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Pyrenees

Basque-speaking, wet and green in the west; craggy, snowy, Gascon-influenced in the middle; dry, Mediterranean and Catalan-speaking in the east – the Pyrenees are physically beautiful, culturally varied and considerably less developed than the Alps. The whole range is marvellous walkers' country, especially the central region around the Parc National des Pyrénées, with its 3000-metre peaks, streams, forests, flowers and wildlife. If you're a committed hiker, it's possible to traverse these mountains, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, along the GR10 or the higher, more difficult Haute Randonnée Pyrénéenne (HRP). There are numerous local alpine resorts as well – Cauterets, Luz-St-Sauveur, Barèges, Ax-les-Thermes – with shorter hikes to suit all temperaments and abilities, as well as skiing opportunities in winter.

As for the more conventional of the tourist attractions, the Côte Basque is lovely but very popular, suffering from seaside sprawl and a surfeit of campsites. St-Jean-de-Luz is arguably the prettiest of the resorts, while once-elitist Biarritz is now enjoying a renaissance. Bayonne, which lies 6km inland, is an attractive, if heavily touristed town, with an excellent museum of Basque culture. The foothill towns are on the whole rather dull, although Pau merits at least a day or two, while Lourdes is such a monster of kitsch that it just has to be seen. The coast of Catalan-speaking Roussillon in the east has beaches every bit as popular as those of the Côte Basque, nestled into the compact coves of its rocky coast, while its interior consists of craggy terrain split by spectacular canyons, sprouting a crop of fine Romanesque abbeys – of which St-Martin-de-Canigou and Serrabonne are the most dramatic and a landscape bathed in Mediterranean heat and light.

Eastern Pyrenees

The dominant climatic influence of the Eastern Pyrenees is the Mediterranean. The climate is hotter and drier here, and the landscape more arid. Mediterranean plants like the cistus, broom and thyme make their appearance, and the lower slopes of the hills are planted with vines. The way of life is laid-back and outdoor-oriented. The proximity of Spain is evident, too, and much of the region is Catalan, definitively incorporated into France only in 1659. As with the rest of the Pyrenees, the countryside is spectacular, and densely networked with well-organized hiking trails. The historical sights, with the exception of the prehistoric caves at Niaux and the Cathar castle of Montségur, are most richly concentrated in the east towards the coast, in what is essentially French Catalonia, comprising Roussillon and La Cerdagne (Rosilló and La Cerdanya).

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Last modified: 15 Apr 2011