As you would expect in France there are festivals every week ranging from an international jazz festival to a fête dedicated to a local variety of onion! All are very entertaining with many free activities for children.
Bagnères has a very busy Saturday market and well worth visiting for picking up really fresh local produce. Also in town are the superb thermal spa baths - Aquensis, a must for sheer relaxation or pamper yourself with a treatment or massage. With saunas, hamman and roof top Jacuzzis it is a treat not to be missed. This region is also famous for its caves with the marvellous Medous caves in Bagnères. If you fancy a flutter why not visit the casino in town!
The covered market in Bagnères Bagnères The sanctuary at Lourdes
A trip to the sanctuary at Lourdes, visited by 5 million pilgrims a year, is top on the agenda for many people to see the site of the famous apparitions or just spend some time in quiet contemplation.
It is definitely worth going to the observatory at Pic du Midi accessed via a cable car where you have spectacular vistas for miles over the Pyrenees. You can also walk up to the observatory which takes about 3 hours.
Nearby is the Pyrenean National Park, the pilgrim route St Jacques de Compostelle, Pont d'Espagne, the incredible Cirque de Gavarnie a UNESCO world heritage site, to name but a few local attractions.
If you want to travel further you can reach Biarritz and the Atlantic coast or Spain in 2 hours, Carcassone in 2.5 hours and the Mediterranean in 3 hours.
Aquensis at Bagnères The Pic du Midi observatory Pont d'Espagne
Please use the links below to find out more:
The tourist office: www.bagneresdebigorre-lamongie.com
Aquensis: www.aquensis-bagneres.com
The Pic du Midi observatory: www.picdumidi.com
The official site for Lourdes: www.lourdes-france.org
