5 New Road Trip Itineraries for the Pyrenees

The Hautes-Pyrenees region of France have worked with Huesca area of Spain to create a series of five new 3, 4 or 7 day Road Trip itineraries taking in some of the most iconic landmarks in the Pyrenees crossing the French and Spanish borders.

“With these itineraries taking you from France into Spain and back, the Road Trip Pyrenees hopes to evoke the spirit of adventure that other famous routes such as the Route 66, the Silk route, the trans-Amazonian highway have created,” said Isabelle Pelieu, Director of the Tourist Development Agency of Hautes-Pyrénées (HPTE), who added,

“The Road Trip offers a super highway to exceptional places of magnificent spectacular scenery, for unique experiences and long lasting memories.”

Combining some of the key sites of the Pyrenees including: Lourdes, Cirque de Gavarnie, Pic du Midi, Parc National des Pyrénées, Parc National de Ordesa and Monte Perdido, Le Grand Canyon d’Ordesa, Cañon de Añisclo, The Trou du Toro/Forau de Aigualllets and The Aneto – the itineraries cover over a quarter of the Pyrenees massif.

The routes also include three UNESCO World Heritage sites, two national parks and eight classic ‘Cols’ from the Tour de France (Col de Peyresourde, Col de Val Louron-Azet, Col du Tourmalet, Col du Soulor, Col du Pourtalet, Coll de Fadas, Coll de Espina, Col du Portillon).

In addition they pass 13 lakes, eight spa centres and a wine growing area.

Each itinerary comes with precise daily information of the required driving route including maps for each day with distance and time of travel by car all detailed.  All accommodation is booked for each of the itineraries through the boutique agency www.pyrenees-holiday.com .

A new ‘road book’ detailing all the itineraries is also available in print and provided for each road trip booking. The road book details, besides route information, ideas for walks, great restaurants, activities, sites to visit, not-to-be-missed panoramas and suggestions for exploring off the beaten track.

“Our region is made for ‘Road Trips’!” continued Isabelle, adding, “We have launched these five new itineraries three of which include routes crossing the border between France and Spain. We are excited to be working with our partner region Huesca and hope this new ’road trip concept’ will be a popular choice for tourists to the region. They are available to anyone for nine out of twelve months of the year.”

Example Road Trips:

The Grand Tour – 7 day road trip -3 nights in Spain– from 501 € /person based on 2 people

An example of a seven day itinerary takes in the French- Spanish border, the biggest and best scenery in the Pyrenees: the highest peak, spectacular canyons and grandiose cirques which are World Heritage sites, the mystery of Lourdes, the highest Observatory in Europe in the clearest of skies – the Pic du Midi with access by cable car to just under 3000m

Intense pleasures of the Pyrenees – 3 day driving circuit – from 278 € /person based on 2 people

3 days/3 nights in B&B, staying in Saint-Lary, Gavarnie, Lourdes,  1 ‘Grands Sites’ pass to the Pic du Midi (access to summit by cable car) + Cauterets-Pont d’Espagne (parking, cable-car ride from Puntas and chairlift to Lac de Gaube), 1 entry (2h) to two spa centres of the Hautes-Pyrenees: Balnéa and Les Bains du Rocher spa.

Getting There:

Besides driving direct, if you want to hire a car then from the UK there are easy options to access the French Pyrenees by air:

• Lourdes Pyrenees airport: 4 flights a week from London Stansted with Ryanair
• Biarritz airport (Biarritz- Lourdes: 1h50 by car): 1 daily flight from London Gatwick with EasyJet / 1 daily flight from London Stansted with Ryanair
• Toulouse airport (Toulouse- Lourdes: 1h50 by car): daily flights from London, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham airports by many airlines