# A weekend in Gavarnie, the other side of Ordesa, 3 hours from San Sebastián

Two nights at the foot of the rock wall that separates France from Ordesa: the path to the highest waterfall in France, lunch facing it and the cirques of Troumouse and Estaubé. Three hours from San Sebastián.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/cirque-de-gavarnie/itineraries/weekend-cirque-and-waterfall · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Cirque de Gavarnie

The Cirque de Gavarnie is a glacial amphitheatre with a 6.5 km perimeter and about 1,500 metres of wall, with the Grande Cascade falling down the back, the highest in France. On the other side of that wall is Ordesa: together they form the Pyrénées – Mont Perdu site, a World Heritage Site since 1997. There is no direct road from Aragon, so from Huesca you go round through the Bielsa tunnel, three hours forty; from San Sebastián, by Pau and Lourdes, it is three hours. The weekend combines the big cirque and the two small ones in the valley, with far fewer people.

## How do you get there and when to go?

From San Sebastián and Pamplona, via Pau, Lourdes and Luz-Saint-Sauveur. From Huesca and Zaragoza, via the Bielsa tunnel and Aragnouet, or via the Portalet. From June to September the path is free of snow; in June the waterfall carries more water and in July and August there are more people and horses on the path. The cirque restaurant and the Hôtel Le Marboré only open in season.

CirquePathFor whom

Gavarnie3–4 h there and back to the waterfallEveryone as far as the Hôtellerie; stony at the end

Troumouse2–3 h from the Maillet plateauThe biggest and with the fewest people

Estaubé3–4 h from Lake GloriettesThe quietest, with marmots and flocks

## Where to sleep?

In the village, the two-star Hôtel Le Marboré is beside the path to the cirque, with a regional restaurant and a fireplace; it opens from 1 June to 30 September. Two minutes away, the Camping Le Pain de Sucre has 54 level pitches, mobile homes and chalets with a view of the cirque, and also opens in winter. To sleep inside the cirque, with the waterfall opposite, the Hôtel du Cirque et de la Cascade, open since 1845; you can only reach it on foot.

## For mountaineers and those coming from Ordesa

The Brèche de Roland, the gash at the top of the wall on the border with Ordesa, is a full-day high-mountain route, from July to September depending on the snow: do not improvise it. On foot, from the Bujaruelo valley you cross to Gavarnie by the Bujaruelo pass, the Port de Boucharo. In summer, with children from age 8 who can swim 25 metres, the Ossoue canyon has jumps that can be avoided by a path, from €50 with the Bureau des Guides de Cauterets.

## El plan

### Friday · 19:00 · Arrival in Gavarnie
Three hours from San Sebastián, almost four from Huesca. Dinner in the village and check the report at the Gavarnie Valleys tourist office, which gives information on paths, snow and webcams.

### Saturday · 08:30 · Path to the Grande Cascade
Set off walking before nine. The path follows the river along a wide, flat valley to the Hôtellerie du Cirque, a good hour with little climbing. From there, a stonier path leads to the foot of the Grande Cascade, where the spray reaches.

### Saturday · 12:30 · Lunch facing the waterfall
The Restaurant du Cirque, in the hotel that has stood in the middle of the cirque since 1845, has a terrace facing the Grande Cascade. It serves from 12:00 to 14:30, from May to September, and does not take bookings: arrive early. Trout or lamb from the Pays Toy.

### Saturday · 15:00 · Back to the village
By the same path. With small children, the way down or up can be done on horseback or by donkey with the valley's hirers, an hour each way.

### Sunday · 09:00 · Cirque de Troumouse
From Gèdre drive up the mountain road to the Maillet plateau and continue on foot, or on the little tractor-drawn train, to the back of the biggest of the three amphitheatres, at 2,100 metres.

### Sunday · 13:30 · Estaubé or back home
If you have energy left, go up to Lake Gloriettes and walk a while towards Estaubé. If not, head back at leisure.

## Un consejo más

Set out walking before nine. By half past ten you are at the Hôtellerie with the light coming into the cirque, and before midday the path fills up.

## Cuándo no ir

October to May, unless you go with snowshoes and experience. The path has snow, there is avalanche risk and the restaurant and hotels in the cirque are closed.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from San Sebastián?
About three hours via Pau and Lourdes. From Pamplona, about three hours and three quarters; from Huesca, three hours forty through the Bielsa tunnel.

### Can you go from Ordesa?
By car there is no direct road: you go round via Bielsa or the Portalet. On foot, from Bujaruelo, over the Bujaruelo pass.

### Is the path to the cirque difficult?
As far as the Hôtellerie du Cirque it is flat and families do it. The last stretch to the foot of the waterfall is stony.

### Can you go with children?
Yes. Little ones can ride a donkey with an adult alongside, from Easter to All Saints.

### Can you go without a car?
Yes, with the train to Lourdes and the liO 965 bus to Gavarnie-Gèdre. For Troumouse and Estaubé you need a car.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hôtel Le Marboré**: A village hotel at the foot of the cirque
Le Marboré is on the rue du Cirque, next to the old village of Gavarnie, at 1,375 m, and set a little apart from the comings and goings of walkers. It is a two-star hotel that Roseline and Bernard bought in 1988 and have renovated bit by bit. The path to the cirque starts at the door: the round trip to the Hôtellerie, or the loops via the Bellevue plateau or the Espugues path, are walks of two to four hours.
Rooms and facilities
As well as the rooms, it has a restaurant serving regional, family cooking, the Le Swan pub with a big screen, a games room, a reading corner by the fireplace and a fitness area with a spa included in your stay. There is free wifi in the ground-floor lounge.
Season and rules
Open from 1 June to 30 September, with reception from 7:30 to 21:00. There is no night porter: if you arrive late, let them know. Dogs are not allowed.
- **Camping Le Pain de Sucre**: A campsite facing the cirque
Le Pain de Sucre is two minutes from Gavarnie, beside the gave, at 1,200 m: according to the campsite itself, the highest in the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has three stars, the Esprit Parc National label and a view over the cirque. It opens in summer for walkers and in winter as a "caravaneige" (snow caravan site), ten minutes from the Gavarnie-Gèdre ski slopes.
Pitches and accommodation
There are 54 level pitches of 80 to 100 m², with electricity and a water point, for tents, caravans and motorhomes, in winter too. To rent: standard four-person mobile homes with two bedrooms and a kitchen, Super-Confort mobile homes with heating and a terrace, a three-bedroom mobile home for six with a mountain view, and wooden chalets for four to six with heating in every room.
Getting there
From Lourdes, go up through Argelès-Gazost and Luz-Saint-Sauveur: it is an hour on mountain road. The campsite is at the entrance to Gavarnie, and from there you walk to the village and the path to the cirque.

## Dónde dormir if you're on foot
- **Hôtel du Cirque et de la Cascade**: Sleeping inside the cirque
It is the building that appears in the middle of the amphitheatre at the end of the path from Gavarnie, with the Grande Cascade straight ahead. It has been receiving travellers since 1845 and is the only place where you can spend the night inside the cirque, when the day-trippers have gone and only the sound of water remains. There is no road: you walk up from the village in a good hour, with your rucksack.
The rooms
Each room is named after a guide or a figure from the valley: Jean Vergez, Marie Lacoste, Pierre Lacoste, Henri Lacoste, Benjamin and Pierre Vergez-Bellou, Pierre Vergez, and one suite, the Montpensier. There are few of them, so they are booked up well in advance in summer.
Eating
From May to September the Restaurant du Cirque serves lunch with no booking, traditional cooking with produce from the valleys: Bigorre black pork, Pyrenean trout, Pays Toy lamb and local cheeses. The bar is open from 11:00 to 18:00 and takeaway sandwiches are sold next door.
- **Hôtel Le Marboré**: A village hotel at the foot of the cirque
Le Marboré is on the rue du Cirque, next to the old village of Gavarnie, at 1,375 m, and set a little apart from the comings and goings of walkers. It is a two-star hotel that Roseline and Bernard bought in 1988 and have renovated bit by bit. The path to the cirque starts at the door: the round trip to the Hôtellerie, or the loops via the Bellevue plateau or the Espugues path, are walks of two to four hours.
Rooms and facilities
As well as the rooms, it has a restaurant serving regional, family cooking, the Le Swan pub with a big screen, a games room, a reading corner by the fireplace and a fitness area with a spa included in your stay. There is free wifi in the ground-floor lounge.
Season and rules
Open from 1 June to 30 September, with reception from 7:30 to 21:00. There is no night porter: if you arrive late, let them know. Dogs are not allowed.
- **Camping Le Pain de Sucre**: A campsite facing the cirque
Le Pain de Sucre is two minutes from Gavarnie, beside the gave, at 1,200 m: according to the campsite itself, the highest in the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has three stars, the Esprit Parc National label and a view over the cirque. It opens in summer for walkers and in winter as a "caravaneige" (snow caravan site), ten minutes from the Gavarnie-Gèdre ski slopes.
Pitches and accommodation
There are 54 level pitches of 80 to 100 m², with electricity and a water point, for tents, caravans and motorhomes, in winter too. To rent: standard four-person mobile homes with two bedrooms and a kitchen, Super-Confort mobile homes with heating and a terrace, a three-bedroom mobile home for six with a mountain view, and wooden chalets for four to six with heating in every room.
Getting there
From Lourdes, go up through Argelès-Gazost and Luz-Saint-Sauveur: it is an hour on mountain road. The campsite is at the entrance to Gavarnie, and from there you walk to the village and the path to the cirque.

## Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Hôtel du Cirque et de la Cascade**: Sleeping inside the cirque
It is the building that appears in the middle of the amphitheatre at the end of the path from Gavarnie, with the Grande Cascade straight ahead. It has been receiving travellers since 1845 and is the only place where you can spend the night inside the cirque, when the day-trippers have gone and only the sound of water remains. There is no road: you walk up from the village in a good hour, with your rucksack.
The rooms
Each room is named after a guide or a figure from the valley: Jean Vergez, Marie Lacoste, Pierre Lacoste, Henri Lacoste, Benjamin and Pierre Vergez-Bellou, Pierre Vergez, and one suite, the Montpensier. There are few of them, so they are booked up well in advance in summer.
Eating
From May to September the Restaurant du Cirque serves lunch with no booking, traditional cooking with produce from the valleys: Bigorre black pork, Pyrenean trout, Pays Toy lamb and local cheeses. The bar is open from 11:00 to 18:00 and takeaway sandwiches are sold next door.
- **Hôtel Le Marboré**: A village hotel at the foot of the cirque
Le Marboré is on the rue du Cirque, next to the old village of Gavarnie, at 1,375 m, and set a little apart from the comings and goings of walkers. It is a two-star hotel that Roseline and Bernard bought in 1988 and have renovated bit by bit. The path to the cirque starts at the door: the round trip to the Hôtellerie, or the loops via the Bellevue plateau or the Espugues path, are walks of two to four hours.
Rooms and facilities
As well as the rooms, it has a restaurant serving regional, family cooking, the Le Swan pub with a big screen, a games room, a reading corner by the fireplace and a fitness area with a spa included in your stay. There is free wifi in the ground-floor lounge.
Season and rules
Open from 1 June to 30 September, with reception from 7:30 to 21:00. There is no night porter: if you arrive late, let them know. Dogs are not allowed.