Get out and active in the Pyrenees
Not frequently visited by many people outside of France and Spain or those hiking the Camino, the Pyrenees are just as much deserving of your vacation time as the more famous mountains on the other side of France.
The ever-popular Cirque de Gavernie in the Pyrenees is a great option for some accessible yet somewhat challenging hiking and is great for a wide range of abilities. You still need appropriate hiking shoes though! This is not a trail for sneakers.
A Little Orientation
The pyrenees are bigger than they seem, spanning practically the entire border between France and Spain. Road crossings over the mountains are sparse, so something that looks just over the border may actually be hours of driving away. It’s often easiest and most efficient to break your trip into segments of west, central and east where you base yourself in one place and explore from there before moving to another base from which to explore a new area.
Similarly, it’s usually most efficient to visit the Spanish side from a Spain base and the French side from a French base.
Finally, you will pretty much require a car, especially if your goal is to do any of these fun, active things while in the area.
A Good Base
While there are many great towns and campgrounds to base yourself while visiting the Pyrenees, Cauterets is a great one thanks to its amenities and location relative to some major sites in the Central Pyrenees (I wrote all about our last trip here). It has kind of a Spanish twin just over the mountains, Jaca, that makes for easy access to the beautiful Monte Perdido area. If you’re in the mood for a larger town or city and don’t mind driving a bit more each day to the mountains, you can always stay in Pamplona, Huesca, or Perpignan and still get into areas with plenty of hikes, via ferratas, canyons, and possibly whitewater.
Cauterets is a small but mighty mountain town, a quintessential one, that has as much food, outfitters, and lodging as you’d need for a mountain town base. It’s not super luxurious, but that’s what makes it great. It hasn’t (yet) succumbed to the style of development that has bulldozed authenticity in favor of luxury-only development in some mountains and their towns in other parts of Europe. It has a laid back vibe and some really solid pizza (among other great food, plus an arcade?!) Something I wrote at the time of our trip that still sticks out is that while it was lively it wasn’t crowded, and it felt lived in and welcoming.
In addition to the aforementioned pizza, Cauterets is home to a few nice bars, one of which has great cocktails (on the corner across from the carousel), and a handful of restaurants that swing well above their weight in terms of quality and deliciousness (Pintxoak was a standout). Lastly, there are also a couple of good outfitters in case you forget something important or necessary.
Keeping Busy with Active Pursuits
It’s not hard to fill up your calendar with activities and sites to see.
In terms of hiking and stunning vistas, that’s an entire guidebook, and surely many have been written. But to summarize, these mountains offer a slightly more rugged feel with wide views, lots of livestock around, beautiful rock formations at the end of valleys, and elevation grades that feel a bit more approachable than the Alps while still offering up great scenery. We’ll call that great bang for your buck. The colors are more greens and ambers rather than snowy peaks and the blue-hued stone of the Alps, too, so there’s a bit more of a moody feeling, I’d say. But a lovely one, for sure.
Your level of fitness and the type of hikes you want to do should guide your choice, as well as where you’re staying and basing yourself. While there are some really well known areas like Gavernie, which is why we ultimately chose to stay in Cauterets this last trip, there is an entire mountain range full of valleys, protected areas, and parks that are home to amazing features you can visit on hikes.
I loved this big guy hanging out by himself, and imagined him enjoying the view. Lac d’Isaby was just over the ledge.
If you’re a cyclist, you may be able to catch part of the Tour de France since it usually passes through somewhere, and watching the cyclists power up climbs like Hautecam is really impressive. Outside of that race, hop on your own bike since there are plenty of road routes that climb up and zoom down the various peaks. I can’t tell you how many times I was surprised by cyclists turning corners at the speed of light while we were driving through some areas! So, you’d be in good company if you choose to bike here.
Leftover road markings from the 2025 Tour de France near Hautecam.
Watersports can be tricky in the Pyrenees with increasing drought, less snowmelt, and higher temps, but they are there if you time your trip right and choose your homebase accordingly. Go in spring or early summer for the best water, and rent a kayak from Tom’s Rafting just outside Cauterets. For a bit more action and if you find yourself further East in the Pyrenees, there’s the Rio Gallego outside Huesca, even though you’re driving just out of the mountains for this. The nearby Sierra de Guara is also great for canyoning along with hikes, and Canyon Llech is an exciting option if you’re in the eastern part of the mountains and have a taste for some adventure.
Via Ferratas and climbing routes are scattered all along the Pyrenees. This is yet another entire guidebook worth of information! We’re talking about mountains, after all. Climb Europe has some info to get you started. We did the Chaos de Coumely pictured here, and I’d say the name ‘chaos’ is apt, but there are many more routes to be had. Choose based on where you’re staying and your ability/comfort with tyrolians/ziplines and swinging bridges. I’m not afraid of heights and am a seasoned climber, and this bridge made even my stomach turn a little! It feels very different from climbing.
You might be able to see the mix of excitement and “what have I done” on my face. It took us each about 3 minutes to cross carefully and once on the other side we both were ready for a beer. Via Ferrata: Chaos de Coumely, near Cauterets.
Timing Your Active/Outdoor Trip to the Pyrenees
You’ll want to aim for late-ish spring to early fall (like so many destinations) although if you’re going primarily for water you will firmly want spring to early summer. As these are mountains the weather can surprise everyone with plenty of coolness and rain even in August, like it did us, or it can be unbearably hot in summer. Don’t forget to check the weather up to the day before you leave to make sure you’re as prepared as possible for the weather.
The sun was in and out of clouds this day at Lac de Gaube, bringing a moody, cool vibe to the day’s hike and rewarding everyone with some much-needed warm sun around lunchtime.
While the Pyrenees has a peak tourist summer season in August, our last trip was during this time and it didn’t feel crowded at all. Sure, there were some major sites like the Pont d’Espagne with a lot of people but the crowds here are nothing compared to other summer destinations, so I wouldn’t stress much about timing your trip off-peak unless you really want to be alone.
So what are you waiting for? Have I convinced you to choose the Pyrenees for your next European mountain vacation? Comment to let me know or ask questions!
