In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
Over the Aubisque, Tourmalet and Aspin from the Béarn to the Ariège: around 510 kilometres on the Route des Cols, with the Cirque de Gavarnie, the Pic du Midi, the cave art of Niaux and the castle rock of Montségur.
The spirit of the route
The French side of the Pyrenees is greener, wetter and tighter than the Spanish side. In the morning mist hangs in the valleys of the Béarn, by midday it tears open, and above the meadows stand limestone walls with waterfalls dropping from them in threads. On the passes you hear cowbells, griffon vultures circle above the car park, and beside the flock of sheep lies a white patou that watches you closely. From your sliding door in the evening you see the Grande Cascade in the half-circle of Gavarnie or the observatory on the Pic du Midi in the last light. The roads are legends of cycling – Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin – and demand low gears, patience with cyclists and cool brakes. Further east the land grows quieter: slate villages in the Couserans, bear country, the cave of Niaux with its black bison and finally the Pog of Montségur, where the story of the Cathars ended in 1244.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Pau to Laruns (Vallée d’Ossau) (approx. 40 km)
- The drive
- From Pau take the N134 towards Oloron, join the D934 at Gan and continue through the broad lower Ossau valley via Rébénacq, Arudy and Louvie-Juzon to Laruns. A well-built valley road without difficulties; from Arudy the limestone mountains close in. Just under an hour of driving.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Boulevard des Pyrénées in Pau: the promenade above the Gave with panorama boards of the Pyrenean chain, plus the château where Henry IV was born.
- Falaise aux Vautours near Aste-Béon: an observation centre with cameras on the griffon vultures’ nesting cliffs.
- Detour towards the Col du Pourtalet to the Lac de Fabrèges with a view of the Pic du Midi d’Ossau; the cable car to the Petit Train d’Artouste starts there (check season and reservations).
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Camping du Pont Lauguère on the edge of Laruns beside the Gave: electric hook-ups, sanitary facilities, service point, well booked in summer. In the village there is also the Aire Camping-Car Park “Laruns, Le Bourg” with electricity and a service point, access with the network’s card. If you would rather stay the night in Pau: Camping Le Terrier in Lescar on the western edge of the conurbation.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the Ossau valley many hiking and lake car parks have signs against overnighting in motorhomes, and at the Lac de Fabrèges and the Pourtalet checks are made in summer. Above Gabas begins the core zone of the Pyrénées National Park: camping is prohibited there, and bivouacking is allowed only on foot and under fixed rules (see Practicalities). Legally, parking yes, camping behaviour no.
- Insider tip for campers
- Fill the tank and stock up in Pau before you leave – the big supermarkets on the outskirts are cheaper than the shops in Laruns and Gourette. For the next day, check with the Département Pyrénées-Atlantiques whether the Aubisque and Soulor are open. In the Ossau valley cheese is sold directly at the farm; the “fromage fermier” signs on the D934 lead to producers with parking.
2Stage 2: Laruns to Argelès-Gazost via Col d’Aubisque and Col du Soulor (approx. 50 km)
- The drive
- Via Eaux-Bonnes and the ski resort of Gourette on the D918 up to the Col d’Aubisque (around 1,710 m), then the famous section to the Col du Soulor (around 1,475 m): a narrow corniche blasted into the rock above the Cirque du Litor, with a short tunnel, hardly any passing places and in places no guard rail. Down via Arrens-Marsous into the Val d’Azun and on to Argelès-Gazost. A good 1.5 hours of pure driving time. Length and weight restrictions are signposted on site; the exact values could not be confirmed, so check with the Département before setting off – long motorhomes, heavy vehicles and combinations should avoid this section and drive to Argelès via Louvie-Juzon, Asson, Lestelle-Bétharram and Lourdes (around 80 km). The route is closed to motor vehicles in the winter half-year, usually from November to May depending on snow (to early June in snowy years); the current status is published by the Département Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Col d’Aubisque with the large Tour de France bicycle sculptures and the view down into the Ossau valley and across to the Cirque du Litor.
- The corniche between Aubisque and Soulor: photo stops only in the few wide lay-bys; horses and sheep are often on the road.
- Saint-Savin Abbey above Argelès with its Romanesque church and a view into the valley of the Gave de Pau.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Aire Camping-Car Park in Pierrefitte-Nestalas a few kilometres south of Argelès at the entrance to the Vallée de Gavarnie: service point, electricity, access with the network’s card. Around Argelès there are numerous campsites, for example Camping du Lac on the edge of town. On the way, Arrens-Marsous in the Val d’Azun has an Aire Camping-Car Park with a service point.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): On the pass car parks of Aubisque and Soulor you park during the day; staying overnight there is not a good idea because of grazing livestock, sudden weather changes and local bans. The Val d’Azun offers a legal alternative with the aire in Arrens-Marsous.
- Insider tip for campers
- Drive the corniche early in the morning, before cyclists, motorcycles and excursion traffic arrive. If there is oncoming traffic, wait in good time at a wider spot instead of meeting in the narrow section; if in doubt the smaller vehicle reverses. Descend in second or third gear – the descent from the Soulor is long.
3Stage 3: Argelès-Gazost to Cauterets and Pont d’Espagne (approx. 25 km)
- The drive
- Via Pierrefitte-Nestalas and the D920 into the narrow gorge of the Gave de Cauterets with rock overhangs as far as Cauterets. Above the town the road continues past the Raillère, narrow and steep, to the Puntas car park at the Pont d’Espagne. A short distance, but a good 45 minutes of driving; by motorhome it is better to go up by shuttle.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Chemin des Cascades from the Raillère to the Pont d’Espagne along the Lutour, Cerisey and Boussès falls – around 2 hours uphill.
- Lac de Gaube with the north glacier of the Vignemale in the background, on foot or by chairlift from the Puntas car park.
- The Belle Époque façades and the old thermal baths of Cauterets.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Cauterets the commune provides its own area for motorhomes on the Avenue de la Gare, with overnight permission and a service point. Campsites include Camping Le Péguère, Camping Le Cabaliros and Les Glères near the centre, with electricity and sanitary facilities; check opening seasons in advance.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): At the Puntas car park (Pont d’Espagne) overnighting in a motorhome is expressly not allowed; tickets are available only on site. The area around the Pont d’Espagne and the Lac de Gaube lies in the core zone of the national park: dogs only on a lead and only on a few designated paths, tents only as a bivouac more than an hour’s walk from the road, pitched after 7 pm and struck before 9 am.
- Insider tip for campers
- Leave the camper in town and take the shuttle bus from the Cauterets bus station to the Pont d’Espagne – the road above the Raillère is tiresome for wide vehicles, and the Puntas car park fills up early in summer. In 2026 the cable cars at the Pont d’Espagne ran daily from 14 May to 27 September, 9 am to 5 pm; a combined Lac de Gaube ticket includes parking. In rain the walk to the waterfalls is worth it all the more.
4Stage 4: Cauterets to Gavarnie (approx. 45 km)
- The drive
- Back to Pierrefitte, then on the D921 through the gorge of Luz with short tunnels to Luz-Saint-Sauveur and on over the Pont Napoléon bridge, Gèdre and the rockfall field of the Chaos de Coumély to Gavarnie. A well-built but winding valley road, with a lot of traffic in the summer mornings. A good hour.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Cirque de Gavarnie: hike from the village to the Hôtel du Cirque at the foot of the walls, around 1,500 m high, with the Grande Cascade as France’s highest waterfall (around 1 hour 15 minutes each way).
- Brèche de Roland: the notch in the ridge above the Cirque, clearly visible from the Plateau de Bellevue.
- Detour from Gèdre to the Cirque de Troumouse on a narrow mountain road – unsuitable for large motorhomes; ask the Vallées de Gavarnie tourist office in advance about the toll and access times (according to the tourist office, access before 8 am and after 7 pm, return behind the Petit Train).
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Aire for motorhomes (Parking Holle) above Gavarnie on the D923 towards the Col des Tentes, around 1.5 km from the village: according to Campercontact up to about 25 pitches, service point, no electricity, stay up to 7 days, most recently around €10 per night at the machine, free out of season; other directories give different pitch numbers, so check the number of pitches and the fee on site. Campsites with electricity and sanitary facilities: Camping La Bergerie at the village and Camping Le Pain de Sucre on the Gave north of the village.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the village of Gavarnie itself overnighting in a motorhome is not provided for; the village car parks at the entrance to the village charge fees, and multi-day stays belong in the Holle car park. The Cirque lies in the core zone of the national park and is also a Site classé and UNESCO World Heritage Site (Pyrénées–Mont Perdu): no camping, no fires, bivouac only under the park rules.
- Insider tip for campers
- Go early or in the late afternoon: between 10 am and 4 pm the path to the Cirque is full of walkers and donkeys. On the way back downhill go easy on the brakes; for fuel and cheap shopping, use Luz, not Gavarnie.
5Stage 5: Gavarnie to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan via Col du Tourmalet and La Mongie (approx. 55 km)
- The drive
- Back to Luz-Saint-Sauveur, then on the D918 via Barèges up to the Col du Tourmalet (around 2,115 m), the highest paved road pass in the French Pyrenees. Wide enough for motorhomes, but long, steep and full of cyclists on summer days. Down to La Mongie and through the forests to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan. Without the Pic du Midi, a good 1.5 hours. The pass is closed in the winter half-year, as a rule from about November or December to May or early June depending on snow; La Mongie can be reached from the east all year round, Barèges from the west.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Pic du Midi de Bigorre: cable car from La Mongie to the observatory at around 2,877 m with a view over the whole chain – online booking is strongly recommended (walkers pay by card at the summit); the cable car runs seasonally (in 2026, according to the tourist office, until 1 November) and not in storms.
- The summit of the Tourmalet with the statue of the “Géant du Tourmalet”.
- Saint-André church in Luz-Saint-Sauveur, a fortified medieval church with battlements.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Aire de camping-car in Sainte-Marie-de-Campan at the junction of the pass roads to the Tourmalet and Aspin, with water; check the fee and waste disposal on site. In the Campan valley there are small campsites on the Adour, for example Camping L’Orée des Monts in La Séoube. If you want to stay in Luz, use the Aire Camping-Car Park Luz-Saint-Sauveur with electricity and a service point.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): On the pass itself overnighting makes no sense – wind, cold and early cyclists. In La Mongie there are large ski-resort car parks, including a motorhome car park with around 25 spaces without a service point; camping behaviour is not allowed there, and information about overnighting is contradictory – the signage applies. The observatory and the slopes of the Pic du Midi belong to the Réserve internationale de ciel étoilé: keep lights on the vehicle to a minimum at night.
- Insider tip for campers
- Drive the Tourmalet early in the morning from Luz, then you will be at the top before the packs of cyclists arrive. Switch your lights on in tunnels and galleries. On 9 July 2026 stage 6 of the Tour de France ran from Pau over the Tourmalet to Gavarnie-Gèdre, and the roads were closed for it; even otherwise, on some summer mornings the pass approaches are reserved for cyclists – check current dates and closures with the Département Hautes-Pyrénées (inforoute.ha-py.fr).
6Stage 6: Sainte-Marie-de-Campan to Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges via Col d’Aspin and Arreau (approx. 70 km)
- The drive
- On the D918 through forest and pasture up to the Col d’Aspin (around 1,490 m), with wide bends and a good surface, down to Arreau in the valley of the Neste. Continue on the D929 via Sarrancolin and La Barthe-de-Neste, then into the Garonne valley at Montréjeau and south up to Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges. Around 1.5 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Col d’Aspin: an open summit with cows and horses and one of the widest views of the High Pyrenees.
- Arreau with half-timbering, slate roofs and the Château des Nestes at the confluence of the Neste d’Aure and Neste du Louron.
- Sainte-Marie cathedral in Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges on the hill and below it the basilica of Saint-Just de Valcabrère, both World Heritage on the Way of St James.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Camping Es Pibous at the foot of the hill of Saint-Bertrand with a view of the cathedral: electric hook-ups, sanitary facilities, service point. On the way, Arreau has an Aire Camping-Car Park with electricity and a service point, access with the network’s card.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In Saint-Bertrand the upper town is off limits to motorhomes; the hill is a Site classé with monuments historiques, and wild camping is prohibited within 500 m. At the Col d’Aspin herds graze – standing there overnight brings trouble with shepherds and patous.
- Insider tip for campers
- The lanes of the upper town of Saint-Bertrand are very narrow; park below at the car parks at the foot of the hill and walk up for ten minutes. In Arreau Thursday is market day; the car parks on the Neste fill up early then. Fuel in the Garonne valley at Montréjeau is cheaper than in the mountains.
7Stage 7: Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges to Niaux (Tarascon-sur-Ariège) via Saint-Lizier and Foix (approx. 125 km)
- The drive
- Via Saint-Gaudens and Salies-du-Salat into the Couserans to Saint-Girons and Saint-Lizier, then on the D117 over the Col del Bouich to Foix and on the N20 into the Ariège valley as far as Tarascon; Niaux lies 4 km to the south-west. Mostly wide country roads through rolling hills, a good 2 hours of driving. The longest but quietest stage.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Saint-Lizier: Romanesque cathedral with cloister and the Bishops’ Palace high above the Salat, with a view of the Couserans mountains.
- Grotte de Niaux: in the Salon Noir deep inside the mountain, people of the Magdalenian drew bison, horses and ibex – guided visit (around 1 hour 45 minutes, about 2.5 km in total over uneven ground) by lamplight; online reservation is compulsory, not recommended for children under 6 and not possible for people with walking disabilities; sticks, pushchairs and bags are not allowed.
- Parc de la Préhistoire in Tarascon with replicas of the cave art and workshops on Stone Age techniques – good for children.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Camping des Grottes in Alliat directly below the cave of Niaux, with electricity, sanitary facilities and a pool, or Camping Le Sédour in Surba near Tarascon, well equipped with a service point. Check the season in advance.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Couserans is thinly populated and forest tracks and mountain pastures tempt you to freestand; however, many tracks are forest roads closed to vehicles, and the pastures belong to the herds. At the cave car park at Niaux overnighting is not provided for. Legally the French line applies: parking is allowed where it is not prohibited, camping behaviour is not.
- Insider tip for campers
- In Saint-Girons Saturday is the region’s big market – park motorhomes on the edge of town in good time. Book Niaux tickets online as early as possible; without a reservation there is no admission, the groups are small and sell out quickly in summer. It is cool and damp in the cave: bring sturdy shoes and a jacket.
8Stage 8: Niaux to Ax-les-Thermes via Foix and Montségur (approx. 100 km)
- The drive
- Back to Foix, then on the D9 via Roquefixade and Nalzen to Montségur. From there on small roads up to the Plateau de Sault and on the D613 via Belcaire, Camurac and the Col du Chioula (around 1,430 m) down to Ax-les-Thermes. Mountainous, in places narrow country roads, but without tricky narrow sections. Around 2.5 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Château de Foix: the three towers above the town, castle museum with displays on the Middle Ages.
- Montségur: steep climb (around 30 minutes) to the castle ruin on the Pog, where in 1244, after a siege of several months, more than 200 Cathars were burned; below it the field “Prat dels Cremats”.
- Bassin des Ladres in Ax-les-Thermes: a public foot bath with thermal water in the middle of the town.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Ax-les-Thermes has several aires for motorhomes, including at the Parc d’Espagne and at the station in town as well as up at the Ax 3 Domaines ski resort; check the facilities on site. Campsite with electricity, sanitary facilities and service point: Sunêlia Le Malazéou at the entrance to town on the Ariège. Near Foix: Camping du Lac on the edge of town.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): For Montségur the Ariège tourist board names a free car park; it is intended for day visitors, so check its location and access for large motorhomes on site; the castle hill is a monument historique, and the wild camping ban applies in the surrounding area. On the Plateau de Sault forest roads are closed; overnight only at designated sites.
- Insider tip for campers
- The old town of Foix is narrow and closed on market days – park below by the Ariège. If you are continuing to Spain or Andorra: from Ax the N20 leads to the Col de Puymorens and the tunnel; in winter chains and tyre requirements apply, and in Andorra it pays to fill up. Return to Toulouse via the N20 and A66 (toll).
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- France distinguishes between “stationnement” and “camping”: a motorhome counts as a vehicle and may park wherever parking is allowed – for a maximum of 7 days in the same place – provided no municipal arrêté prohibits it. Camping behaviour (levelling legs, awning, table and chairs, draining) is prohibited outside campsites and aires. Blanket bans for an entire municipal area are legally open to challenge; the signage on site is what counts.
- Wild camping is prohibited in, among others, Sites classés (Cirque de Gavarnie, Saint-Bertrand), within 500 m of monuments historiques (for example Montségur, Saint-Lizier, Foix) and near drinking water intakes. At the Pont d’Espagne and in the village of Gavarnie overnighting in a motorhome is expressly not allowed.
- Pyrénées National Park, core zone (upper Ossau valley from Gabas, Cauterets/Pont d’Espagne, Gavarnie, Néouvielle): camping is prohibited. Bivouacking is allowed only on foot, more than an hour’s walk from the park boundary or a road, with the tent pitched only from 7 pm and struck by 9 am. Dogs are generally not allowed in the core zone, except on a lead on a few designated paths; fires, drones and picking plants are prohibited.
- Livestock guardian dogs: on the mountain pastures of Ossau, Aubisque, Gavarnie and in the Ariège, patous (Montagne des Pyrénées) guard flocks of sheep. Give flocks a wide berth, do not stroke or feed the dogs, stand still and calm if the dog barks; cyclists should dismount. Keep your own dogs on a lead.
- Bears: the Pyrenees have a growing brown bear population, with most animals living in the Ariège (Couserans) and in the Haut-Comminges. Encounters are rare. Do not leave food scraps outside, put rubbish only in closed containers, make noise while hiking and keep your distance.
- You can stay overnight legally at campsites, municipal and private aires (often with a fee, limits on the number of spaces and length of stay), at Camping-Car Park sites (access with a card) and at producers via France Passion. Apps: park4night, Campercontact, Camping-Car Park.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Water and waste disposal is called “aire de services” or “borne” (Euro-Relais, Flot Bleu, Raclet); payment is by coins, tokens, card or network card. In the Pyrenean valleys most aires have a station; on the passes there are none.
- Empty grey water and the cassette only at the station – in the karst areas of the Ariège and Ossau, waste water seeps directly into the groundwater, which many communes use as drinking water.
- Tap water is drinkable; springs and fountains on the mountain pastures are marked “eau non potable” or are untreated – because of the grazing animals, do not drink without a filter.
- Gas: French exchange cylinders (butane/propane) are available in every supermarket and many petrol stations; foreign cylinders are not exchanged. GPL pumps for filling refillable cylinders (Dish/Euronozzle adapter) are few and far between in the mountains – refill in Pau, Tarbes, Saint-Gaudens or Foix. At altitudes above 1,500 m and in the cold, use propane rather than butane.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Speed limits: motorhomes up to 3.5 t and combinations up to 3.5 t gross train weight as for cars – 130/110/80 km/h (motorway/expressway/country road, 90 where signposted), 50 in built-up areas, in rain 110/100/80. Motorhomes over 3.5 t up to 12 t: motorway 110, expressway with separated carriageways 100, other roads 80, built-up areas 50, with a speed disc at the rear. Combinations over 3.5 t: motorway and expressway 90, other roads 80.
- Vehicles over 3.5 t, expressly including motorhomes, need “Angles morts” stickers on the sides and rear; fine €135. On the passes and in mountain villages, through-traffic and length restrictions may be signposted, especially on the Aubisque–Soulor section; the signage takes precedence.
- Pass openings: Aubisque/Soulor, Tourmalet and Pourtalet are wholly or partly closed in the winter half-year, usually from November or December to May or early June; Aspin and Chioula can close at short notice after snowfall. Check the current status with the Départements Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées and Ariège. Under the Loi Montagne, winter tyres or snow chains must be carried on board in designated communes from 1 November to 31 March.
- Tolls: the A64 (Pau–Tarbes–Toulouse) and A66 (Toulouse–Pamiers) are toll roads. ASFA classes: class 2 over 2 m and under 3 m height at ≤ 3.5 t, class 3 two axles and from 3 m height or over 3.5 t, class 4 three or more axles over 3.5 t or from 3 m. The route itself is toll-free.
- Crit’Air/ZFE: the zones remain in place after the Conseil constitutionnel overturned their nationwide abolition on 21 May 2026; each métropole sets the classes itself. There is no known ZFE on the route itself; if you arrive via Toulouse, check the status with the métropole. Order the sticker only via certificat-air.gouv.fr; it also applies to foreign vehicles.
- Alcohol limit 0.5 per mille (novice drivers 0.2); telephoning at the wheel is prohibited even with a headset. A high-visibility vest for the driver and a warning triangle are compulsory. Switch lights on in tunnels and avalanche galleries; during cycle races and the driving of herds up to the mountain pastures, passes are closed at times.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Brake test and infrared thermometer: Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin and Chioula together mean many thousands of metres of descent.
- A note with exact length, width including mirrors, height and weight on the dashboard – at the Aubisque corniche, in the gorge of Cauterets and at height barriers you then decide in seconds.
- Walking poles, sturdy shoes and a rain jacket for the Cirque de Gavarnie, the Chemin des Cascades and the climb to Montségur – the weather often turns in the afternoon.
- Warm jacket and hat for the Pic du Midi and the Grotte de Niaux: at the top at around 2,900 m and in the cave it is cold even in August.
- Refillable-cylinder adapter set (Dish/Euronozzle) or a French exchange cylinder with a matching regulator.
- Printouts or offline copies of the bookings for Niaux, Pic du Midi and Pont d’Espagne – mobile reception is patchy in the valleys.
As of 2026-09. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
