Resort town and sports queen Destination Belle Epoque

It was during the Belle Epoque that Pau returned to glamour and celebrity, becoming a resort of excellence. The “Pearl of the Pyrenees” was a meeting place for artists, the international aristocracy, particularly the English, and wealthy Americans. The greats of the world enjoy the therapeutic virtues of its climate, take part in a wide range of sports and, above all, revel in its grandiose palaces. The city grew, and a large foreign colony settled here, leaving a lasting mark on its landscape. This success transformed the town, making it one of the leading destinations of the Belle Epoque.

Resort town

From the 1820s onwards, Pau’s rise to prominence was linked to its reputation among the British, then American, Russian and Prussian communities, as well as the European gentry as a whole. It became the destination of choice for aristocrats and captains of international industry. Around 1860, 5,000 foreigners (mainly Anglo-Saxons) out of a population of 20,000 lived or stayed in Pau.

With the arrival of the train in 1863, the town was transformed by the development of tourism linked to vacationing: thermal baths, a casino, a racecourse, a golf course and the Winter Palace met the needs of this luxury clientele. While the mythical Boulevard des Pyrénées was being created in 1872, a 2 km-long belvedere overlooking the Pyrenees, more than 300 villas were being built in Pau. Gardens flourished, such as the Parc Beaumont, a romantic English garden, the bandstand, the lake, the Pyrenean garden and the Théâtre de Verdure.

With the continent’s first golf course, then the racecourse and its grand prix, which marks the high point of the winter season, Pau has everything to seduce sportsmen and women.

Climate station

“Any Englishman, whether sick or well, who has spent some time in Pau, will recognize that a profound change has taken place in him; he gives way to a sweet reverie, he feels a great desire for rest in the present and does not care at all about the future; these feelings are developed in his mind to such an extent, that he would never have believed that his condition could involve such strange modifications.”

Settled in Pau, where he had spent a long convalescence, the English physician Alexandre Taylor published the book that would make Pau a renowned climatic resort in 1842.
De l’influence curative du climat de Pau et des eaux minérales des Pyrénées sur les maladies.

Villégiature is not the vacation of today, mass tourism or itinerant tourism. The concept was first applied in France in the 19th century, in Pau, the first tourist town in our country’s history. Resort tourism is associated with a privileged social class. Often, it is also linked to the spa industry and its long-lasting cures.

From English aristocracy to American tycoons Cosmopolitan city

In 1879, there were around 2,000 Americans in Pau, compared with just a few more English. Most didn’t work, and lived like rentiers in their beautiful villas.

In 1909, the Wright brothers chose Pau to launch their planes… Two years later, they set up the first flying school, linking the town indelibly to the history of aviation. The Café des Américains, sadly destroyed by fire in 1923, was a meeting place for aviators and aviation pioneers.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Pau was a cosmopolitan city. A prestigious resort town, known from Russia to Brazil, it was a winter health resort, but also a summer town open to nature and the Pyrenees. The town’s geographical location, its magnificent views, its art of living, the presence of Henri IV’s birthplace and its proximity to the mountains make it “the pearl of the Pyrenees”.

Resort villas

Nature

In the 19th century, nature was in the city too. Every villa had its own park and garden. Pau became a garden city with exceptional trees of exotic species: palm trees, cedars, redwoods… Ideal places to relax and picnic.

Walks and hikes

We’ve got a whole host of Belle Epoque-themed walks in store for you. Guided tours, urban strolls or hillside walks, you’ll be dazzled by the beauty that history has left us.

So you don't miss a thing

The Belle Epoque is everywhere: around Boulevard des Pyrénées and Parc Beaumont, and in the Trespoey district. Drop in at theTourist Office: they’ll tell you everything you need to know to see it all, and give you the essential map!

By bike

It couldn’t be easier to follow the Belle Epoque trail on two wheels… You can rent a bike, pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it in the shade of the redwoods at Les Halles, and off you go for a lovely trip back in time.

Social life in the Belle Epoque

Luxury hotels such as the Gassion and Hôtel de France, as well as numerous villas with their immense parks, such as Saint-Basil’s, Ridgway and Lawrence, have transformed the landscape.

The Place Royale, once small and enclosed, has expanded and opened up. Pau became a city of landscapes, perfectly in tune with the romantic vogue for “trips to the Pyrenees” and the new craze for spas and health resorts. The mountains were no longer synonymous with threat, but rather an instrument of health, a source of well-being and a new horizon to admire.

Hotels, cafés and restaurants sprang up around the Place Royale and Boulevard des Pyrénées. This was the place to be; the Saint Louis theater, a little Italian jewel, and the bandstand were built. It was fashionable to be seen strolling along one of its many terraces. The Hôtel de France, formerly a travelers’ hotel, is the most imposing of the buildings still lining the Place Royale. The Hôtel Gassion, the height of luxury and innovation (hot water, bathroom, gas lighting, hydraulic elevator…) welcomes the crowned heads of Europe and the celebrities of the era, while you can stroll along the Boulevard des Pyrénées as if on the Cannes Riviera…