Your holiday base is the historic Napoleonic spa villages of Bareges
and Luz St Sauveur, these ancient villages are nestled amidst dramatic
mountain scenery and situated 30kms south of Lourdes in the French Pyrenees.
Lying on the fringe of the Parc National des Pyrenees in an area of great
natural beauty, the local area is known as the Pays Toy and offers the
perfect base for exploring. Here you will discover a landscape of high
peaks, rushing streams and azure mountain lakes. Wherever you wander
you will find wildlife that will astound with the most exuberant flora
in Europe, eagles and vultures spiralling majestically in mountain thermals,
the shy isard, the playful marmot, and an astonishing variety of butterflies.
You can explore unspoiled mountain villages where age old farming traditions
survive and to this day the hay is cut by hand. Discover the history
of the Pays Toy with its fortified churches, isolated mountain settlements,
watchtowers and Napoleonic influences. Enjoy these villages at their
best during the lively weekly markets.
The
villages
Barèges
For a small village Bareges has a good selection of shops and amenities
- cinema, supermarket, baker, bars, restaurants with a market each
Wednesday. The Helios Centre has an open-air swimming pool (July and
August), squash and childrens activity centre (July and August). There
is horse-riding from the village and a tennis court. There are also
two climbing walls in the village, one for children.
Luz St Sauveur
Luz has a comprensive range of shops and a good number of restaurants.
There is an open air municipal swimming with three pools. Two climbing
walls, a 'via ferrata', tennis courts, tree-top adventure park. Luz has
a C12th fortified church, a C9th century castle, a National Park centre
and the famous Pont Napoleon. The old centre of Luz dates from the C17th.
Large street market on Mondays, cinema. Jazz festival each July.
The
Spa Baths – Bareges and Luz
Treat yourself to a relaxing spa bath
or massage...
The thermal baths in Bareges date back to the 14th century. During the
18th and 19th centuries the French nobility popularised Bareges and
Napoleon sent his wounded troups there to benefit from the remarkable
curative properties of the waters. Today the "Thermes"
specialise in relaxation rather than the treatment of gunshot wounds
and offer a variety of services; hot baths, jacuzzis, massages, saunas,
an excellent way to complement a day in the mountains. The waters are
naturally hot flowing from the mountain at 42C.
The recently renovated spa baths in Luz
are more of a leisure complex, one ticket gives you access to two pools,
saunas, hammans, ice pool, and jacuzzis, all in a brilliant setting overlooking
the river and Pont Napoleon. The Empress Eugenie was to Luz by Napoleon
to be cured of her 'childlessness', it worked, so Napoleon built the
bridge in thanks! Prices are very reasonable. Not to be missed.
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