Driving the Pyrenees from Carcassonne to Pau

Hi Linda, with 6 days, you can cover a lot of terrain. A quick way to determine distances and drive times is through GoogleMaps. If you're willing to go beyond Pau, taking some time in Bayonne and St-Jean-de-Luz is definitely worthwhile. If you have to choose one, skip bayonne. We love St Jean-de-Luz, and it's best if you can hit on market day (the indoor market is open most every day, but when it spills outside on big market days (Friday, I think ???), there are endless local treats and pique-nique opportunities to be had. Not sure when the pelota (Basque jai-alai) season is, but catch a match if you can. I would highly encourage a night in San Sebastian, Spain. The Old Quarter is pedestrian-only, hugs the sea, and has perhaps the best concentration of tapas bars in all of Spain. Tapas-hopping magic ! Also, highly recommend hitting the small, but beautifully charming Basque villages on the French side of Ainhoa and Espelette, and don't miss St-Jean-Pied-de-Port for its connection with the Camino to Santiago de Compostela. Simply driving in the Pyrenees is so stunning. If you come across a farm with a shingle hanging by the road announcing the sale of 'fromage', definitely indulge. The sheep/brebis cheeses of the Pyrenees are divine. We haven't been there in October, but I don't think you'll have any issues with snow. While not a tourist destination, we had a very good experience in the appealing town of Foix (not too far from Carcassone) ~ worth getting out for a stroll if you pass through. Even if you're not religious, a visit to Lourdes can be very moving, especially if you can visit in the quieter early evening hours. If you're thinking about Andorra so you can check it off your list, the town itself is very unappealing. Of course, it's nestled in the middle of the mountains, so the surroundings are sublime. But the gas is very cheap (arrive with a near-empty tank) and the tax-free shopping is superb, if you like that sort of thing. Wherever you go, you're in for a treat !

Hi,
If you google directions from Pau to Carcassonne the blue path suggested will get you from to the other pretty efficiently.
If you try to travel east to west or the reverse south of the Google path it takes for ever. The further south of the Google path the closer you get to the Pyrenees. And with any mountain range the rivers run down hill and the roads tend to run in the valleys. In this case, north/south.

The closer to the mountains the more interesting the the land and the more spectacular the Cathar castles. And they are spectacular. Carcassonne has a Disney style castle filled with fudge and t-shirt shoppes. These Cathar castles are on mountain peaks not the top of a rounded hill. We spent a week in Olonzac which is east of Carcassonne half an hour or so. Great places to visit in the coutryside around Olonzac.

wayne iNWI