"Best Cycling in the French Pyrenees"

Unique & Custom Pyrenees Bicycle Tours!

Introduction

The following pages feature a list of things that I recommend as part of your Pyrénées vacation. The eye icon marks the things to see, the dancers mark the things to do and the wine glass marks the best places to sample local specialties.

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port / Oloron-Ste-Marie / Arette / Argelès-Gazost / Saint-Lary-Soulan / Bagnères-de-Luchon

Oloron-Ste-Marie / Arette

Oloron is a medieval city composed of two towns that have merged together over time. The church of Ste-Croix marks the start of a scenic walk on the medieval city walls that offers a spectacular view of the Pyrénées. Its splendid cathedral, l'Eglise Ste-Marie, features a superb marble Roman arch. Oloron-Ste-Marie, although located 17 km (11 mi) further north than the small village of Arette, where Route 4 begins, offers a wider range of accommodation, restaurants and things to see and do.

Bike Shops:

There are only a few small cycle shops in Oloron, but a wider selection can be found in the neighboring city of Pau. View the full list of bicycle shops in the regions covered in our guidebook "Best Cycling Routes of the Pyrénées".

Béarn VTT - 24 bis, rue Auguste Peyré 64400 Oloron-Sainte-Marie
Tel / Fax: 05-59-39-33-43 http://bearn-vtt.com/index.html

Igouassel Pascal - 3 rue Despourrins 64400 Oloron-Sainte-Marie
Tel: 05 59 39 06 00 / Fax: 05 59 36 16 49

Mainhagu Pierre - 13 rue Carrérot 64400 Oloron-Sainte-Marie
Tel: 05 59 39 30 60 / 05 59 36 03 80

Sayous Jean-Pierre - Rue Despourrins 64400 Oloron-Sainte-Marie
Tel: 05 59 39 08 99

Cheese Museum and Sampling: Ecomusée du Fromage - Les Fermiers Basco-Béarnais d'Accous
(28 km/17 mi south of Arette and Oloron-Ste-Marie)

This cheese-making facility, whose products are recipients of the coveted label "Ossau-Iraty", doubles as an eco-museum where visitors can observe the work of shepherds and cheese makers and sample cheese at various stages of aging , too. It's open on weekdays year around. (Route National 134, 64490 Accous (Tel: 05-59-34-76-06).

Natural Landmark: Les Gorges de Kakouetta
(26 km/16 mi south of Arette and 38 km of Oloron-Ste-Marie)

Narrow Kakouetta Gorge, with its 600 foot high vertical limestone walls, is one of the most impressive ravines in the Pyrénées. A trail that crosses and recrosses the river numerous times leads down through a humid mossy landscape all the way to a cave and waterfall that mark the gorge's lower end. Route 4 passes right in front of the gorge,but good trekking shoes are highly recommended for this slippery walk.

Scenic Mountain Village: Lescun
(35 km/22 mi south of Arette and Oloron-Ste-Marie)

A typical village of the Béarn region of the Pyrénées, Lescun is set upon a small plateau that has outstanding panoramic views of the valley below. Rising high above it are the surrounding summits including Pic d'Anie, Billare and the needles of La Table des Trois Rois—the mountain vistas alone are worth a visit. Route 3 goes through the village of Lescun.

Basque Festival: Festival de Force Basque : Saint-Palais
(35 km/22 mi south of Arette and Oloron-Ste-Marie)

The Basque people, famous for their physical strength, show it off during annual summer tournaments. Farmers used to celebrate their harvest with a competition of strength between neighbors, but the competitions have since been moved to the towns. Saint-Palais is the most famous of them all brings some 150 participants and more than 4,000 visitors together. The games are usually divided into six disciplines including wood logging straw lifting cart pulling and wood sawing .There's always lots of traditional food and drink, often accompanied by dance and music—don't miss it if you're there in August!