Bareges, France
Self Catering Barèges Holiday Homes, Cottages and Gites
Barèges is found in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region of south-western France. It is situated in the valley of the stream Bastan on the former Route nationale 618, the "Route of the Pyrenees."
A stay in a Barèges Holiday Gite is a must for lovers of outdoor sports. It’s situated at the perimeter of the National Parc of the Pyrenees. In and around the village all mountain sports are practiced, such as paragliding, walking, cycling, canyoning/caving, mountain climbing, mountain biking, and more.
Barèges is also the second oldest ski resort in France, and when the funicular was opened in 1936 the resort became a tourist destination. When you stay in self catering accommodation in Barèges, know that the resort, now linked with La Mongie, is the largest ski area in the French Pyrenees - providing 125km of pistes between 1400 and 2500m altitude.
A staay in a Barrèges Holiday Home is a must for lovers of thermal spas. It’s warm sulphurous waters first became generally known in 1675 when they were visited by Madame de Maintenon and the duke of Maine, son of Louis XIV.
The light silk and wool fabric called barège takes its name from the place, where it was first made.
When you rent a holiday gite in Barrèges it’s also worth a visit to the Jardin botanique du Tourmalet (2 hectares). It’s a botanical garden specializing in flora of the Pyrenees – and is located at the Pont de la Gaube on the road to the Col du Tourmalet, 4 km from Barèges. It’s open daily in the warmer months; and an admission fee is charged. The garden was established in 1996 at an altitude of 1500 meters. It currently contains about 2500 species drawn primarily from the regional flora.
Ryanair fly to Lourdes, Pau, Biarritz and Carcassonne. Easyjet fly to Toulouse. All airports are within a couple of hour’s drive of Barrèges. An increasing number of people travel down to the Pyrenees by train. The journey takes 12 hours - you can opt to travel through the day using the Eurostar and the French TGV service to Lourdes. If you are planning to drive down to the Pyrenees from the UK, allow an overnight stay if you’re driving from France’s northern ferry ports. Alternatively opt to arrive via ferry into Bilbao or Santander. Driving from the Spanish coast is an easy five hours.
The local climate is typical of a continental region: summer temperatures peak at around 28°C, and the area is mainly sunny all year round. In the winter temperatures drop considerably, but strong winds are rare.