4 Days in Pyrenees
 

Hi,

we are a group of 4 friends from the US, in our 40s and 50s, reasonably fit and interested in hiking, wineries, relaxing at the local piazza in a mountain village. We are doing some other activities before this one but then we have some 3-4 days (September this year) we wanted to spend in the pyrenees with day walks, visiting a couple of wineries, perhaps a gentle non technical mountain bike ride.

We are thinking of hiring a car but would like to explore the option of public transport or taxi. Our preference is to spend our time in 2 places rather than changing place every day. We thought perhaps 1 place could be in Spain and the other in France?

We are looking at Luz Saint -Saveur, Salardu, Girona, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side.Any ideas and suggestions?

Thank you

Juanita

I did a driving trip in the Pyrenees, criss-crossing the border, but since it was focused on hiking, I can't related any experience about that other than to say that Cauterets in France appeared to be a great "base" for hikers, with lots of variety of hikes in the immediate vicinity, for all levels of ability.

Will also say that areas of the Pyrenees where I drove were evidently the training ground for competitive cyclists, getting the muscles in shape for the gruelling hill climbs of the Tour or the Giro. Maybe there are gentle bike rides somewhere in the Pyrenees, but you might need to delve into details about what's considered "gentle" around there. Many of the roads I traveled, with cyclists huffing beside me, had really really really steep grades.

Lastly, I drove into St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, thinking I'd have lunch there, and I drove right straight out without even bothering to stop. It was wall to wall tour buses. Unless you positively like the camaraderie of sharing space with crowds of fellow travelers and making new friends, you might scratch that one off your list.

One more thought -- if you like piazze, go to the val d'Aosta in Italy for that, plus everything else you say are looking for and would enjoy.

Drat -- typo alert: First post I meant to write that my driving trip was NOT focused on hiking. I didn't hike at all.

Yes, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is busy as it is the main jumping off spot for the French route of Saint James. It's also a very beautiful area, and very Basque, and despite the crowds, interesting.

The Navarran Pyrenees are great for trekking, as are the Aragon Pyrenees, but they are not alone. Check out the Rural Pyrenees Guide (www.rural-pyrenees-guide.com) for some decent information on exploring the Aragon Pyrenees (with the highest peak in all the Pyrenees-Aneto), Catalonia and the Pyrénées-Orientales, Navarra, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées, and Andorra.

Much as I enjoyed Girona -- and I did! -- I would NOT consider it a "mountain village."

Thank you all for your comments. Particularly thank you to Robert. I checked out the rural pyrenees guide, excellent resource, thank you so much for the tip.

Based on the information there we are now thinking if we should base ourselves in Pamplona and do day trips from there? It seems like a great centre of everything with all the services we would need and a great gateway to all the adventures that there can be had. Is this a good idea or not?

Pamplona makes an excellent base, especially for pintxos in the evening in the old quarter (www.sanfermintours.com/cafes-bars-restaurants/).

Check out the Navarre Tourist Board website (www.turismo.navarra.es/eng/home/). You'll find it very helpful.

This is an excellent site, thank you so much, Robert!