Exploring the French side of the Pyrenees Mountains
 

My family (myself, husband and two grown children, ages 21 and 19) are planning a trip to Spain this May, but we will be dipping into France as well.

We will be starting in Barcelona with the intent of ending up in San Sebastian and the Basque region of Spain. But I'm considering making our way west via the French side of the Pyrenees mountains. Would love anyone's input on hikes and/or places to stay along the way. My brother in law tells me that Foix has some great castle ruins to explore and my husband LOVES castles. Any ideas on the best (prettiest, not necessarily the quickest) route to drive to get from Barcelona to San Sebastian? Suggestions for places to stay along the way? We would also love to fit some mountain hikes in along the way!

https://www.google.com/search?q=cirq...=1600&bih=1075

The Cirque de Gavarnie to me was the highlight of my drive thru the French Pyrenees - a circular cliff forming a natural bowl - you can walk around it (or I think take horses or donkeys) at various levels - note at one point we had to get on our hands and knees to feel comfy about not falling on the rocky inclines.

The castle in Foix is not very interesting - a big nothing, IMO.

Did you see this "parallel" thread?
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-pyrenees-.cfm

Stu Dudley

Stu - are there really any wolves left in the Pyrenees?

I didn't actually bother to tour the castle interior in Foix but it is indeed quite the castle on the hill, with turrets and sharks teeth and flags a'flying. I very much enjoyed seeing it from the town (and the Foix post office as well.)

I drove up, down, and around loads of roads in the Pyrenees, and dipped into this and that town, on the French side and the Spanish side. My favorite scenic "stop" was near the Pont d'Espagne, but there were lots of other wows scenically (towns, less so.)

Have you tried some google searches for "most beautiful drives Freny Pyrenees" or similar?

French Pyrenees, I meant to write.

Also try "castles French Pyrenees"

this might interest you

http://www.livetheworld.com/the-third-country-frantzia/

Pop by Andorra to add a new country (???) to your list.

This is a useful website for planning a trip to the Pyrenees. There are a few others

http://france-for-visitors.com/photo...supersize.html

I didn't see or hear any wolves. Lots of other animals roaming around, however.

The Foix castle is a B on the outside and a D+ on the inside, IMO. We were in Foix the evening of July 14 & there were fireworks shooting all over & around the castle - quite impressive. Lots of people were outside watching the spectacle. We enjoyed the castle at Lourdes a lot more. The Lourdes castle is a bit far away from the religious stuff.

Stu Dudley

"are there really any wolves left in the Pyrenees?"
Yes, a few in Pyrenees Orientales, Aude and Ariege. They are not "left",they are "new comers" - strangely enough from Italy according to the genetic analyses which have been made.
There are also wolves on the Spanish side.