The village of Luz-Saint-Sauveur boasts an architectural gem: Saint-André church, built in the 12th century then fortified in the 14th century by the Knights Hospitallers of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. This beautiful fortress-style building is flanked by two towers and has a crenellated polygonal surrounding wall. The magnificent interior contains 18th-century woodwork.

Located at an altitude of 2,115 metres, Tourmalet pass is a legendary section of the Tour de France. Cycling fans, hikers and motorists crossing it enjoy beautiful views over the Pyrenees mountains. On the way back down to the resort of Barèges, you can visit Tourmalet botanical garden, open from mid-May to mid-September, where no fewer than 2,500 Pyrenean plant species grow. An excellent introduction to the local flora!

Reaching an altitude of 2,877 metres at its peak, the Pic du Midi de Bigorre is famous for its astronomical observatory and stunning panoramic view of the Pyrenees mountains. To get to the summit, you can either take the cable car leaving from La Mongie or walk up a footpath. With either option, the moment of arrival is fantastic and the view takes your breath away! As well as the superb 360° view, there's a museum dedicated to astronomy and the history of the Pic du Midi.

The spa resort of Cauterets, which is renowned for its beneficial water, is surrounded by high mountains and retains many typical examples of 19th-century architecture. As you stroll around town, you come across beautiful belle-époque buildings like the Grand Hôtel d'Angleterre and the Grand Hôtel Continental.

Specialising in treating respiratory and rheumatic conditions, Cauterets thermal baths also offer fitness breaks and beauty treatments.

For culture fans, the Musée 1900, housed in the sumptuous surroundings of the former Grand Hôtel d'Angleterre, contains collections of folk art and traditions as well as a permanent exhibition on skiing and mountaineering from 1850 to today.

Meanwhile, nature lovers can take advantage of the spa town's exceptional mountain location close to outstanding natural sites such as the Bridge of Spain (Pont d'Espagne) and Gaube lake. The Pyrenees National Park visitor centre (La Maison du Parc National des Pyrénées) in Cauterets regularly organises mountain-related screenings and exhibitions.

A speciality of Cauterets is the berlingot – the famous colourful boiled sweet that spa patients used to eat to mask the taste of sulphur in the water – is still hand-made in the traditional way and continues to be a favourite with children and adults alike! Several factories in the spa town offer tastings and demonstrations of the 19th-century production process.

One of Midi-Pyrénées "Great Regional Sites", the famous Gavarnie Cirque is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Described by the writer Victor Hugo as the "colossus of nature", this remarkable natural heritage is only accessible on foot, by horse or by donkey from the village of Gavarnie. An hour's walk along a lovely footpath takes you to the hotel area at the foot of the cirque and its fantastic view over the entire vast rocky amphitheatre. The panoramic view of the high limestone walls covered in countless waterfalls is really stunning! Hiking fans can continue up to the foot of the Grande Cascade, a striking 423-metre high waterfall that is one of the highest in Europe!

Located in the Pyrenees National Park at an altitude of around 2,100 metres, the glacial cirque of Troumouse is surrounded by high mountain walls and measures 4 km in diameter! This outstanding place is accessible by car from the hamlet of Héas, in the commune of Gèdre, via a road with a tollgate. From the final car park, a great 1-hour return walk takes visitors up to a viewpoint where a statue of the Virgin Mary is located. From this central point in the cirque, the panoramic view of the whole site is exceptional and the colours magnificent!

The Bridge of Spain (Pont d'Espagne) located above the spa resort of Cauterets is a very striking natural site where the turbulent water of a number of waterfalls meet and gush under the arch of a picturesque little stone bridge. A waymarked footpath with several viewpoints provides a great way of admiring the beauty of the place.

The second Catholic pilgrimage site in the world after Rome, the town of Lourdes became famous after the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous at various times between 11 February and 16 July 1858. Today, the sanctuaries of Lourdes located on the banks of the Gave de Pau river attract millions of visitors and pilgrims each year. The key sites of the Religious Town (Cité Religieuse) are the Rosary Esplanade (Esplanade du Rosaire) – dominated by the neo-Byzantine Our Lady's Basilica (Basilique Notre-Dame), the Crypt and the Immaculate Conception Basilica (Basilique de l'Immaculée Conception) – the famous miraculous grotto where the Virgin appeared on 18 occasions, the underground St Pius X Basilica (Basilique Saint-Pie X), the Espace Sainte-Bernadette pilgrimage centre and the Way of the Cross (Chemin de Croix) and its 15 stations. The entire place is imbued with a very special spiritual and mystical atmosphere.

Also worth a visit in Lourdes is the fortified castle overlooking the town. Inside, the Pyrenean Museum (Musée Pyrénéen) houses collections of objects and art relating to the history of the Pyrenees mountains. The castle ramparts offer a beautiful view over the sanctuaries and the Pyrenees.

Located at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains on the banks of the Adour river, the welcoming spa resort of Bagnères-de-Bigorre is a top destination for many reasons: the lively old quarter with beautiful old houses dominated by the Flamboyant Gothic Tour des Jacobins tower, the thermal baths with curative properties, the spa and well-being centre Aquensis, the casino and the lovely Parc Thermal spa garden which is a great place for a stroll.

Not to be missed: the Street Arts Weekend festival (Week-end des Arts de la Rue) that takes place every beginning of August in the town's streets, squares and gardens – the atmosphere is fantastic!

Located between Arreau and Bagnères-de-Bigorre and reaching an altitude of 1,489 metres at its peak, Aspin pass is a firm favourite with cycling fans and offers stunning 360° views of the surrounding mountains.

Turquoise-blue Gaube Lake is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty surrounded by Pyrenean peaks over 2,000 metres above sea level. This awe-inspiring place, accessible by cable car or, even better, in an hour by foot from the Bridge of Spain (Pont d'Espagne) near Cauterets, is very popular with walkers and hikers.

At the edge of the Béarn and Bigorre, not far from Lourdes, you'll find the beautiful caves of Bétharram. By train, by boat on the underground lake, and then on foot, discover five floors of galleries dug at different times, containing impressive geological formations alternating between stalagmites, stalactites, draperies and columns. A fairyland of concretions in many amazing shapes!

A land of miracles and a Marian pilgrimage site, the village of Lestelle-Bétharram also owes its reputation to its famous Baroque sanctuary built in the 17th century. The Chapel of Our Lady with lavish interior decorations, the Chapel of St Michael Garicoits, the Fountain of St Roch, and the various stations of the cross dotted along the verdant hill are wonderful places for meditation and silence...

Located in the heart of the Pyrenees, at an altitude of 1709 m, near the ski resort of Gourette, the Aubisque Pass is open from June to October. It's a must for all cycling fans, as well as for lovers of beautiful scenery, as the pass road offers stunning views of the Pyrenees...

Tarbes, the chief town of the Hautes-Pyrénées département and capital of the Bigorre area, is known for its beautiful garden, the Jardin Massey, which figures on France's official list of Jardins Remarquables. This wonderful landscape park created in the 19th century by the naturalist Placide Massey features a network of footpaths and a large number of rare tree species. A Moorish-inspired mansion topped with an observation tower stands in the middle of the park. It houses the Massey museum which has a collection of fine art and one based on the history of the hussars.

Also worth visiting is the Haras National de Tarbes (national stud farm) founded by Napoleon in 1806, and today a listed building. A guided tour of this Empire-style group of buildings shows you the stables, stallions of different breeds and a collection of horse-drawn vehicles. The Maison du Cheval there is a museum in a former indoor school dedicated to the world of horses and in particular images of the horse in the Midi-Pyrénées region. Every year, the European equestrian show festival, Equestria, is held at the Haras National de Tarbes in late July / early August: a festive event in which the worlds of horses and the arts come together.

Fine food fans should make a point of visiting Halle Marcadieu covered market for its fresh produce market every Thursday morning.

Only accessible by hikers, Néouvielle Nature Reserve is a wild and protected area adjoining the Pyrenees National Park. Its highest point is Pic Long peak, located 3,192 metres above sea level. Dotted with around 100 high-altitude lakes, this granite mountain area is sheer heaven for fans of walking and unspoiled scenery. Sites worth seeing on a hike include Pic de Néouvielle peak and Orédon, Oule, Aumar and Aubert lakes.

Exceptionally rich in flora and fauna, the Pyrenees National Park, with a surface area of ​​45,707 hectares in the "heart" area and 206,352 hectares in the "optimum area of adhesion", extends to the south-west of Hautes-Pyrénées and to the south-east of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. A paradise for walking fans, the Pyrenees National Park features a vast network of hiking trails. This wild and unspoiled area is home to the highest summits of the French Pyrenees and no fewer than 230 high-altitude lakes!

To find out more about this protected natural area, the Park's visitor centres (Maisons du Parc) located in Arrens-Marsous, Cauterets, Luz-Saint-Sauveur, Gavarnie, Saint-Lary-Soulan in the Hautes-Pyrénées, and Etsaut and Laruns in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, have a wealth of information available for visitors and organise permanent and temporary exhibitions relating to the mountains throughout the year.

In Pyrénées-Atlantiques, discover the heritage of the Béarn mountains. The upper parts of the Aspe and Ossau valleys are home to a magnificent natural environment inhabited by marmots, chamois, golden eagles and peregrine falcons... An ideal destination for walking along the many trails, or fishing in the abundant waters of the lakes and streams of Upper Béam. Two sites located on the French-Spanish border are particularly worth visiting: the Somport Pass with its panoramic view of the Pyrenean peaks; and the Pourtalet Pass with its superb views of the iconic Pic du Midi d'Ossau!

Situated in the Pyrenees massif, the mountainous part of the Haute-Garonne combines nature, sport and relaxation. Wonderful wild and unspoiled landscapes can be explored in the Oueil, Pique and Lys valleys. Dotted with typical villages, hiking trails, waterfalls and mountain lakes, this wild area is very popular with nature lovers. Unmissable, the Oô lake situated at an altitude of 1,504 metres is sumptuous with its 275-metre high waterfall and its wonderful setting. This beautiful site can only be reached after a one-hour walk.

In the winter, the Pyrenees mountains also attract skiers with the Superbagnères, Peyragudes and Mourtis ski resorts.

The highest point of the Haute-Garonne is the Perdiguère peak, which reaches 3222 metres.