Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. The culture is a mix of French and Spanish owing to it being a Catalan region. The area has an all year round wonderful climate, whatever your choice of holiday location. Relax and enjoy easy accessibility to all this wonderful area has to offer from one of our many holiday rental properties in the beautiful Pyrenees. For great value holiday home in Pyrenees, search through the vacation rentals on Rent Property Direct and have a dream holiday in France. There is a huge choice of pistes and the opportunity for both downhill and cross country skiing.
Activities
Apart from skiing there are many sporting activities in this area; walking, cycling canoeing, bird watching, riding, caving, sailing, fishing, tennis, snowboarding and golf. There are excellent golf courses in this area such as; Golf de Lannemezan Golf Club, just ten minutes from Le Turnounet, has a 18 hole 5808m Par 70 golf course. Golf Country Club de Bigorre, set in the rolling hills above the spa town of Bagneres de Bigorre, has a 18 holes 5893m Par 70 course. Tarbes-Tumulus Golf Club, 2mins from the centre of Tarbes, has a 18 hole course, and Hippodrome Laloubere Golf Club, just outside Tarbes, has a 9 hole golf course to name a few.
The French Pyrenees has an impressive range of holiday accommodation (ski chalets, self catering apartments, holiday gites, cottages and villa rentals) which can be rented directly from the owners. In the mountain regions hiking and horse riding are summer activities surrounded by stunning scenery.
Ski Resorts
Font-Romeu is one of the oldest ski resorts in Europe where you can snow shoe walk and ice skate as well as ski.
Cambre d’Aze has 211 individual pistes and where your ski pass will allow you to ski and snowboard on neighbouring ski slopes. This area is excellent for both beginners and intermediate levels.
Bolquere Pyrenees offers good skiing for both intermediate and beginners.
Cerdagne Puigmal is excellent for intermediate skiers and for snowboarding.
Formigueres is excellent for intermediate and for snowboarding.
Cuisine
The cuisine in this area is as diverse as the multicultural inhabitants of the department, so you have delicious Cassoulet stews, Spanish Paella, numerous other French and distinctly Catalan dishes which can be washed down with one of the excellent Languedoc wines for which the region is famous.
Towns
Perpignon. There is much to see in this vibrant city, from the Palais des Rois de Majorque and the Castillett, to the monuments of Campo Santo. In this city and its surrounding area there is a wide variety of great holiday rentals to suit all budgets. The main station was designed by Salvador Dali. From your holiday home take a stroll in the Saint-Jean quarter or around one of the magnificent gardens or admire the splendour of the Cathedral Saint-Jean. There are museums, art galleries, and classy boutiques. This is also the best place in the department to sample the very best of the areas local cuisine and wine. There is also a fascinating medieval market to wander around.
Banyuls-sur Mer is famous for its Grenache- based Banyuls wine and where the wine harvest is celebrated with a huge barbeque on the beach.
Valee du Louron has lots of natural beauty with great activity centres.
Col de Tourmalet- situated amidst the largest ski area in the French Pyrenees and is part of the Tour de France.
Vald’Aure is a place of stunning scenery and many species of wildlife.
Arreau is beautiful medieval town worth a visit.
St. Bertrand de Comminges a walled town with imposing medieval architecture.
Alberes is situated between the sea and the mountains offering stunning scenery.
Conflent is not far from Perignon. This is a really quaint and charming little mountain village with wonderful medieval architecture.
Collioure is a very picturesque port nestled between the sea and the vineyards.
Prades belongs to the wine growing areas and has a Romanesque church which is worthy of a visit.