Discover the Mesmerising Pyrénées Mountain Range

Hello from southwest France, as we’re getting in the mood for the ski season, we want to tell you about a recent trip to Saint Lary, or Saint-Lary-Soulan as it’s officially called. We love Saint Lary, both in summer and in winter, because in summertime, it has great walks and river rapids to die for, and in winter, it’s beautiful and offers some of the best skiing in the Pyrénées.

A Picturesque Mountain Town

Set in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, Saint-Lary is an old town with a style and charm that knock the new resorts out of the water when it comes to beauty and class. Located only about an hour’s drive from Tarbes, Saint Lary is within easy reach of the UK, particularly since the introduction of Ryanair’s flight from Stansted to Tarbes-Lourdes airport. It is also only 20 minutes from Spain, which is excellent news for our New Year’s trip, because the plan is to head over the border when we arrive to stock up on really cheap food and wine.

Skiing Paradise: Something for Everyone

One of the largest resorts in the Pyrénées, it’s unsurprising that Saint Lary is such a popular resort. With over 100km of downhill slopes, it boasts 53 pistes. It’s a real ‘something for everyone’ resort with three distinct stations: Saint Lary 1700, Saint Lary 1900 and Saint Lary 2400. Saint-Lary 1700 is where families usually head. Known as the Pla d’Adet, the first station at Saint Lary has a snow kindergarten, a toboggan run, and the ‘kids park’, a snow park aimed at kids aged 6 to 12. Saint Lary 1900 is where more accomplished skiers head, and 2400 boasts a range of moguls and slalom pistes with access to Lake Oule, where you can snow-shoe.

Summer Adventures in Saint Lary

All of that said, there’s a whole lot more to Saint Lary than just skiing. In summer, there are great walks, with the GR10 passing through the village, and the ski lifts are even geared up to take mountain bikes up the hill so you can come down at speed without having to think about how you’ll get back up again.

Village Full of Delights

The village of Saint Lary has everything you could wish for for a week or a two-week stay. There’s a host of restaurants, bars, and a range of food shops that offer everything from charcuterie to ready-made dishes to delicious chocolates and cheeses. In fact, you could easily book a self-catering stay in Saint Lary and eat delicious, homemade-tasting food every day without even needing to switch the cooker on. Add to this the fact that you can enjoy an alfresco aperitif in the winter sun, and you start to get a flavour of what this lovely village can bring.

Bars with Endless Charm

When it comes to bars, there isn’t one that’s necessarily better than the other because they all have individual charm. And that’s great news because it means that during a week’s stay, you need to try them all and pop back to your favourites to narrow down your shortlist of the top three.

Thinking of Moving to the Pyrénées?

If you’d like to move to this area of southwest France, or any other part of the country, why not get in touch?