Feedback on two-weeks itinierary in the French Pyrenees

Hi,

Am not sure if you saw this. A few of us had some suggestions on the area in a 2013 thread:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/to-the-west/pyrenees-hiking

Bareges is blink and you'll miss it tiny, although the spa is very nice. Luz has more restaurants and little shops. I've stayed in Bareges but if I was doing it again, I'd stay in Luz.

Have a great time!

Hi Rachel, thanks for your reply! I went through those threads already before planning our itinerary, and they have been very helpful. I feel now pretty confident about our hiking schedule, so that's ok.

I'm still looking for advice on our way to/from Bordeaux: I would love to hear some suggestions about nice locations along the way (or not too far off it), either as a stop or a place to overnight, as I'm willing to devote two days instead of one to reach the Pyrenees after we land in Bordeaux.

We have not set aside time for Lourdes, Tarbes, Pau, Grottes de Betharram, etc. during our time in the mountains, so those two/three days at each end of our vacation will be the time to visit those places.

However, maybe there are more interesting further up north on the way to Bordeaux? I heard for example of Saint-Emilion as a recommended stop, although that's not exactly on our way south (but again, we're willing to detour a bit).

Our destination when arriving from Bordeaux is Bagnères-de-Luchon, and on our way back we will depart from Gourette.

In terms of timing, we land late in the evening and will spend the night near the airport (after renting a car), so next day will be a full one. Or two full days if we decide to make an overnight somewhere. Similarly, we depart in the morning and will spend the night before near the airport, so again the commuting day is full.

Thanks!

Unfortunately, I can offer no advice for the area north of Bordeaux. I traveled on the TGV from Paris to Lourdes, and did it all in one day. I hope to see that "in-between" area on a future trip. Hopefully, someone here will be able to offer suggestions. If anything, you may want to post a follow-up question just on that area. I think the Pyrenees get little attention and are a bit undiscovered among the Rick Steves crowd (which could be a good thing!) and that could be why you're not receiving many replies. But I bet there are plenty who've traveled closer to Bordeaux, Dordogne, Lot, etc.

I'm planning a long trip to France later this year and compiling notes from a variety of sources (old magazine and newspaper articles, guidebooks, etc.). I'm still not through, but Pau sounds interesting. My notes indicate that it has half-timbered houses, elegant mansions, art nouveau villas, and some cobblestone streets. The chateau (not sure what vintage) had a keep added in the 14th century and was turned into a Renaissance Palace in the 16th century. The Musee des Beaux Arts is said to have a good collection that includes El Greco, Rubens and Degas. I'm expecting some British influence since the English reportedly settled there early in the 19th century.

I don't know where you're renting your car but we had a tricky time finding the car rental place to return our car at the Bordeaux train station last September due to lack of signage and lots of construction. (We had picked up the car in Rennes.) When you're leaving the Gare walk left to the first roundabout, keep walking left and go across the bridge and follow the signs for Parking Armagnac. All the car rental companies are in a small one-story building next to the parking structure.
I still remember the wonderful manchego cheese with quince jelly that we had for dessert several places in the Pyrenees.
I hope you have a wonderful time!