By the pyreneestravel.com team · Updated 15 October 2026 · Itineraries
The Pyrenees stretch about 430 km from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, so a week can't cover everything. This plan focuses on the central range, the most dramatic part, looping from France into Spain and back. You'll want a hire car.
Day 1: Lourdes
Fly into Tarbes–Lourdes, Pau or Toulouse. Visit the Sanctuary and watch the evening torchlight procession.
Day 2: Pic du Midi
Drive to La Mongie (about 1 h 15) and take the cable car up the Pic du Midi. In the afternoon, drive over the Col du Tourmalet (summer only) to Luz-Saint-Sauveur.
Day 3: Cirque de Gavarnie
Walk to the Cirque de Gavarnie and the Grande Cascade. Stay in Gavarnie or Luz.
Day 4: Pont d'Espagne
Head to Cauterets and walk from the Pont d'Espagne to the Lac de Gaube. Soak in the Bains du Rocher afterwards.
Day 5: Into Spain, Ordesa
Cross into Spain via the Vallée d'Ossau and the Portalet pass (or the Bielsa tunnel) to Torla. Take the shuttle bus into the national park for the Cola de Caballo walk if you have time, or save it for tomorrow.
Day 6: Jaca and San Juan de la Peña
Visit the cliff monastery of San Juan de la Peña, then explore Jaca and its tapas bars. Detour to Canfranc station.
Day 7: Vallée d'Ossau and Pau
Return to France over the Somport tunnel, stop at the Lac de Bious-Artigues below the Pic du Midi d'Ossau, and end in Pau, with its Boulevard des Pyrénées view.
Got more time?
Add the Basque Country and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the west, or the Val d'Aran, Andorra and the Cerdanya in the east. Our coast-to-coast road trip covers the whole range in two weeks.
Plan your Pyrenees trip
Hotels, tours and transport in one place.
Header photo: Photo: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0
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