You can make beautiful car trips through the northern part of the Pyrenees. A visit to Lourdes can be excellently combined with a tour on the Tourmalet.

When the weather is nice you can take the cable car from the ground station to the Pic du Midi (the Bigorre) at an altitude of nearly 3000 metres. From the Pic du Midi you have a magnificent view of the Pyrenees.

The Caves of Bétharram are undoubtedly among the most beautiful caves of the Pyrenees. They are situated at about 15 kilometres from Lourdes.

These stalactite caves consist of 5 levels. The caves have splendid stalactite and stalacmite formations in beautifully illuminated halls with names like Le Chaos and La Salle des Lustres.

North of Village Ocelandes and near Arcachon lies Dune du Pyla. This enormous bare sand mountain with its height of 117 metres, its length of 2700 metres and its width of 500 metres is the largest dune in Europe.

Dune du Pyla is a ‘walking dune’, moving every year as much as 4 metres. The dune has a very steep slope. There are stairs in the summer months. The summit of the dune looks very much like a moon landscape.

In the extreme west of the Pyrenees and close to the Spanish border lie the caves of Sare and the Parc Préhistorique.

The caves are enchantingly illuminated and every fifteen minutes guides take care of a 900-metre-walk under the ground. In the caves you find paintings dating back ten to fifteen thousand years.

At a seven-mile distance from Saint-Jean-de-Luz lies the mountain La Rhune. On top of this mountain you have a splendid view across the valley. The trip up the mountain can be made either on foot or by train.

The train from La Rhune takes you to an altitude of 905 metres, to the top of the Basque country-side. The train with its beautiful wooden carriages climbs across slopes with a 25% gradient.

On a surface of as many as 175 acres the ecomuseum of Marquèze with its regional architecture, old crafts, a mill and a special orchard gives a good impression of life in the former boggy terrain behind the coast of Les Lanes.

Also the resin workshop of Vidal in Luxey is part of this museum, just like an agricultural domain near Hostens and a church in Belhade

Between the basin of Arcachon and the forest of Les Landes de Gascgone lies the charming town of Gujan Mestras.

In the surroundings of this town you find various Theme Parks like ‘Aqualand’ with nine acres of water attractions, Recreational Park ‘La Coccinelle’ and the mini-attraction park ‘Kid Parc’ for two to twelve-year-old children.

In the district of Aquitaine you can find various zoos like Pinède des Singes (a monkey colony) in Labenne or Zoo du Bassin d’Arcachon in La Teste-du-Buch with its many wild animals.

Also Musée de la Mer with its marine aquarium and tanks with seals and pelicans is definitely worth seeing.