French Pyrenees, Lourdes France
October 4, 2023 - by Muriel Dassen
The towering Pyrenees in South-Western France lie between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. This mountainous area, in which the wild Parc National des Pyrénées is located, is claimed to be a paradise for hikers, fishermen and skiers. And although the Pyrenees are quit green in France and the weather in this area is cool, it is also a paradise for motorbikers. Of course you have to be a bit lucky with the weather, but the scenery is beautiful.
As you will probably know the very famous pilgrimage destination of Lourdes is located in the French Pyrenees. And as the arrival of the many pilgrims has boosted the tourist facilities, Lourdes is ideally located at the foot of the Pyrenees and it is a nice place to do more than just go to church, we thought Lourdes would be the perfect central point for our Quazy Rides French Pyrenees tour.
Of course you can download the GPX / ITN files and full e-books of the 2 rides we have in this tour via our roadtrip planner but you can already find the info in this blogpost.
Until 1858, Lourdes was a quiet and modest provincial village, with about 4000 inhabitants. But on 11 February that would change because of the so called miracle of Lourdes that took place here in the Grotte Massabielle. On the 11th of February 1858, Bernadette Soubirous claimed that a beautiful lady had appeared to her here, who had identified herself as the 'Immaculate Conception'. Despite warnings from her mother and the local judge to avoid the cave, the then 14 year old girl had a total of eighteen visions of the Virgin Mary and was led to the spring, which had miraculous healing powers. These miracles were recognised by the Church around 1860 and since then many people claim to have been cured by the water of the spring. A huge religious town grew around the spring, with the tourist industry that goes with it.
Sanctuaires Notre-Dame de Lourdes
Nowadays the city of Lourdes is the second largest Catholic place of pilgrimage after Rome. The sanctuaries of Lourdes, situated along the banks of the river Ousse, attract millions of visitors and pilgrims every year. In an area of 52 acres where you will find 22 churches.
But Lourdes has more to offer than just the Marian Sanctuary. Like the Chateau Fort, in the middle of the old centre, perched on its rocky outcrop and offering a view over the Sanctuary and the Pyrenees. The Château’s history has few documentary sources due to the many destructive sieges of Lourdes between 1374 and 1573. Most of the archives were scattered and burned. Nowadays the Chateau houses a museum dedicated to the domestic, rural and pastoral life of the Pyrenees.
But you will get the most beautiful view on the Pyrenees from Lourdes from Le Pic du Jer. This peak rises above the town of Lourdes, recognisable by its large cross, which is illuminated at night. You can reach it by the centenary cable car, which will take you to the top in a few minutes at an altitude of almost 1000 metres/3300 ft. At the top there is a unique viewing terrace, offering a 360° view of Lourdes, Tarbes, Pau, the Argelès Gazost valley and the peaks of the Pyrenees. And there is a restaurant for a nice lunch.....with a view!
And if you are in need of a “relax day”, maybe you can find it at the Lac de Lourdes, just 3 km/1.9 miles from the city centre. It offers a real breath of fresh air, clear water and green banks for relaxing. In summer, you can swim in the safe perimeter and have a drink at the nice terrace with a view on the lake and Pyrenees.
An absolute highlight in Lourdes is the torchlight procession, every night at 9 from April to October. To participate or watch.
Recommended hotels:
Rating on Booking.com: Very good 8.1
With free parking garage for motorbikes – make reservation when booking
Relais de Motards!
With bar and restaurant
Next to Sanctuary in city centre Lourdes
Rating on Booking.com: Fabulous 8.6
With free on site private – not covered - parking
With bar and restaurant
With swimming pool
15 minute walk to Sanctuary, 10 minute walk to city centre Lourdes
Rating on booking.com: Very good 8.0
With private parking garage - fee applicable
With bar
10 minute walk to Sanctuary and city centre Lourdes
Rating on Booking.com: Good 7.9
With private parking garage – fee applicable
With bar and restaurant
Next to Sanctuary, 5 minute walk to city centre Lourdes
Rating on Booking.com: Very good 8.4
With private parking garage - reservation needed and fee applicable
With bar and restaurant
Tea/coffeemaker on rooms
Next to Sanctuary, 10 minute walk to city centre Lourdes
Rating on booking.com: Very good 8.3
With private on site - not covered - parking - reservation needed and fee applicable
With bar and restaurant
Next to Sanctuary, 10 minute walk to city centre Lourdes
Ride 1
With ride 1 of the French Pyrenees we are going East of Lourdes to be heading towards 2 of the most well known mountain passes of the French Pyrenees: the Col de d’Aspin and the Col du Tourmalet. Some real nice, but serious mountain roads, with serious hairpins and beautiful views. A proper motorcycle ride in the French Pyrenees!
The first part of the ride is already very nice. Because the next possibility to have some coffeee will most probably be another 50 km / over 30 miles down the route
we have added a parking in Bagnères-de-Bigorre if you already want to take a break and maybe have a coffee! It is a welcoming town located at the gates of the Pyrenees on the banks of the Adour river with a lively old town. Bagneres-de-Bigorre is a spa known since Roman times.
Our next stop is in Arreau in the heart of the Hautes-Pyrenees. It is situated at the confluence of the Aure and Louron valleys at the foot of the Col d' Aspin, the iconic
route of the Tour de France. So if you need some strength before you will conquer the Col d’Aspin, you can get some lunch here.
The col d’Aspin is often referred to as the little brother of the Col du Tourmalet. The two mountains are close together and have been part of the Tour since 1910. It peaks at almost 1,500 metres, over 4900 ft and offers amazing riding and views!
We have already climbed a great part of the Col du Tourmalet, but just before the highest point you can stop at the Téléphérique du Pic du Midi de Bigorre. If the weather is good, you like views and you are not afraid of hight, you might consider taking the Téléphérique up to de Pic du Midi at 2877 metres / 9439 ft. The tickets are quiet expensive and we definitely will not recommend going up in cloudy weather as that would be a waste. For more info visit this website (only in French).
And know that you can get this view from the 2.115 metre / 6939 ft high Col du Tourmalet for free! The Col du Tourmalet was included in the Tour de France for the first time in 1910 and no other mountain has since been climbed as often as the Tourmalet in the Tour. It is the highest all-French Pyrenees pass and runs from east to west through the largest ski area in the French Pyrenees. On the North side, the Pic du Midi de Bigorre towers above the pass.
Ride 2
With ride 2 we are going into the part of the Pyrenees West of Lourdes and we are gonna climb 3 famous mountain passes. With a bit over 200 km / 130 miles a full
ride with true mountain roads to enjoy the French Pyrenees to the fullest. We are ready for some mountain passes!
The first mountain pass in this ride is the Col de Soulor. At an altitude of 1474 metres / 4835 ft, the Col de Soulor pass opens the road to the so called Atlantic Pyrenees via the Col de Aubisque, our next pass, located a few kilometres away. This mountain pass, together with the 2 we will be doing later in this ride, is
especially known from cycling stages in the Tour de France. And you can get a cup of coffee at the top, so a perfect stop to stretch your legs, enjoy the views and a
coffee! The Col du Soulor is often climbed in combination with the Col d'Aubisque, which follows directly after this one, making it an extra tough stage for cyclists. For us motorbikers the combination makes it exra fun!
The Col d’Aubisque is the highest of the mountain passes we will be doing today: 1709 metres / almost 5607 ft. And what goes up, must come down. Going down to
Laruns it is 16.8 kilometres / 10 miles downhill covering 1201 metres / 3940 ft altitude with an average gradient of 7.1%.
This is the last of the famous mountains passes we will be doing today: the Col de Marie-Blanque at 1.035 m / 3395 ft. Most mountain passes in the Pyrenees connect Spain with France, but the passes we took today all connect east to west. This one from the the Vallée d'Aspe to the Vallée d'Ossau. And that’s the nice thing about riding these mountain passes: you get to enjoy riding through those beautiful valleys as well.
The village of Sarrance is situated in the valley of the Gave d'Aspe. It has been a pilgrimage destination since the medieval period, when a statue of the Virgin was discovered in the valley of the Aspe. The church, cloister, pretty cottages and fountain that you can find here are especially attractive because of the mountains
that rise steeply behind the village. We had a picnic on top of the Marie-Blanque, but if you haven't had lunch yet, this is a good stop.
If you fancy another stop and drink before you really head back to Lourdes, we have added this parking in the town of Arudy in the Vallée d’Ossau, which is said to
be a cradle of prehistory. The first people lived in caves in the valley and left traces of their passage bypaintings, objects, arts etc. The village was also an important
centre for marble extraction. Today Arudy is the most populated village in the Ossau valley and home to the headquarters of the Community of Communes of
the Ossau Valley.
Wow, the roads in the French Pyrenees are truly amazing! And it feels so good to finally climb all those mountain passes that we have seen on tv in the Tour the France. We loved this ride and really hope you will too!
Go on your own QUAZY RIDE
You can download the GPX / ITN files of the rides and the full e-books via our roadtrip planner and then we hope you will enjoy the rides you will be doing in this Quazy Rides French Pyrenees tour and your stay in Lourdes.
If you are posting on social media, don't forget to tag Quazy Rides or use the #QuazyRides, because we LOVE to see you having fun with our rides.
