Béarn | Pau Pyrénées Tourisme

Bearnais essentials

In Béarn, our major rivers are called gaves. The towns they pass through have as much character as these intrepid rivers. From Pau, follow the Gave to Nay, Oloron Sainte-Marie, Orthez, Navarrenx, Sauveterre and Laàs. And don’t forget to make a detour to Salies-de-Béarn…

1. The bastide of Nay Whitewater fun

Nay is a pretty bastide that has become a thriving commercial crossroads. Even today, its Tuesday morning market is one of the most important in the region. This success enabled a wealthy cloth merchant, Pedro Sacaze, to build La Maison Carrée in the central square. In Nay, the Gave de Pau retains the vigor of a mountain torrent. This is the place to indulge your white-water sports desires at the nearby Saillet leisure park in Lestelle-Bétharram. Take time out to visit La Minoterie, a gigantic mill turned contemporary art gallery.

2. Oloron-Sainte-Marie Béarn beret and Swiss chocolate

The capital of the Haut-Béarn region overlooks the Aspe valley. An episcopal town, its stones bear witness to its past. The sculpted portal of its cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For the Béarn attitude, in Oloron Sainte Marie, you’ll find beautiful Béarn berets made by the Laulhère factory since 1840. And even if Lindt chocolate isn’t from Béarn, it’s still made in Oloron, whose chocolate-making tradition dates back to 1915.

Roadtrip

The Béarn region lends itself beautifully to roadtrips. Let us guide you through a region of beautiful nature!

Tourist Office

To organize your vacation program, visit theTourist Office!

Hiking

By bike or on foot, there’s plenty to do . Don’t forget your water bottle!

In the mountains

Depending on the season, check the weather and the accessibility of the passes.

3. Navarrenx One for all, all to Navarrenx

The bastide town of Navarrenx is at the heart of Alexandre Dumas’ musketeer lands. Our favorite Gascons grew up around Navarrenx. Located on the route de Saint Jacques de Compostelle (voie du Puy-en-Velay), it has been welcoming pilgrims since the Middle Ages. Take the opportunity to taste wild salmon fished in the Gave d’Oloron, under its ramparts… Well worth the detour, don’t you think?

Discover

4. Salies-de-Béarn The salt of life

La Heste de la Saü: Salies-de-Béarn celebrates the salt for which it has been famous since antiquity! Fed by a saltwater spring, Salies-de-Béarn has built its wealth on white gold. It was the source of the spa establishment opened in 1815, where the Eiffel family, Marcel Proust, Francis and Zelda Scott Fitzerald would come for spa treatments… Famous for its good taste, Bayonne Ham, the real thing, is salted with Salies salt!

5. Orthez Pride of Béarn

It was in the former capital of the Viscounts of Béarn that Gaston Fébus declared the independence of Béarn. Orthez’s motto sets the tone: “Toque-y si gauses” (Touch it if you dare!). The Château Moncade keep can still be seen here. In the 16th century, Jeanne d’Albret founded a Protestant academy in Orthez. The Jeanne d’Albret museum is a reminder of this. The town experienced a major boom in the 20th century with the discovery of the Lacq gas field, France’s largest natural gas deposit, which led to the establishment of numerous petrochemical industries in the region.