Photo : Mathieu Brossais / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Pau
Capital of the former sovereign principality of Béarn from the fifteenth century, Pau saw the birth in 1553 of the future King Henry IV, whose castle still overlooks the town from its promontory above the Gave de Pau. The Boulevard des Pyrénées, a long promenade laid out at the end of the nineteenth century over nearly two kilometres, offers in clear weather an exceptional panorama of the whole snow-capped Pyrenees, a sight that did much to attract British winter visitors in the nineteenth century. These English-speaking visitors introduced the first golf course built on the European continent and horse racing, sporting traditions that continue today. A lively university town in a wine region renowned for its Jurançon, Pau remains a favoured gateway to the Béarn valleys and the Pyrenean peaks.
