Exploring Around Pau in the Pyrenees Atlantiques

Pau is 50km from the Pyrénées and 100km from the Atlantic Ocean, and it is the capital of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in the heart of southwest France. Set on a hilltop at about 200 metres, the city overlooks the Gave de Pau River, which rises from one of the most beautiful spots in the Pyrénées: the Cirque de Gavarnie, a dramatic glacial amphitheatre.

Historical Significance

Pau is known for the Château de Pau, a castle in the city centre where King Henry IV of France was born in 1533. Today, it is home to a national museum and, once upon a time, served as a holiday residence for Napoléon. While he might have started the trend for Pau being a popular holiday home destination, with its excellent location and lifestyle opportunities, it is also a place where many choose to relocate permanently. Here you are, a short drive from the sea, the Pyrénées and Spain.

Connectivity and Travel

The A64 motorway means that by road you can connect directly to Toulouse, France’s fourth-largest city, and to its international airport. Pau is well served by other airports, with the local Pau-Pyrénées Airport just 20km away and Tarbes Ossun Lourdes Airport a 45-minute drive. There is also the Biarritz airport around 100km away. The SNCF connects Pau with Paris in under six hours, and several trains run this route daily.

Attractions of the Region

While the largest part of the Basque Country is in Spain, the region stretches from Bilbao to Bayonne and has so much to offer, from secluded coves and sandy beaches to reliable surf, hiking, golf, and mouth-watering cuisine. Favourites include tuna pots, Tolosa bean dishes, pintxos (small snacks like tapas) and, of course, the piment d’espelette, a chilli grown in Espelette that has replaced black pepper in local dishes.

Traditional Delights

Pau is well known for its confectionery, especially the coucougnettes, chocolate-covered almonds in a pink almond paste. Restaurants serve up garbure and pipérade – a dish made with tomatoes and green peppers - and Jurançon wine (a wine region in the foothills of the Pyrénées).

Real Estate Opportunities

From classic manor houses to stylish country homes, Pau offers a vast selection of properties. For those looking for a complete lifestyle change for the whole family, modern hilltop villas and renovated farmhouses are available. If a second home is required, then country homes can be found outside of Pau, as can apartments in the city centre.

A little further afield, Orthez, northwest of Pau, is a popular place for property investment. Biarritz is also very popular with buyers, as its airport is located just a few kilometres from the luxurious seaside town and is under 20km from the Spanish border.

Year-Round Destination

Pau is a year-round destination that provides hiking and thermal spas in the summer and high-quality skiing in the winter, with resorts such as Gourette and Cauterets less than an hour away by car. Gourette is a modern resort with around 30km of pistes across an area spanning almost 300 hectares. Cauterets offers two ski areas, the Cirque du Lys and the Pont d’Espagne, both truly breathtaking sites in the Pyrénées.