Two weeks from west to east, from the inland Basque Country to the Mediterranean at Collioure, via the Ossau valley, Gavarnie, the Tourmalet, the Ariège and Andorra. Almost no motorway: a string of legendary Tour de France passes, to be crossed from June to October.
| Days | Stop | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 2 | Espelette | Start |
| Days 3 to 4 | Laruns | 156 km · 2h50 |
| Days 5 to 6 | Luz-Saint-Sauveur | 63 km · 1h20 |
| Day 7 | Saint-Lary-Soulan | 72 km · 1h15 |
| Day 8 | Bagnères-de-Luchon | 43 km · 50 min |
| Days 9 to 10 | Foix | 146 km · 2h20 |
| Day 11 | Andorra la Vella | 100 km · 1h50 |
| Days 12 to 13 | Collioure | 199 km · 3h10 |
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
From June to September, all the passes are open and the mountain trains run. In winter, the Aubisque and the Tourmalet are closed (usually from November or December to May or June) and winter tyres or snow chains become compulsory in the mountains.
🚗 156 km · 2h50 of driving from Espelette
D918 to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, D933 and D936 via Navarrenx and Oloron, then the D934 up the Ossau valley.
🚗 63 km · 1h20 of driving from Laruns
D918 via Eaux-Bonnes, Gourette, the Col d'Aubisque (1,709 m) and the Col du Soulor, a cliff-side corniche. Closed in winter: go via Lourdes.
🚗 72 km · 1h15 of driving from Luz-Saint-Sauveur
D918 via Barèges, the Col du Tourmalet (2,115 m) and La Mongie, then the Col d'Aspin and Arreau. Tourmalet closed in winter.
🚗 43 km · 50 min of driving from Saint-Lary-Soulan
D929 to Arreau, then the D618 through the Louron valley and over the Col de Peyresourde. Tight hairpins, lots of cyclists.
🚗 146 km · 2h20 of driving from Bagnères-de-Luchon
Via Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, a short toll section of the A64, then the D117 via Saint-Girons.
🚗 100 km · 1h50 of driving from Foix
N20 via Tarascon and Ax-les-Thermes, N22 to Pas de la Case, then the Envalira toll tunnel or the pass at 2,408 m.
🚗 199 km · 3h10 of driving from Andorra la Vella
CG-1 and N-260 via La Seu d'Urgell and Puigcerdà (Spain), then the D66, formerly the N116, via Mont-Louis and Villefranche-de-Conflent.
Skip Luchon and Andorra: from Saint-Lary, head to Foix on the A64 and the D117, then to Collioure via Quillan and the D117. Nights: Espelette 1, Laruns 2, Luz 2, Saint-Lary 1, Foix 2, Collioure 1.
| Car hire in Biarritz, July | ≈ €52 a day |
|---|---|
| Car hire in Biarritz, November | ≈ €32 a day |
| Yearly average | ≈ €36 a day (Kayak, Sept. 2026) |
| Your own car | The simplest option. Winter tyres or chains on board from November to March, until 15 May in Andorra. |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | City car or compact: narrow pass roads, tight hairpins, car parks at the sights that fill up fast in summer. |
| Where to pick it up | At Biarritz airport, then drop it off in Perpignan or drive back to Biarritz, about 5 hours 30 minutes on the motorway. |
| Borders | The route passes through Andorra and Spain: check that your rental agreement allows it. |
| Age | At Europcar, from age 18 with a licence held for 1 year; under 26, €40 extra a day. |
⚠️ A one-way hire from Biarritz to Perpignan incurs a one-way fee: compare it with driving back to Biarritz, about 5 hours 30 minutes on the motorway.
Motorway 130 (110 in the rain), dual carriageway 110, ordinary roads 80, or 90 in some départements.
From 1 November to 31 March in designated mountain municipalities. In Andorra, until 15 May.
0.2 g/l for probationary licence holders. Andorra: 0.5 g/l too, up to €600 and a 2-month suspension.
Border post on the way in, French customs on the way back. An EU licence is enough.
Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyresourde: lots of bikes in July, cows and sheep roaming free on the road.
Speed camera cars driven by private contractors outside the Île-de-France. Radar detectors are banned: up to €1,500 and 6 penalty points.
Two warning triangles, a vest and a set of spare bulbs. Without winter tyres or chains in season: €180.
No motorways. 50 km/h in built-up areas unless signed otherwise.
Between La Seu d'Urgell and Puigcerdà: 90 km/h on ordinary roads. Vest within reach, or €90.
Probationary licence holders in France: 110 on motorways, 100 on dual carriageways, 80 elsewhere.
≈ €2.15 a litre for SP95-E10 unleaded, €2.40 for diesel in France (Sept. 2026); ≈ €1.72 for petrol in Andorra
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: prix-carburants.gouv.fr →
⛽ 779 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €120 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
Fill up in Andorra, where it is cheaper. In France, compare filling stations on prix-carburants.gouv.fr before heading into the valleys.
| Motorways on the route | None, except some thirty km of the A64 between Montréjeau and Saint-Martory (Lestelle toll) |
|---|---|
| Envalira Tunnel (Andorra) | ≈ €7.50 one way; the pass next to it is free |
| Lac de Bious-Artigues | €8 (€5 at the first car park), every day from 1 June to 4 October 2026 |
| Pont d'Espagne (Puntas car park) | €8 a day, €13 for over 12 hours; shuttle €8.50 return |
| Cirque de Gavarnie | Compulsory paid public car park at the entrance to the village |
| Lac d'Orédon (Néouvielle) | Paid car park; no driving towards Lac d'Aubert during the day |
| Collioure, May to September | Cap Dourats car park and free shuttle to the centre |
| Pic du Midi de Bigorre | From €34 with a dated ticket, €54 with an open ticket |
| Artouste train | €28 per adult in low season |
| La Rhune train | €26 return |
| Niaux Cave and Château de Foix | €17 and €13.50 per adult |
| Col d'Aubisque (D918) | Closed in winter, usually from November to May |
|---|---|
| Col du Tourmalet (D918) | Usually closed from early December to early June |
| Col d'Aspin and Col du Soulor | No winter closure |
| Port d'Envalira (Andorra) | Open almost all year, with the tunnel as an alternative |
| Pic du Midi cable car | Closed for maintenance in May and November |
| Artouste train | Running from 8 May to 4 October 2026 |
| La Rhune train | Running from 28 March to 1 November 2026 |
| Mountain municipalities | Winter tyres or chains from 1 November to 31 March |
| Andorra | Winter tyres or chains from 1 November to 15 May |
Allow 14 days for this crossing of 8 stages and 13 nights, from Espelette to Collioure. In 10 days, skip Luchon and Andorra. With a week, pick one half: the Basque Country, Ossau and Gavarnie in the west, or the Ariège, Andorra and the Côte Vermeille in the east.
About 800 km from stage to stage, or about €120 of petrol at September 2026 prices; around a thousand kilometres and €150 with the side trips, with almost no tolls. With a hire car from Biarritz, add about €730 in July (€52 a day) or €450 in November, plus the one-way fee. Pic du Midi from €34, Niaux €17.
Usually from early June to early December; in winter, the pass is closed and Barèges is cut off from La Mongie. The Pic du Midi cable car also runs from December to April, from La Mongie. Pass conditions are updated on inforoute.ha-py.fr for the Hautes-Pyrénées and on le64.fr for the Aubisque.
Partly. The Aubisque and the Tourmalet close, usually from November or December to May or June: detour via Lourdes. Winter tyres or chains are compulsory from 1 November to 31 March in mountain municipalities, and until 15 May in Andorra. The Artouste and La Rhune trains do not run.
Per adult: 300 cigarettes, 5 litres of wine, 1.5 litres of spirits and €900 of other purchases. Anything over that must be declared to French customs at the border. You need a valid ID card or passport to enter Andorra.
For Niaux, yes: online booking is compulsory, €17 per adult. For the Pic du Midi, the dated ticket booked in advance costs from €34, against €54 for the open ticket. The cable car closes in May and November for maintenance.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/pyrenees · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
