The funicular At your service

If you arrive in Pau by train and wonder how to get to the city center, there it is, right in front of you, a vision from another time: the funicular railway. A veritable local landmark, it’s been part of the landscape for over a hundred years, has not aged a day and is still going strong!

Getting there

A means of transport Original, sustainable and free

The funicular is an integral part of Pau’s urban transport system. Every year, almost 500,000 passengers use it free of charge to link the station and its neighborhood with the city center.

The ballet of small cabins through the palm grove lends a delightfully old-fashioned charm to this timeless journey to the upper town (3 min).

With rotations every three minutes, you won’t have long to wait to use it!

Between the palm trees

With the construction of the funicular, the ascent between the station and Boulevard des Pyrénées was also improved.

Les sentiers du Roy were created, with several paths and staircases leading from the foot of the château to the Palais Beaumont. In keeping with the spirit of the health resort, a landscaped area was created on the slope: a palm grove.
Today, as in the past, it provides an unexpected and welcome touch of exoticism, emblematic of the capital of Béarn.

” Looking at these palm trees, you’d think you were in an African city “. Louis de Joantho, town councillor behind the palm grove

Linking the station and the upper town In the beginning

Pau is built on a rocky spur that divides the city into two distinct levels. The “lower” part is home to the station, Place de la Monnaie and Hédas districts, while the “upper” part houses the heart of the town and the château.

In 1863, the first train arrived at Pau station. From the station, you had to take an uncertain path up to the city center. The steep gradient made it difficult to connect with the Place Royale and the succession of beautiful hotels awaiting their wealthy guests.

Free

You don’t need a ticket – the funicular is free!

Opening hours

Every weekday from 06:45 to 21:40 and on Sundays from 13:30 to 20:50 with a departure every 3 minutes.

The funicular does not run on January 1, May 1 and December 25.

Accessibility

Each four-compartment cabin can carry 30 passengers. The funicular is accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Energy-efficient

The descending cab provides the energy needed to pull the ascending cab. The electric motor only provides the impetus for starting.

Building a funicular

In 1899, a sublime terrace of almost two kilometers was built, facing the superb panorama of the Pyrenees, lined with beautiful hotels and luxury villas, while the station was below, near the river Gave: access between the upper town and the station was very tedious.

A solution had to be found.

This was done, with the decision to link the two levels of the town by a funicular railway with two wooden gondolas.