Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)

Pau, chief town of the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, is magnificently situated on a plateau above the valley of the Gave de Pau. It is a climatic resort popular in both summer and winter as well as an important economic center.

Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) mini guide

Originally a village which grew up round a hunting lodge of the Counts of Béarn, it developed into a town which became the capital of Béarn in 1464. It was the residence of Jeanne d'Albret, queen of Navarre and a convert to Protestantism, whose son became king of France as Henry IV. The town, which had barely 8,000 inhabitants at the end of the 18th C., was "discovered" by British visitors in the 1820s and thereafter developed rapidly.

At the western end of boulevard des Pyrenees, the much restored chateau is a mixture of medieval, Renaissance and second Empire. The interior has a collection of 17th and 18th century tapestries and many Henri-related items including his cradle, a turtle shell.

A narrow strip of the frontier mountain in the wes, from Lescun to the Neouvielle Massif above St-Lary, is par of the Parc National des Pyrenees.

Guide point	Details
Department:	South West France > Aquitaine > Pyrénées-Atlantiques >
Location:	Pua is located in is the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques ntiques in the Aquitaine region in the southwest of France.
Public Transport:	By Plane: It is worth checking online to find out which airlines are offering the best deals at the time, but for example there are direct flights from London to Pau with AirFrance, but on the whole you would need to change at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), travel to Paris Orly (ORY) by highspeed train link, then travel on to Pau. The journey would take approximately 7 hours. By Train: From as little as £55 return, you can take Eurostar direct from St Pancras International in London to Paris, in under 2 hours 20 minutes. Trains run regularly departing London from 5 am. Trains normally leave from Montparnasse to Pau, which means a metro or taxi journey across Paris to this station. From Montparnasse the journey takes between 5 - 6 hours to Pau. By Boat: It is usually cheaper to take a car over to France by boat, because the journey takes longer. Operators such as Seafrance and P&O offer regular ferry trips across the channel. By Car: Take your car on Eurotunnel from Ashford, near Folkstone, Kent direct to Calais in France. Journey time is about 35 minutes and the cost varies but is around £55 day trip return for a car and 5 passengers. Calais to Pau - 10 hours 30 minutes driving time, 1160km. Access on the A64 motorway Toulouse - Tarbes - Pau. http://www.eurotunnel.com/ Local Transport: The S.N.C.F. (French national railway company) station in Pau offers direct services with Bordeaux - Paris, Toulouse - Vintimille and Geneva, Bayonne. Gare S.N.C.F. de Pau, Avenue, Jean Biray. 64000 Pau. When you arrive at Gare de Pau train station you will be greeted by a huge hill, from here you may take a free funicular to the boulevard. There is a good network of public transport services in Pau for full information please contact 00 33 (0)5 59 14 15 16.
Tourist information website:	http://www.pau.fr/
Tourist information contact email:	communication@pau.fr
Tourist information switch board number:	+ 33 (0)5 59 27 85 80
Tourist information address:	Place Royale BP 1508, 64036 PAU cedex, France
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