Itinerary help for a week in Pyrenees - older couple

Posted by Andrea (Portland, OR, USA) on 11/11/23 11:25 PM

We are planning on finishing our 7 week Spain trip in the Pyrenees. We will have been using trains throughout but know we will need a car. Our thinking is this, take the train from San Sebastián to Zaragoza. Spend the night, rent the car.

We have been to Torla before 2006 and plan to return. Also looking at Anso and Hecho as 2 other options.
Drive from Zaragoza to Anso or Hecho, spend 3 nights. Then drive to Torla for 3 nights. Back to Zaragoza, drop car, stay for 3-5 nights. (Too many?)

We are in our late 60’s/early 70’s. Good health but won’t want to do any epic hiking.

Any advice or thoughts very appreciated. Are we missing somewhere else fabulous in the mountains?
Any information on Anso or Hecho?

We don’t have our return flight booked yet. Assuming either out of Madrid or Barcelona. Trip starts in Barcelona and goes clockwise through Valencia., Granada, Seville, etc. We have already been all along the coast before northeast of Barcelona, Girona, etc.

Thank you in advance.

Posted by marionhobbsrealtor

11/12/23 12:15 AM

3 posts

Sounds like you have a wonderful trip planned. My husband & I are almost your exact ages. We just returned from Spain & had the chance to stay at two of the Parador Hotels: one in Galicia & one in Cuenca. They are gorgeous hotels & have fantastic breakfasts & tend to be in refurbished historic properties such as palaces & monasteries & near nature. They have an over 55 rate available. We found wonderful light hiking opportunities near each hotel.
There are a number of Parador Hotels in the Pyrenees. Might be fun to check them out & see if they are a good fit for you. Have a great trip!!!

Posted by jaimeelsabio

Mid-Atlantic area

11/12/23 12:27 AM

6547 posts

Anso and Hecho are two towns I haven’t visited. We spent a few nights at the Parador in Sos del Rey Católico and enjoyed it. It’s a pretty and picturesque town but there’s little to it. It makes a nice base for taking day trips. Not sure what you enjoying doing but some things to see in that area are Monasterio Nuevo de San Juan de la Peña and Loarre Castle. If you have an interest in the Spanish Civil war, there are Ermita de Santa Quiteria, used as an observation post during the war, Monumento a los Caídos. Posición de San Simón, Las Tres Huegas, trincheras (trenches) de la Guerra Civil, Orwell Road - Vestiges of the Spanish Civil War (trenches and command center). Southeast of Zaragoza is Belchite. The town was destroyed during the war but was left as it was. The town was rebuilt nearby. We missed one of the tour times, so drove around the outside of the town along the fence line. Then there is Canfranc station. The old train station was recently turned into a hotel. There’s a lot of WW-II history associated with it. Nearby are some post WW-II bunkers. Near SOS del Rey Católico is Foz de Lumbier (walking trail), and Javier castle. In 2022 friends of ours stayed at Edelweiss Hotel Ordesa in Torla and liked it. From it they took a day hiking trip.

A couple places I have bookmarked to see in that area are Alquézar, voted a best tourism village by the UN, the historic Puente de la Albarda, and the Salto de Bierge nature area.

To me, three nights in Zaragoza is sufficient to see the main sights.

Once you have a rough itinerary, check for sights in the small towns along your route. I’m certain you’ll find places of interest to you and you’ll visit towns that seldom see a tourist.

Posted by Andrea OP

Portland, OR, USA

11/12/23 05:42 PM

267 posts

Thank you! I’ll look into those other options.

Posted by Carlos

Barcelona ☀️ Sweden ❄️

11/12/23 05:52 PM

3904 posts

I've been all over the Pyrenees mainly the central/eastern side. In the area you are looking at I'd say consider checking out Jaca, the old capital of the Kingdom of Aragon, dominated by a huge 16th-century star fortress. Also nearby is Castillo de Loarre, one of the oldest castles in Spain.

If you move further east then you have some more interesting things to visit like the Vall de Boí, to see its early Romanesque churches, which are designated UNESCO Heritage Sites. Aigüestortes i Estany of Saint Maurici National Park is close by. You can stay at little known region of Val d'Aran specifically the capital Vielha with their own unique language Aranese. Here's an excellent recent BBC article about the area - https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220117-aranese-spains-little-known-language