This is another road trip story
Guess what? Our little adventurer is finally getting her two weeks of school vacation at the end of April (called May vacation here in Netherlands), and we’re planning a road trip!
This time, we decided to explore the Pyrenees.
If you have not heard of it, what exactly is the Pyrenees?
The Pyrenees is a long mountain range in southwest Europe. It’s like a natural border between Spain and France, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Mediterranean Sea in the east. There’s even a tiny country tucked away in between called Andorra.
It’s not your typical Alps destination, but it’s got a whole lot to offer and can be a serious alternative to typical Alps destinations.
Key facts from Wiki:
- Length: ~430 km (267 miles)
- Highest peak: Aneto (3,404 m / 11,168 ft)
- Countries: Spain, France, and the tiny country of Andorra lies nestled in the middle
- Landscape: Rugged peaks, deep valleys, alpine meadows, dramatic cliffs, and charming mountain villages
- The Pyrenees is a hiker’s paradise, with plenty of opportunities for skiing and mountaineering. I’ll share more details later.
We had about 12 days to explore, and we planned to spend a whole week in the Pyrenees, one day in Andorra, and a couple of days to wrap up our trip in Barcelona.
Getting into Pyrenees from the Netherlands.
While driving from Netherlands, you would end up on the French side of the Pyrenees.
It was a long day of driving on the motorway (and paying French tolls) to reach the Pyrenees. Pau, France is where the it starts. As usual, we packed the car the night before, slept early, and started driving just after midnight. We kept driving the whole day. We had enough food for the day and took a few breaks as we went along.
We reached our Airbnb around 17:00 and wanted to call it a day, but the nature around gave enough boost for a short walk around.
Generic details about the Pyrenees.
Pyrenees obviously has a French side and a Spanish side. Since we were driving from Netherlands, we spend most of our time on the FR side.
Some useful websites where you can start reading the details:
Regardless, ChatGPT is your best friend to come up with all sorts of planning these days, which is exactly what I did too.
Here is a map [created in Google my maps, that I always use for trip planning] marked with some of of the most important locations.
We ended up spending most of next day walking around the property, doing small hikes and driving around those small roads next to streams.
What a world! Though we were not yet into any serious hikes yet, the abundance of nature is something you cannot pass by.
Hike to Lac de Gaube [Gaube Lake]
This is one of the more famnous hikes of the region. The nearest car park is Puntas car park [65110 Cauterets, France], I think I paid EUR 8 for an entire day. From the car park, its about a 3 km hike one way to reach the lake. Its not the easiest hike especially with a kid, but she did it! Don’t forget to carry enough water and food.
Though the hike is not the easiest one with a kid, it is worth every bit. What awaits you is the heavenly lake Gaube.
The lake, situated at 1725 m altitude, stretches north-south in the Gaube valley.
The steep-sided valley is at the foot of the Vignemale (3298 M). The lake is surrounded by Mayouret (2688 m) to the east, the Paloumères (2720 m) to the southeast, and Gaube (2377 m) to the northwest.
Since it was the very beginning of the season, we pretty much had the lake for ourselves.
Getting to the top of the Pyrenees: Pic du Midi
Have you heard of the Pic du Midi? It’s a really cool peak located at an elevation of 2,877 meters (9,439 feet). It’s not just a peak to visit, it’s also the site of the Pic du Midi observatory. You’ll need to take a cable car to get there, and it’s a bit pricey, but I think it’s totally worth it.
Wiki has a ton of info. So is their official
website. Please note, its not open year around and better plan your trip after some research.
Obviously, with these sorts of peaks, weather plays a major role. We did not have our best luck, but it wasn’t bad either. The car is parked at the bottom near the cable car starting point, and then it takes about 20 minutes across two cable cars to reach the top. We did not have to really wait for cable car, but we were told that peak summer times can lead up to 1+ hours of waiting.
The views along the way are nothing but magical. Its a bit like you are transformed from one world to the other every minute.
You can easily spend a few hours up the top.
There is a restaurant (It is expensive for obvious reasons, so better carry some food with you), there are warm rooms to relax, there is a planetarium etc. I guess there is even a hotel to spend a night should you wish.
Next destination (Kid’s pick): Animal Park of the Pyrenees
Parc Animalier des Pyrénées [Pyrénées Animal Park] is a wildlife park. It’s a zoo-like park focused on local mountain wildlife and offers visitors the chance to see species native to the Pyrenees and surrounding regions in semi-natural enclosures. They have Brown bears, wolves, lynx, marmots, ibex, chamois, otters, foxes, and many species of birds (including birds of prey).
Website:
https://www.parc-animalier-pyrenees.com/
The park is designed for families and nature lovers. You walk through forested and rocky paths where many animals roam relatively freely (especially the smaller herbivores and marmots). There are observation points, feeding times, and sometimes opportunities to get up close to certain animals. There is plenty of parking and a cafeteria for some quick grabs.
It’s a good stop if you’re traveling in the Pyrenees with kids or if you want a break from hiking to enjoy wildlife in a well-kept setting.
The Mongolian Yurt life up in the mountains
While searching for nice places to stay, we came across this Mongolian yurt up the mountains. We booked it out of curiosity and excitement and it did not disappoint. its run by a Belgian – Iranian couple next to their small farm.
What a nice cozy place! We spent 2 days enjoying the Yurt and the surrounding nature and hiking across in nearby villages.
I guess I am having a hard time short listing photos. A few more before closing the story of Yurt life and surrounding nature.
Heading to Andorra
Now time to head further. Goal is to be in Barcelona, but on the way, we planned to spend a day visiting Andorra. Andorra is a tiny independent country located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain.
It was about 4 hours drive to Andorra la Vella from where we were all these days.
Looked up Wiki to grab a quick profile:
- Area: ~468 km² (about the size of a small city)
- Population: ~80,000 people
- Capital: Andorra la Vella (the highest capital city in Europe by elevation)
- Language: Catalan (official), but Spanish, French, and Portuguese are also widely spoken
- Currency: Euro (€), though it’s not an EU member.
- Economy: Tourism (especially skiing and shopping), banking, and duty-free trade
- Special note: Known for its tax advantages and stunning mountain landscapes.
The route (pass) is stunningly beautiful. Its not open year around, so better check before you plan your trip.
Since we were just passing by, we did not plan anything serious for Andorra. Spent a few hours in the capital city of Andorra la Vella to have a brief experience and drove further towards Barcelona.
Given lower taxes and being not a part of EU, Andorra la Vella is also well known for being a shoppers stop. Luxury goods, liquor, fuel etc. are all cheaper than its neighbors.
Drove off after lunch towards Barcelona, another close to 3 hours is what it takes.
Finally, another close to 2 days in Barcelona next to the beach to conclude the trip. Also made a short visit to city center. Given we were her before and Barcelona was just a last stop and we did not have any detailed plan this time for it. Something for later.
Crossing Millau Viaduct
Finally, on the way back, we crossed the iconic Millau Viaduct (France). It holds the world record for the tallest bridge, at 343 metres (higher than the Eiffel tower) and goes for 2460 metres long.
Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millau_Viaduct
While driving from Spain towards Netherlads, The bridge has a visitor center, that comes after you cross the bridge (take immediate exit after crossing). Visitor center has a small exhibition showcasing the history of the bridge, a cafeteria and a souvenir shop.
A few minutes of walk from the visitor center takes you to the view point and its nothing like you have seen before.
Finally, the trip wont be complete without talking about our beloved car that does it all – a 235000 kms run [as of April 2025] Lexus NX300H that I bought as a used car 2 years ago.
Lexus did exactly what it was asked to do + more. Extremely comfortable highway cruising, no unexpected events, great air conditioning (some days were really warm).
While being in the mountains, I did take it a bit for climbing some unpaved roads and for a fair amount of green-laning and it did surprisingly well to my expectations (New tires helped too). With electric AWD, I was expecting only basic extra grip, but no. I can confidently say that it can do more. It’s not a replacement for a 'proper' AWD tech, but it’s definitely valuable for the type of trips I was into and it can get into places where other 'normal' cars cannot get in.
I am updating my ownership experience in team-bhp
here (My Pre-Owned Lexus NX300h | Ownership Review | EDIT: 212,267 km update).
That takes us to the end of this journey. See you next time!.
Thanks,
Dileep.
4th May 2025, 23:38
(21)
Thanks
