbered houses. Once a vital port for whaling and cod hunting, it is still the main place to land anchovy and tuna.
- Pau, a major city in the 15th and 16th centuries it as the capital of Navarra French, is located in the central Pyrenees. It is a particularly English city that surprises visitors for the first time. The English discovered Pau, in the 19th century, believing that the city is a place for healthy living. No matter the fact that Pau had no special restorative qualities, the English discovered the place and never looked back. They brought their particular English to town: fox hunting and horse racing, as well as cricket. It is an attractive town with a castle museum, attractive walks and the nearby Béharram grotto with its stalactites and stalagmites.
- Lourdes is known for the millions of Catholic pilgrims who come here every year. It has an extraordinary Basilica del Rosaire and the Immaculate Conception, built between 1871 and 1883, and a spectacular castle that was once a defender of the valleys and central passes of the Pyrenees. Learn more about Lourdes in this article.
- Perpignan, on the Mediterranean coast, is an important Catalan city that preserves a separatist atmosphere with its different culture, language and gastronomy. It has some notable buildings, such as the Loge de Mer, built in 1397 and the Casa Païral museum, the place to discover more about the local Catalan culture.
Reflexes
- Surf the Atlantic in Biarritz . The best beaches are the Grande Plage, followed by Plage Marbella and Plage de la Côte des Basques.
- Visit the castle of Montségur, where the Cathar heretics resisted against their Catholic persecutors in the 13th century .
- Go up to the Pic du Midi . Looking out at the world from the pure air of the Pic de Midi de Bigorre at 2,877 meters (9,438 feet). From La Mongie ski resort, take the 15-minute cable car ride to the Pic, where you can see 300 km (186 miles) of Pyrenean peaks between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. If possible, book a ‘Starry Night’ to enjoy magnificent views of the stars; You can also book to spend the whole night here.
- Stroll through the Parc National des Pyrénées . Created in 1967 to protect the Pyrenees from the tourist developments of ski resorts, parking lots, accommodations and more, it is a great natural habitat for wildlife. It contains part of the GR10 that runs the long 700 km (434 mile) route from Banyuls-sur-Mer in the Mediterranean to Hendaye-Plage in the Atlantic.
