Pyrénées Towns  The Pyrénées is full of delightful mountain villages with spectacular settings and you could spend days wandering between them soaking up the atmosphere in street side cafes.  However there are a few towns that stand out from the pack - the pilgrimage town of Lourdes is visited by millions of people each year, whilst the Cathar city of Foix has both a spectacular château and a fascinating history.

Location: 50km south east of Pau.
General Info: Official town website.  There are various other useful websites:  http://www.lourdes-france.com,  http://www.lourdes-fr.com.
Description:  A world renowned place of pilgrimage in the shadow of the Pyrenees mountain range.  Around 4 million pilgrims flock here each year since Bernadette Soubrious had a vision of the Virgin Mary at Massabiel Rock.  It’s not particularly beautiful at first glance, yet it’s significance is such that you should make time for a visit if you are in the area.
Our recommendations:  The Basilicaa and underground shrine are really quite beautiful.  The grotto and castle are also worth a visit.
For the children:  If you want to give the children a bit of variety you can combine a visit with a trip into the mountains to the south of Lourdes, or for an easy alternative take a ride on the Funicular to the Pic du Jer (South of the town centre on the N21).  Alternatively the Grottes de Bétharram are close by.

             - Foix
             - Lourdes
             - Sentein

The purpose built ski resort towns such as La Mongie are best avoided unless you are travelling there to take the cable car to the Pic du Midi de Bigorre.  The drive there is dramatic, but these purpose built resorts tend to be more of a blot on the landscape in the summer months!