Pyrenees, valley to valley between the Cantabrian and the Mediterranean.

What are the Pyrenees?

The mountain range that runs from Cap de Creus, on the Mediterranean, to the Cantabrian Sea, where it links up with the Basque mountains. It is about 430 km long from east to west and separates Spain from France, with Andorra in between. On the Spanish side it touches Navarre, Aragon and Catalonia, and some of the Basque Country; on the French side, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie. The highest point is the Aneto, at 3,404 m, in the Maladeta massif, and there are more than two hundred peaks over 3,000 m.

It is not a mountain you see all at once, but a succession of valleys running from north to south, each with its own language, architecture and way of life. The west, in Navarre, is green with Atlantic forest. The centre, in Aragon and the French Bigorre Pyrenees, is the highest and steepest, with the great glacial cirques. The east, in Catalonia and Andorra, mixes high mountain, lakes and open valleys like the Cerdanya. To the south, a strip of lower ranges, the Pre-Pyrenees, forms the transition to the plain.

How to get there and how to get around?

By car, almost always. The roads climb through the valleys and the hard part is moving along the range: going from one valley to the next means going down and up again, or crossing slow passes. That is why it is better to choose one or two valleys per trip than to try to cover it all.

Some references: from Barcelona to Puigcerdà, in the Cerdanya, it is about 155 km and two hours through the Cadí tunnel. From Zaragoza to Jaca, about 140 km and an hour and three-quarters. From Huesca to Benasque, about 145 km and a little over two hours. From Pamplona to Ochagavía, gateway to the Irati forest, 80 km and an hour and a half.

By train there are few options, but beautiful ones. The line from Zaragoza to Canfranc ends next to the great international station. Rodalies R3 links Barcelona with Ripoll and Puigcerdà. In France, Lourdes is on the Toulouse–Bayonne line, and in the French Cerdanya the Yellow Train runs. The most useful airports are Barcelona, Zaragoza, Toulouse and Pau or Lourdes on the French side. Andorra, which has no airport, is reached by car or bus from Barcelona.

On foot, the whole range can be crossed by the GR 11, the Senda Pirenaica, about 800 km on the Spanish side between Cabo de Higuer and Cap de Creus, in 45 to 47 stages. In France the GR 10 does the same. For most people, however, the Pyrenees are walked on day routes from a base.

Which valleys to see

Navarre. The Irati forest is one of Europe's largest beech and fir woods, with Ochagavía and Orbaitzeta as gateways. It is the gentlest Pyrenees, ideal in autumn.

Aragon. The Ordesa valley is the best-known glacial canyon in the range, in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, and Aínsa is the capital of the Sobrarbe that surrounds it. To the east, Benasque lies at the foot of the Aneto. To the west, the Tena valley and Canfranc have the ski resorts of Formigal-Panticosa, Astún and Candanchú. Further south, already in the Pre-Pyrenees, Alquézar and the walkways of the River Vero.

Catalonia. The Val d'Aran faces north, speaks Aranese and has Baqueira-Beret. The Vall de Boí holds a group of Romanesque churches that is a World Heritage Site and is the gateway to Aigüestortes National Park. The Pallars Sobirà is the valley of the rivers and of Espot, and the Cerdanya, the high plain between mountains with Puigcerdà and La Molina. Lower down, Ripoll gives access to the Núria rack railway.

Andorra. Grandvalira is the country's largest ski area and in summer works as a hiking base.

France. Gavarnie has the most famous glacial cirque in the range, with the great waterfall and the Brèche de Roland. Very close, Cauterets is the gateway to the Pont d'Espagne and Lac de Gaube, inside the Pyrenees National Park.

When to go

There are two seasons. From December to March, the snow one, with February as the surest month for skiing. From late June to mid-October, the mountain one: in July the refuges are open and you can climb high, in August there are more people and afternoon storms, and September and early October are perhaps the best, with the beech woods of Irati and Ordesa changing colour from mid-October. April and November are the weak months: there is no longer good snow and the summits cannot yet be climbed, and many hotels close.

How many days do you need?

A valley can be enjoyed over a long weekend of three or four days. With a week you can combine two nearby valleys, such as Ordesa and Benasque, or the Vall de Boí and the Val d'Aran. To travel the range from end to end by car you would need two weeks, and on foot, by the GR 11, about forty-five days.

What is worth knowing?

In summer, several accesses are regulated. The Ordesa meadow is reached by bus from Torla in high season, and in Aigüestortes private cars do not go beyond the entrance car parks: you continue on foot or by 4x4 taxi. In the high mountains the weather changes fast: set out early, especially in August, and check the forecast before any summit. In winter, the border passes can close or require chains.