Traveling in Pyrnees in late November

The average elevation in Andorra is 3,000 feet. Expect cold weather especially morning and evening. You'll need sweaters and a warm coat or jacket. It might snow in late November, make sure your car has snow chains. The road from Spain to Andorra via the Cadi Tunnel is good - winding after the tunnel until la Seu d'Urgell. The road from France via the Puymorens pass is more spectacular but is sometimes closed to traffic in case of heavy snow.

Here are some infos on traffic, access and weather in the Pyrenees with a translation in English if you click on "info", "perturbations", "météo", etc.
http://www.pyrenees-passion.info/conditions_circulation.php

thank you so very much. I will be sure to check out the webiste as well. I had been looking for a site like that, but was never able to find it.

1 more question, please ... if the road you spoke of is closed, then how do I get back into Spain, you see we are continuing into the northern coast of Spain, after we leave Lourdes? Thanks again

Dear Pvoyageuse .. not to sound stupid, but I can not find "info" on the website .. it probably doesn't help that I do not speak a word of French .. Could you please direct me to the area on the page.

Thank you

Once you've entered the website, click on any of the 4 entries below :
Infos pour l'accès aux cols, stations et routes diverses

Les conditions générales de circulation

Les perturbations hivernales

Consulter les bulletins météo de MÉTÉO FRANCE

You'll access to another page with little flags. Click on the English flag, you'll get a (not very good) translation.

" if the road you spoke of is closed, then how do I get back into Spain, you see we are continuing into the northern coast of Spain, after we leave Lourdes? "


I assume you are driving to Andorra from Barcelona.
You have 2 options : the easiest and shortest one is driving directly from Spain to Andorra via the Cadi Tunnel and La Seu d'Urgell.
The second and longer one is driving from Barcelona to Perpignan to Andorra via the Puymorens Pass. I do not advise to take this road in late November.

Once you are in Andorra and assuming you want to go to Lourdes, you don't have to drive through the Puymorens Pass. Drive to Lourdes via Ax les Thermes, Foix, Saint Girons and Saint Gaudens.

Just realized you want to go back to Spain after Lourdes and I didn't answer your question.
The shortest way would be Lourdes/Tarbes/Lerida/Barcelona.

thank you .. planning on leaving Lourdes, then to Obeservatory near Col du tourmalet (sp?), through the mountains to Biesla Parador over to the National Park (if open), then to Jaca, Hondarriba (by way of Mountain roads), Geurnica, then over to Austrias.

Any additional thoughts .. since you have been so helpful.

Are we insane???

Did I mention that we are traveling with a grandmother 83 years old and 2 children under the age of 6

thanks

I am not familiar enough with this part of the Pyrenees (I live on the Mediterranea side) but your itinary certainly sounds adventurous considering the season - late November -. I would check traffic conditions before leaving Lourdes - your hotel can do this for you - and have a Plan B just in case the weather is bad.
Are you used to driving on mountain roads? Do you know how to use snow chains?
In any case, do take sweaters, coat/jacket, gloves and scarf/hat. It can be nice but it can also be very cold up in the mountains and days are short in November.

Thank you so much Pvoyageuse, we have traveled the mountain roads of the Picos, but in the summer, back in 2001 .. beautiful. We have been to Spain twice .. once in July 2001 and again in late November 2003, but the last trip took us from Madrid to the east, then up to Santander, then across the coast to Austrias ... so we do not have mountain experience in that area of the country. Where I live we have snow, but no need for chains, so, no we do not have experience with snow chains. Thanks for the heads up and for all you help ... any additional ideas you may want to send would be appreciated. This is my first post on Fodors.com, so I am new at this.
Thanks again

We have failed to get over the Col de Tourmalet (where the Observatory du Pic du Midi de Bigorre is) in mid October because of snow. That's not to say there WILL be snow or that they won't have ploughed it, but it may well be closed. They try to keep the routes to the ski tows open, so you are likely to be lucky.

We also crossed the high pass into Spain through the Bielsa Tunnel on Christmas Eve, when there was a scattering of snow on the ground, but the road was clear. You need to carry the chains when there is a danger, even if you never use them. I was not thrilled with the idea of having to fit them, but it didn't happen. You also need to know that the tunnel is closed from 10pm to 6am.

We stayed, on that last trip, at the Bielsa Parador. It's at the end of a 15 mile long single track road in a stunning location. I have photos if you want to see them.

If you look at the French Wikipedia site, you will see links at the end to the other accesses over the border.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_Aragnouet-Bielsa

Sheila .. thank you so very much .. that is all wonderful information that we did not have.

We have reservations for the end of November at the Parador in Beilsa. We are looking forward to the visit.

Okay .. Ihave to admit .. I am a little freaked out about the idea of using chains .. I am confident that neither my husband or I have any experience with them.

Let's hope for a warm early winter

>>so we do not have mountain experience in that area of the country.<<

>>Okay .. Ihave to admit .. I am a little freaked out about the idea of using chains .. I am confident that neither my husband or I have any experience with them. <<

To be honest, I think you need to do a lot of online research and realize that you are heading into an area that can experience blinding snow and fog, and roads without guard rails, and often without a lot of people around when the weather turns bad -- plus totally unexpected storrms. I would listen very carefully to the locals about weather, and heed their advice about not heading into the mountains on certain days.

This is a ski area, a shopping area and a pilgrimage area -- so of course roads will eventually be ploughed. But late November, in my estimation, is not a time to go "exploring" in the Pyrenees or attempting to be spontaneous.

PS: After you leave Lourdes, consider using the lower elevation super highway through France to get to the Basque coast.

We just finished a drive from Barcelona to San Sebastian with stops in Berga, Andorra La Vella, Foix and Lourdes. Roads were terrific. The weather was extremely mild during the day -- no coats required. Was a bit chillier in the evening but I never once reached for my down vest. There was no snow on the roads in Andorra from the Spanish side just lots and lots of people -- huge Los Angeles style traffic jam entering Andorra on a Saturday afteroon partly due to road works and partly due to what appeared to be Christmas shoppers. Ride from La Sue D'Urgell to Saint Julia took FOREVER. Ride out through the French border was uneventful. Very little snow, one section of road a little curvy upon arriving in France but no big deal. Sadly, I was disappointed in the Pyrenees...Rockies are much more spectacular.

How could you be disappointed in the Pyrenees? What was your expectation? (serious question)

I had the exact opposite reaction to the Pyrenees; I thought there was some of the most stunning mountain scenery I have ever seen.

It is possible that Boudecca was in less scenic sections. Since he or she says that only one section of the road was a little curvy, I am wondering whether they were driving through parts that were less steep than the high Pyrenees I thought were so spectacular.

The area around the Cirque de Gavarnie in France and the Parque Nacional Ordesa y Monte Perdido in France was particularly gorgeous.

Eek, where's that edit function? The Parque Nacional Ordesa y Monte Perdido is in Spain.