D3 : GAVARNIE/ CAUTERETS-PONT D'ESPAGNE/LOURDES

The Lutour and Cerisey waterfalls

Head towards Pont d'Espagne, there are a succession of thundering waterfalls along the roadside, the journey itself is a real show. Firstly stop at La Raillère where the Lutour waterfall is signposted, cross the footbridge and there it is in the forest. Then continue to Pont d'Espagne, the Cerisey falls can be seen from the road, if you approach you will most certainly be drenched in spray.

La Raillère • 2.5 km after Cauterets, towards Pont d’Espagne.

The Garden of Eden of the Pyrenees

As you reach the Puntas parking area you have already crossed into the National Park and the site of Cauterets / Pont d'Espagne, one of the most visited sites in the Pyrenees National Park. It is a fabulous area, full of life, which water crashing from all directions. The Marcadau valley offers easy walks in a sublime setting of mountain pines, flowery meadows with towering rocky peaks all around. One can take the chairlift to Lac de Gaube, a beautiful turuoise lake beneath the mighty Vignemale, the highest mountain in the French Pyrenees, the setting of the lake is pure magic.

Parking at Puntas • 7 km after Cauterets  •   www.cauterets.com

Cauterets

As you come down from Pont 'd'Espagne, do stop in the lovely historical village of Cauterets. This small mountain spa town welcomed Chateaubriand, Victor Hugo, Beaudelaire, Debussy… All the high society came here, it became a centre for the Romantics. Follow in their steps along the Boulevard Latapie Flurin and admire the sculptures and monumental doorways dating from the Belle Epoque period.

www.cauterets.com

Relaxation at the Bains de Rocher spa centre

Before starting your day or at the end of it treat yourself to some soothing relaxation ina lovely refined setting. Huge windows, fine embroiderd curtains, floors in jade, mosaics, glass pearls... the outdor lagoon with its bubbling waters is a great spot to relax, in all weathers, at all times of the day as the waters are at 38°C.

2 hour pass. Massages by reservation • Cauterets •  www.bains-rocher.com

The Sanctuary in Lourdes

The sanctuary is the area around the grotto where Bernadette saw apparitions of the Virgin Mary. They are on the river bank and it is the area where people come to pray, there are three basilicas.

• The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, smooth and white, perched on a rocky outcrop above the grotto.
• The Basilica of the Rosary, in the lower part, it is decorated by superb Venitian mosaics created by G.D. Facchina, who alos decorated the Opera Garnier in Paris.
• The Basilica of Pius X is underground beneath the esplanade and can accommodate 20000 people.

To be experienced once in a lifetime

From Cauterets it is down to Lourdes for a most unusual experience. Each evening thousands of pilgrims gather to walk with flaming torches behind a statue of the Virgin Mary. The crowd is dense, the ambience joyous and spontaneous. It is a moving spectacle, everybody is singing in praise of the Virgin Mary. Whether a believer or not one can feel the energy. Join in if you wish.

Every day from april to October, at 9pm (length 1h30). One can buy torches at the entry to the sanctuaries.

www.lourdes-infotourisme.com

Evening and night in Lourdes

The Hautes-Pyrenees holiday shop proposes you a small selection of very favorite accommodations in Lourdes and surroundings. For more choices, contact directly the Shop to 05 62 56 70 00.