Pau and its surroundings

Pau is the capital of Béarn, with nearly 200,000 inhabitants in the urban area. It benefits from a mild climate at the foot of the Pyrenees, which does not detract from its charm! Ideally located halfway between the sea and the mountains, the city has always inspired painters and poets. It must be said that the Pyrenean chain as a permanent backdrop, especially when you stroll along the Boulevard des Pyrénées, contributes greatly to this.

Map of Pau and its surroundings, Jurançon and Madiran vineyards

After Lescar, Morlaàs and then Orthez, Pau became the capital of Béarn under the leadership of Gaston Fébus and especially when Jean d'Albert and Catherine de Navarre built the famous Château de Pau there. It was during the Revolution and following the creation of the Basses Pyrénées department (later, the Pyrénées Atlantiques) that Pau began to regain some dynamism.

Enjoying a mild climate beneficial to health, the city will experience in the 19th century an influx of English-speaking population which will make it a wealthy city. They build villas and other beautiful bourgeois houses, and even a golf course, the oldest in France by the way! Pau will experience a new boom after the Second World War, closely correlated with the discovery of the natural gas deposit of Lacq a few kilometers to the west.

Today's city is attractive and dynamic : university, business school, high-tech zone, sports hall, Zenith, top-class basketball and rugby teams... You can find everything you need in Pau and the city prides itself on having the most green spaces per inhabitant in Europe.

Shopping street and Pau Cathedral

The Castle of Pau

After Gaston Fébus built a brick keep in the 14th century, it was Henri II d'Albret and Marguerite d'Angoulême who gave the château de Pau its Renaissance style. Jeanne d'Albert, their daughter, established the influence and autonomy of Pau and gave birth to her son Henri III of Navarre here, baptized in Jurançon. He would later become Henri IV of France and will forever remain an emblematic figure of Pau and Béarn. We invite you to visit the château, its hundred-place hall, its family lounge and its grand salon, the sovereigns' room, the apartment of the Empress Eugénie, the birthplace of Henri IV and the magnificent Renaissance gardens at the foot of the ramparts.

Around Pau: Lescar and Morlaàs

Lescar and Morlaàs are both former capitals of Béarn which are worth a detour, especially as they are now almost suburbs of the regional capital.

• Lescar : the The region's first bishopric has a very pretty old town.
• Morlaàs, where a local currency was minted in the 13th century, the Centulle, has a magnificent Sainte Foy church. It is also part of a circuit that we invite you to discover listing the remarkable churches of the region.

To the north of Pau, heading towards the Coteaux de Gascogne, you will discover a hilly Béarn, made up of gentle green hillsides on the borders of Chalosse and Tursan, which are very close by.

Church of Sainte-Foy in Morlaàs

Morlanne and its Castle

Morlanne Castle, sentinel of Béarn, located on the borders of Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques, is part of the fortification network established by Gaston III of Foix-Béarn (known as "Gaston Fébus") to protect his territories from the conflicts of the Hundred Years' War. Built in 1373 for his half-brother Arnaud Guilhem de Béarn, Morlanne Castle is one of the most beautiful examples of Fébusian construction with an atypical architecture combining stone and brick.

Over the centuries, the fortress had several owners and many alterations before being restored in the 1970s by Hélène and Raymond Ritter. The couple bequeathed to the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Department a large collection of furniture, paintings and art objects, visible in several exhibition rooms. The castle park is open to the public all year round, allowing everyone to discover or rediscover the Béarn landscape throughout the seasons. The site is protected as a Historic Monument. The keep and the curtain wall are accessible.

The Jurançon and Gan Vineyards

Gentle hills to the southwest of Pau with, at the bend in the road, the Jurançon vineyards against a backdrop of a magnificent panorama of the Pyrenees mountain range... The scene is set!

The particularity of these 1,300 ha of vines is first of all their height to avoid frost. They produce magnificent dry and sweet white wines, even sweet for the oldest vintages whose gold color recalls the wine of Monbazillac or Sauternes. Stroll on the circuit of the hillsides of Jurançon, a pleasant road on the heights, where you will find independent producers and can taste the famous wines of Jurançon, dry and sweet whites that will delight your taste buds.

In the fortified town of Gan, there is the Cave Coopérative which can be visited free of charge and all year round. An essential place to taste the wines of the region, understand the stages of their culture, the choice of grape varieties, the harvest and the vinification.

The Gan Cooperative Cellar - Photos @ Lesley Williamson

Vic-Bilh, the Madiran Vineyard and the Pacherenc of Vic-Bilh

And to think that these wines were once served for mass... What a journey since then, with the obtaining of the AOC Madiran in 1948. The Madiran vineyard has the particularity of extending over three departments: the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the Gers and the Hautes-Pyrénées. Only a little over 40% of the vineyard is in Béarn. It is a vineyard producing mainly very tannic red wine . It is a full-bodied, powerful and aromatic wine, ideal to accompany red meats and game. Today's winegrowers have made it a trendy wine and much less confidential than in the past.

The white part of the harvest produces Pacherenc, dry or sweet. This white wine with a controlled designation of origin (AOC), goes perfectly with the flavors of regional products such as cheeses from the Pyrenees, foie gras or even desserts. These wines with unique flavors will take your senses on a journey and awaken your taste buds.

Vic-Bilh is a very charming area that you can discover during a nature and heritage stay.

In spring and summer, it is charming and covered with vines that bud and flourish on languid valleys. Garlin, Lembeye, Conchez-de-Béarn, Moncaup... Many pretty villages and thematic trails are to be explored for lovers of rural hiking.

Marascaàs Castle, the Museum of Old Tools, the Moulin de Bellegarde, Hiton Castle... There are also small local sites to visit for heritage lovers.

Likewise, it is a region where you can go mountain biking. Marked trails cross sumptuous landscapes. And if the difference in altitude scares you, rent an electric bike !

Marascaàs Castle and its gardens

The landscapes of Vic-Bilh

This is an opportunity to visit the cellars and vineyards

The Gallo-Roman museum of Claracq-lalonquette

For several years, all the remains of the Gallo-Roman villa of Lalonquette have been exhibited and showcased at the Gallo-Roman museum in Claracq, a neighboring town of Lalonquette. Housed in a renovated farmhouse, the permanent exhibition traces the history of this ancient rural establishment that was founded and developed from the 1st to the 5th century AD. It reserves a special place for the magnificent mosaics. The visitor, strolling through the aisles of the museum, discovers the aristocratic life of the former owners of the place, illustrated by the architecture, decorations and collections of the 4th century country palace.