offwegooo.com
Travel guide
The Ossau Valley
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: June to September
offwegooo.comPrint it, fold it, take it with you
Welcome
The Ossau Valley, in a few days
South of Pau, the Ossau valley follows its river up to the Spanish border beneath the outline of the Pic du Midi d'Ossau, 2,884 metres. Take the little Artouste train at 2,000 metres to the lake of the same name, walk up to the Ayous lakes, drive over the Aubisque and taste the ewe's milk cheese of the summer pastures.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Artouste train · 2 to 3 hA line cut into the mountainside in the 1920s to build the Artouste dam, billed by its operators as the highest tourist train in Europe.
- Afternoon · Lac de Fabrèges free · about 1 hA green reservoir at 1,241 metres, below the Artouste ski area, held back by a concrete arch dam and stocked with trout and char.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel L'Ayguelade€110 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Ayous lakes and the Pic du Midi d'Ossau free · a full dayFrom Bious-Artigues through forest and pasture to the Roumassot, Miey and Gentau lakes, where the old volcanic peak is reflected below the Ayous hut.
- Afternoon · Eaux-Bonnes free · about 1 hA small spa town whose spring once treated soldiers' wounds, its 19th-century hotels grouped around the Darralde garden in a steep, narrow valley.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel La Boule de Neige€110 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Laruns free · about 1 hThe main town of the upper valley, with stone houses and slate roofs around the town hall square; its land runs to Spain.
- Afternoon · Col d'Aubisque free · about 30 minA 1,709-metre pass reached by a corniche road above the Litor cirque, built in the 19th century as a spa road.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Amoulat€120 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Bénou plateau free · about 1 hOpen grassland above Bielle, on the road to the Col de Marie-Blanque, where sheep, cows and horses graze in summer: shepherding life in plain view.
- Afternoon · The Camin d'Aussau by bike free · about 1 h 30A 25 km route from Buzy station to Eaux-Bonnes, partly on the old railway, through farmland and villages below the Pic du Midi.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel L'Ayguelade€110 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €95 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJune to September
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/ossau-valley
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.