Natural wonders · Laruns
1 Col d'Aubisque
A mythical Pyrenean pass at 1,709 metres, the scene in 1910 of the first high-mountain stage in the history of the Tour de France.
View full page →3 days in the Pyrenees, cirques and great passes
Between Béarn and the Hautes-Pyrénées, this itinerary strings together two great glacial cirques and a few legendary Tour de France passes.
Our day-by-day itinerary
The map shows the numbered stops in visiting order, with one colour per day. The line follows the roads where available; otherwise it joins the stops as the crow flies. Distances and times are approximate (by car, without traffic).
Day 1 — Col d'Aubisque to Col d'Aubisque
The Col d'Aubisque, on the Béarn side.
Day 2 — Cirque de Gavarnie to Cirque de Troumouse
The cirques of Gavarnie and Troumouse, in the Pyrenees National Park.
Driving for the day: about 139.5 km, or 2 h 36 behind the wheel in total (excluding visits).
Waterfalls · Hautes-Pyrénées
2 Cirque de Gavarnie
This exceptional mountain landscape, which spreads on both sides of the present national borders of France and Spain, is centred on the Mont Perdu peak, a limestone massif that peaks at 3,352 metres.
View full page →↓ 139.5 km · about 2 h 36 by car to the next stop
Natural wonders · Hautes-Pyrénées
3 Cirque de Troumouse
Upstream of the Héas gave valley, the Troumouse cirque is the largest glacial cirque in the Pyrenees.
View full page →Day 3 — Col du Tourmalet to Lac Bleu de lesponne
The Col du Tourmalet, then the Pic du Midi de Bigorre and Lac Bleu de Lesponne.
Driving for the day: about 12.6 km, or 1 h 23 behind the wheel in total (excluding visits).
Natural wonders · La Mongie
4 Col du Tourmalet
The highest road pass in the French Pyrenees at 2,115 metres, the Tourmalet is the legendary arbiter of the Tour de France, immortalised by the statue of the cycling giant Octave Lapize.
View full page →↓ 1.0 km · about 12 min by car to the next stop
Natural wonders · Hautes-Pyrénées
5 Le Pic du Midi de Bigorre
The Pic du Midi de Bigorre is in the Hautes-Pyrénées, and reaches an altitude of 2,877 metres.
View full page →↓ 11.5 km · about 1 h 11 by car to the next stop
Lakes · Hautes-Pyrénées
6 Lac Bleu de lesponne
This middle-mountain Pyrenean lake: 47 ha, 120 m deep, shows a beautiful intense blue colour in fine weather.
View full page →Practical tips
Sites are numbered in the recommended order. The high mountains are capricious: check the weather and whether passes and lifts are open before you go.
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