Other main towns: Bagnères-de-Bigorre, Lourdes, Argelès-Gazost
Hautes-Pyrénées is divided between the foothills and plateaux of the north, a rich green part of France, and the high mountains. Tarbes, with its population of 44,529 – rising to 80,963 when surrounding communes are included – is the only large city in the area.
It is famous for making aeroplanes and processing food from the south-west.
Situated at an altitude of 300m, it has milder temperatures than expected, due to the micro-climate created by its position in the Ardour valley.
Tarbes is on both the main transport routes going through the department – the A64 autoroute from Toulouse to Biarritz and the Toulouse to Bayonne railway line.
The line is not high speed but is used by TGVs, Intercity trains and TER regional trains taking pilgrims to the Roman Catholic pilgrimage site at Lourdes.
Most of the roads in the department are small, rural ones, an exception being the N21 from Auch (Gers), which passes Tarbes and continues to Lourdes.
One road, the D929, goes up into the high mountains to the 3km-long Aragnouet-Bielsa tunnel, which links with Spain. Camper vans and lorries have to wait their turn to go through it.
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Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport to London Stansted is usually served five times a week by Ryanair during the winter, and six times a week in summer. Dublin usually gets two flights a week.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit Lourdes each year – they, as well as ski/mountain tourists, are an important revenue source for the department.
The Tour de France almost always spends time here too: the ride up the Col du Tourmalet has become a brutal highlight of the race.
Just as the climate and the scenery vary between the plain and the mountains, the types of properties available also differ greatly. Most of the high mountain villages are densely populated.
There are still properties below €50,000, but most of them need a lot of work.
At the time of writing, the following were available to buy:
Under €50,000
This half-timbered house in Mauléon-Barousse is under €40,000human-immobilier.fr
This characterful colombage (half-timbered) house in the commune of Mauléon-Barousse in the foothills of the east of the department is on the market for €39,550.
It seems reasonably sound, although a leak has already rotted part of the floorboards of one room. Repairing the roof with local slates will be one of the first jobs on a lengthy list for the new owner, who will have to love old stones.
The house has three bedrooms and a living room, along with a pocket-handkerchief garden of 137m2.
It appears that the previous owner left some years ago and has not been back since.
This Campan property needs renovationwww.iadfrance.fr
This 91m2 property in the commune of Campan, between Tarbes and Lourdes, is built into the side of a hill and has a view of mountain pastures, rock and steep hills.
It is on the market for €209,000.
There are two bedrooms, as well as a dormitory under the eaves with space for six double beds – ideal for families with lots of cousins. The house looks as though it has been in place for decades, but was in fact a new build in 1980.
Most of the fixtures and fittings seem to date from that period, and so a new owner might want to do a bit of renovation, probably starting with the heating system to improve the E rating on the DPE.
This €3.3 million property boasts 54 bedroomswww.iadfrance.fr
This property (pictured below), on the market for €3.3 million in the commune of Luz-Saint-Sauveur – not only comes with a main house but also four flats and eight chalets, giving a total of 54 bedrooms. It is ideal for large groups keen to go skiing nearby in the winter, or to cheer on the Tour de France in summer.
The main house covers an area of 210m2, including five bedrooms and a main living space of 100m2. This opens up to a terrace overlooking the village and the mountains beyond, including the iconic Pic du Midi.
Each of the holiday apartments has its own parking area, storage space for bicycles or skis, and very fast Wi-Fi.
The date of construction is not given, but the domain has an overall DPE rating of B which suggests it is recent.
