Hautes-Pyrénées Property For Sale

The Hautes-Pyrénées is possibly most famous for its charming, authentically French ski resorts. But the Pyrénées National Park also offers some of the best cycling, climbing and hiking in France.

If you’re looking for an activity-based lifestyle set against spectacular scenery then buy your Hautes-Pyrénées property in the south of the département. But further north the mountains give way to rolling hills and a milder climate. Buy your Hautes-Pyrénées property here and you’re buying into a more balanced way of life – whilst still retaining good access to the mountains when you need them. Property here is also cheaper!

Wherever you buy you’ll enjoy one of the lowest levels of traffic congestion in France and some of the cleanest air in Europe.

The most expensive Hautes-Pyrénées property is found in the ski resorts – but even here property is cheap compared to the Alpine resorts. Luz Saint-Sauveur is one of the prettiest mountain villages so “Luz” property is at a premium. Close by is the Cirque de Gavarnie – a spectacular semi-circle of colossal limestone cliffs which has UNESCO world heritage site status. You can spend your days skiing or hiking amongst breathtaking mountains and lakes and sleep under the stars at the Pic du Midi observatory.

If you’re setting up a gîte or chambres-d’hôte then you’ll enjoy excellent occupancy rates in mountain resorts such as Bareges-La-Mongie – which offers an impressive 64 ski runs. On a different tack why not buy property in Lourdes – 6 million people a year make the pilgrimage to the spot where a local girl saw the Virgin Mary in the hope of being miraculously cured of their ills.

The cheapest Hautes-Pyrénées property is found in the north-east of the département where there is less development and infrastructure. Some of the farmhouses here are built with mud bricks.

Renovation projects can be found in most areas from L-shaped stone farmhouses in the north to shepherds’ huts in the mountains – but do factor in access issues to the latter in winter!

Hautes-Pyrénées property is often characterised by terre-cuite floors, wide stone fireplaces, carved oak staircases and built in fruit-wood cupboards. Should you uncover any such vernacular features mid-renovation be careful to cherish them and make them the centrepiece of your renovation.

There are regular flights from Tarbes/Lourdes to Paris and Stanstead, and the TGV also connects Tarbes and Lourdes with Paris. There is easy access to Spain, the Basque coast and Toulouse with the A64 running from Bayonne to Toulouse via Lannemezan also a useful indicator of where the watershed effect from the mountains ends.

As if living in the Hautes-Pyrénées wasn’t life enhancing enough the local Madiran red wines are reputed to have an exceptionally high level of health giving polyphenols. The locals are truly blessed!