A travel guide to walking in the Pyrenees

The Pyrenees are like a bejewelled bracelet that’s wrapped around the wrist between France and Spain. Its emerald forests, sapphire coasts, quartz-coloured blankets of orchids and heather, and ruby red signs for the GR10 long-distance walking trail make for a treasure trove of treks. Whether you’re a peak seeker or a coastal rambler, our guide to walking in the Pyrenees takes you to Catalonia, the iconic Cirque de Gavarnie or across the heart of Andorra. They also take you on cross-border treks or across some of Europe’s finest national parks. The Pyrenees are always pleasing and they just keep giving.

Walking the Pyrenees in Spain

Walking holidays in Spain don’t get much more spectacular than in the Spanish Pyrenees, which boast six of the country’s ten highest peaks. Here are some of the natural highlights that you can discover when trekking Spain’s Pyrenean wonders.

Aigüestortes National Park

The full name is Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park and, although it’s the country’s only park in Catalonia, this is a fiesta of fine natural features, with the Catalonian Central Pyrenees taking centre stage. The name Aigüestortes means ‘twisted waters’ in Catalan, and given that it is home to more than 200 glacial lakes, numerous rivers, streams and waterfalls, you certainly feel immersed in its waters when you go walking here. Spend a week walking in both Aigüestortes and nearby Vall de Boí, the natural gateway to the national park. Picnic by glacial lakes, trek up to heartstopping viewpoints such as Port de Rius (2,475m) and have one of the best wake-up views ever at Ventosa i Calvell mountain hut (2,215m).

When you stay at this mountain hut, Ventosa i Calvell in the Boí Valley, you really wake up to walking in the Pyrenees.

Alta Garrotxa

Hike through the oak and beech forests of the Alta Garrotxa region on this trekking holiday, which takes you further up into the High Pyrenees, with eight days of the most exquisite elevations and remote villages. Follow ancient trails past ancient bridges and remote churches or village ruins. The remoteness and ruggedness of these areas means that they have remained very untouched, and wildlife such as eagles, griffon vultures and chamois are still thriving. Highlights along the way include Costabona (2,465m), on the border with France, the high passes of Fembra Morte (1,728m) and Col de Lliens (1,864m), where the woodland stops and the views begin. On your last day, you have a chance to take a cog train up to Núria, with treks to a clifftop monastery and to landscapes with some of the most stunning views of the Pyrenees’ 3,000m plus peaks.

The Camino Frances

This is the most popular of the Camino routes, between Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the French Pyrenees and Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. Although it has France in the title, you actually cross the border into Spain on the first day of hiking, and you do so in style, and strenuously, taking on the Route Napoleón to Roncesvalles Pass. This really is a wake up call to walking in the Pyrenees, taking on an elevation of 1,365m and covering 25km. The next day you cross two mountain passes of Alto de Mezquiriz and Alto de Erro, and then descend towards the village of Zubiri, in the Pyrenean foothills. You can take on this route through the Pyrenees on both the complete Camino Frances (41 days), or on stage one.

Walking the Pyrenees in France

The Alps may get a lot of attention when it comes to walking holidays in France, but the French Pyrenees are bookended by beauty, topped and tailed by contrasting Atlantic and Mediterranean seascapes. Here are some of their hiking highlights.

Cirques de Gavarnie, Estaubé and Troumouse

This Pyrenees High Trails tour takes place in the iconic glacial valleys, or cirques of Gavarnie, Estaubé and Troumouse. These are part of the Mont Perdu Pyrenees, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of France’s Pyrenees National Park. Victor Hugo described the Cirque de Gavarnie as a “colosseum of nature” and it is certainly colossal, Highlights include trekking to the top of Pic du Piméné (2,801m) where you are rewarded with views of all three cirques. This is a hardcore hut-to-hut tour and is considered a great alternative to the Tour du Mont Blanc long-distance walking holiday.

Walking the GR10 trail

Many of our walking holidays in the French Pyrenees, and its eponymous national park, follow or dip in and out of the GR10 trail. At 866km long, it has trailheads at Hendaye on the Atlantic and Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean. Extraordinary landscapes in between, some needing slight detours from the main GR10, include Cirque de Gavarnie, solitary lakelands and views of Vignemale, the highest French Pyrenean summit (3,298m). On this eight day self-guided trek between Cauterets and Néouvielle, for example, you hike across the highest pass on the GR10, Hourquette d’Ossoue (2,734m), as well as the magnificent Madamète Pass (2,509m). Or this GR10 holiday which starts in the hiking haven of Cauterets and follows the trail to the thermal spa village of Luz-Saint-Sauveur, finishing in Gavarnie village with views of its celebrated cirque en route.

Refuge des Oulettes de Gaube and Hourquette d’Ossoue

We’re giving this refuge, or mountain hut, a special shout out, even though it does feature on the GR10, as the walk up and back down from Refuge des Oulettes is one of our top walks in France. It takes place on day two of this GR10 holiday when, over five to six hours, you follow the Chemin des Cascades, which is sprinkled (or splashed) with waterfalls, past Lac de Gaube up to Refuge des Oulettes de Gaube, where you spend the night. From here you can take in the drama of the north face of Vignemale. Not surprisingly, the next day brings a few highs too, walking up to the highest pass on the GR10, Hourquette d’Ossoue (2,734m) with views across to summits above Gavarnie.

Collioure and colour

You can swap high peaks for coastal highs on the Pyrenees Coastal Trail between Cadaqués, over the border in Spain and Collioure in France. This trail explores seascapes that inspired Matisse and Dalí, traditional fishing villages and ancient sites such as Sant Pere de Rodes monastery, with the most heavenly sea views. This is where you start to see the sapphires, turquoise and aquamarine gemstones of the gem-filled bracelet start to shine.

Lac de Gaube is just one of many natural Pyrenean highlights on the trek from Cauterets.

Walking the Pyrenees in Andorra

Andorra is also all about the Pyrenees, and it’s often overlooked by keen hikers. Although it’s already much loved by skiers. With 65 stellar summits over 2,000m, and a panoply of colossal valleys, hiking here takes you to three natural parks as well as many other Andorr-able adventure trails. We have a bespoke blog on Andorra, so that you can explore further but here are some of its highlights.

Comapedrosa Natural Park

Named after Andorra’s highest mountain, at 2,943m which, although you don’t summit it on our holidays, you do get to explore its impressive mountain landscapes, forest trails and lakes, all in the shadow of the prettiest of pics (the local name for peaks). You explore in and around this park on day two of our eight day walking holiday, where highlights include L’Angonella Mountain Pass, Pic del Clot del Cavall (2,586m) and Angonella Lake.

Everything you need to know about walking in Andorra Uncategorized The Natural Adventure 10 — You’ll find total composure in Comapedrosa Natural Park.

Sorteny Valley Natural Park

This collection of birch and aspen-forested valleys, flora-rich hills and alpine lakes is in the Ordino Parish, which was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2020. It’s not as high as Comapedrosa, but there is no shortage of natural highlights, especially in terms of its biodiversity. Sorteny Valley not only has some stupendous walking trails, but also nearly 300 species of flowers and shrubs. So much so that local experts have created a botanical garden which is free to visit at the start of the trail.

Sorteny Valley is just one of three natural parks, and hiking havens, in Andorra.

Vall del Madriu-Perafita-Claror Natural Park

We save one of the best for last, as our trail through Madriu Valley is on the final day of our eight day walking in Andorra adventure. Madriu Valley is part of the larger natural park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for having protected its traditions of pastoralism and communal land ownership since the 13th century. Your walks here, up the likes of the Camí dels Matxos, Jovell Mountain Pass, along the Madriu River and across Fontverd Plain are all peppered with such traditions.

Best time to go walking in the Pyrenees

Our walking window in the High Pyrenees is usually between the beginning of June and the end of September. The region has a typically alpine cold climate and so many of the trails are inaccessible before or after these dates, especially in the more elevated regions. If you’re heading to La Vall de Boi and Aigüestortes National Park in the Central Pyrenees, temperatures vary greatly. The best time to visit is between June and the end of September, with the hottest months July (26C) and August (27C). The lowest chances for rain are in September. Similarly, our GR10 holidays in France run between June and September. This GR10 holiday which starts in the hiking haven of Cauterets and follows the trail to the thermal spa village of Luz-Saint-Sauveur, finishing in Gavarnie village, keeps the walking window open for longer, with trips available between May to October.

If you want to explore the Pyrenees Coastal Trail, you can do so as early as mid-February, when average temperatures are 13C, but they stop during the peak and packed summer months. You can go hiking there again from early September as late as the beginning of November for a bit of autumnal Pyrenean pick-me-up. Average autumn temperatures range from 16C to 21C.