KatPen

My friend and I (women in early 70s) are thinking of 7-10 days in the Pyrenees and ending in Toulouse in June or October. We love scenery and villages but will not be hiking or doing anything extreme. Would much appreciate suggested itineraries. Debating self-drive or taking a local guide for a few days. Not sure if that is necessary so would love to hear from someone who did it either way. As usual, many thanks in advance.

Michael

If you drive you can base yourself down in the valley and take day trips up the mountain. It's possible to do this by public transportation, but it represents lost time. Argelès-Gazost is a good base

https://flic.kr/p/28U2hZw
from which you can go to the Col du Tourmalet

https://flic.kr/p/7U2w2j
or Gavarnie

https://flic.kr/p/7T6NCh
or the col d'Aubisque and the nearby lake area

https://flic.kr/p/N4Rf9f
All of these areas have easy walking paths.

For a longer outing, check out the cable car and train of the Pic du Midi d'Ossau.

StuDudley

We've vacationed for 4 weeks in the Pays Basque region of the Pyrenees, and 4 weeks in 3 other regions. We stay in Gites. I developed a short itinerary for the Pyrenees, and a tad longer one for the Pays Basque. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at my Fodors name at AOL & I'll attach them to the reply e-mail. I have sent my various itineraries (I have around 10) to over 6,000 folks on Fodors.

Stu Dudley

KatPen

Thanks Michael. And thanks to Stu for your itineraries.
Anyone else?

FTOttawa

Spent a lovely week some years ago near Foix in Ariège. You’d need a car for these:

- stunning original prehistoric drawings at the Grotte de Niaux, near Tarascon-sur-Ariège, where tours are limited to a few per day. Must book online, and this past year tours were only offered in French. The Grotte de Lombrives on the other side of the mountain is worth a tour too.

- underground river at Labouiche, a fascinating cave

- Monday morning market at Mirepoix — then come back on a non-market day to admire its two galleried squares

You don’t want to hike, so I will be silent on the gorgeous views from various Cathar castle ruins. But work up just enough appetite for lunch at either Phoebus in Foix or Saveurs du Manoir in Tarascon-sur-Ariège.

Are you interested in folk festivals? June and October both see “transhumance” in many communities, where the sheep go up to or down from mountain pastures. Do a search on transhumance Pyrenees 2023 and see if any work for your dates. Here’s one example:
https://www.tourisme-couserans-pyren.../transhumance/

shelemm

I didn't need to hike to see the Cathar castle of Chateau de Peyrepertuse, one of the most magnificent sites of France. Though you do have to walk uphill from the car park.

My experience in the Pyrenees is limited to le Pays Catalan, so many beautiful villages, though not the closest part to Toulouse. Vernet les Bains, Villefranche le Conflent, Molitg les Bains, Prats de Mollo, Gorge de Galamus, Prades, and the vin doux naturel of Maury. Gorgeous. Self drive, no need for a driver/guide, but if you feel more comfortable with that arrangement then a guide can be very enlightening.

kerouac

Foix is a good place to stop.
And Lourdes does not at all appall me, unlike a lot of people. Visiting a place where so many people believe in something is refreshing for some of us with little or no faith.
The lowdown on Lourdes (by kerouac2) | Any Port in a Storm (proboards.com)

KatPen

Hi, Well we didn't go in June and plans are going ahead for October. We have a very basic outline and will be flexible depending on the weather. But I would love your comments or any must-sees along the way.
Hopefully not more than 2-3 hours drive each day.
Day 1 - Barcelona--> Rupit/ Vilanova de Sau
Day 2 - Andorra
Day 3 - Parador Des Arties via Espot
Day 4 - Foix
Day 5 - Toulouse ( 2 nights)
Day 7 / 8 - Marseilles - suggestions for route. Unfortunately we will be leaving Toulouse on a Monday and the Toulouse Lautrec museum in Albi will be closed.
As usual, thanks in advance.

FTOttawa

If taking the A61 motorway southeast from Toulouse, keep your eyes peeled for a rest stop near Carcassonne. On my map it’s Aire du Belvedère de la Cité, and it is the finest photo opportunity you could imagine.

Not sure if you will have time, but ducking down off the motorway just after Montpellier might allow a quick tootle around the walls of Aigues-Mortes.

Michael

On your way to Toulouse you might want to make a small detour to visit Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges

StuDudley

A French Fodors contributor who we met with twice in France and who lived in Perpignan (born there), stated that the main reason to go to Andorra is to purchase inexpensive cigarettes. She was not a fan of Andorra at all!! She has since passed away.

Are you aware that Toulouse will be dead, dead, dead on Sunday, & Monday morning? Especially in October. Shops will be closed. We never plan visit in cities then.

I have no idea where Parador Des Arties via Espot is located - but I would skip Foix (stayed there for a week not too long ago) and head to Toulouse instead so that you are there on a Fri & Sat night.

""Hopefully not more than 2-3 hours drive each day.""
Toulouse to Marseille is a 4 1/2 hour drive - all autoroute & not very scenic. And with the sun shining in your face as you drive. If you take detours along the way, it will be "butts in the seats" for 6 or so hours. Do you plan to do/see anything in Marseille?

How much of your itinerary can you change (airports??)> Fly out of Toulouse?

Attached is my Languedoc itinerary.

We depart for a month in France tomorrow.

Stu Dudley

Michael

Foix deserves a stop, if only for the imposing castle

Besalu

From Toulouse to Marseille you can stop at many places: Narbona, although the Narbo Vía museum is also closed on Mondays, it's a beautiful city. Montpellier, Nimes, Arles... And totally agree. Andorra is only good for getting somewhat cheaper gasoline and buying cheese.

YankyGal

Cool. You couldn’t have asked for a better sky that day for that photo!

FTOttawa

Afterthought,

Are you planning to rent a car in Barcelona and return it in Marseille? Have you checked the cost of a one-way international drop-off? The fee can be considerable.

If you are not locked into a Marseille return flight, drive back to Spain instead. There really is not time to see much if taking one day to get from Toulouse to Marseille.

KatPen

Thanks all. I will look into your suggestions. Flights are closed and cannot be changed. We are renting a car and unfortunately paying the drop off fee (also due to circumstances). Best deal I found was with Hertz.
Why will everything be closed in Toulouse on Monday? I am now thinking of maybe doing Albi on the Sunday as a day trip from Toulouse as I really want to see the museum.
And we have 2 days for the trip Toulouse- Marseilles.

StuDudley

Shops are closed in almost every city in France on a Sunday, & Monday morning. With exceptions for "very touristy" cities and resorts. Even in Paris many shops are closed on Sunday - except in a few areas (Marais - Jewish sabbath on Sat). Food shops can be open Sunday morning.

From my Provence itinerary

Something to be aware of when visiting the cities, towns, & villages of Provence

In many towns & villages, shops are closed on Sunday & Monday. Some shops open on Monday afternoon. We never plan to visit a town (for shopping) on a Sunday or Monday unless we know in advance that the stores will be open. Most non-food stores in Aix, Nimes, and Avignon are closed all day Sunday, and Monday morning. While in Aix in late June ’17, I did a “survey” of 27 shops that had opening & closing days & times posted on their storefronts, and were not on the Cours Mirabeau (lots of chain stores there). Of these 27 shops, 7 were open all day Monday, 8 were closed all day Monday, and 11 were open Monday afternoon only. Only 1 shop was open on Sunday. In Avignon, of the 17 shops I surveyed, 7 were closed all day Monday, and 10 were open Monday afternoon only. None were open on Sunday. Shops in very “touristy” towns like St Paul, St Tropez, Lourmarin, and Gordes are always open. We were recently in St Remy on a Sunday. My wife visited 11 shops that interested her (she likes housewares – no clothes or souvenirs). Two other shops looked interesting from the outside, but were closed on Sunday. Of these 11 shops, 5 were closed all day on Monday, 2 were only open Monday afternoon (around 2:30), and 4 were open all day Monday. The very touristy shops that are prevalent in almost every tourist destination village in Provence (Olivades, Souleiado, Terre de Provence), are usually open on Sunday & Monday.

http://about-france.com/holidays-sundays.htm

Most shops & sites close for lunch – usually from 12:30 to 2:00, or 3:00, or 3:30, or 4:00. If you really want to “shop” a town, do so in the morning as soon as the stores open (usually at 10:00). If you roll in at 2:30, the shops might be closed for another hour. I’ve had numerous people tell me how disappointed they were when they drove to a town to shop, only to find almost all the shops closed – something that doesn’t happen in the US.



When stores are closed on a Sunday/Monday or for lunch, they will often pull down ugly aluminum louvered shutters over their beautiful storefronts – so you can’t even window shop. In some towns, these louvered shutters might be covered with graffiti, and the town will look like a war zone. Also, as you drive through a town around lunch time, it might seem deserted, unfriendly, & very uninviting. They’re actually closed for lunch and all the pretty storefronts will seem like abandoned buildings. These closings make it much harder to pack as much into a day as you might expect. Stores stay open late (around 8:00 or so), but most vacationers usually stop their sightseeing by then and are settling into their hotels or getting ready for dinner.

Michael

Yes for the museum, although it does not hold any major pieces ot Toulouse Lautrec's, but do not leave out the cathedral next door.

StuDudley

I am a Toulouse Lautrec fan, but I was very disappointed with the works in the museum when we visited a few years ago. We saw a major showing of his work a few decades ago (in San Francisco, I think - Michael??).

Stu Dudley

FTOttawa

Okay, you are planning this eyes open, KatPen, and it can work.

Not everyone needs to shop in Toulouse, and at least some sights will be open either Sunday or Monday: check the hours of anything particularly important to you. Use The Fork or Le Fooding to research restaurants open Sunday and Monday evenings and definitely try to reserve. The gardens and other pleasant strolls will always be an option so long as the weather cooperates.

+1 for Albi and its cathedral.

Hard to choose just one overnight stop between Toulouse and Marseille: in other words, you can’t go wrong. That will be a Tuesday night? Wednesday night in Marseille, or Wednesday flying out of Marseille airport? Where and when are you dropping the car? This influences where I’d recommend spending the last night,​​​​​​