Visit Pau

Although the capital of the Department Pyrenees-Atlantique, south-west France, Pau has a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and is a short drive from the Retreat au Chateau holiday accommodation. Nestled in the Pyrenees with incredible views of the mountains, the town is a major year-round tourist centre. Renown for it's historic castle, healing spa, mild climate, English parks, villas and winter sports, it has a lively university culture and is easily the most interesting city to visit in the central Pyrenees.

A Walk Around Pau

If you walk along the palm-lined Boulevard des Pyrénées you will be glad that you took the time to visit Pau. Overlooking the Gave de Pau river, the boulevard offers breathtaking panoramic views of the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees. A little time spent here and it becomes obvious as to why Napoleon ordered the esplanades construction, and why tourists have been visiting Pau for centuries.

Boulevard des Pyrénées ends close to the Château Henri IV. This Renaissance castle dominates Pau, was once the seat of Kings, and is now a fine museum. The Château, lavishly decorated by Louis-Philippe and Napoleon in the 19th century, houses excellent collections of 16th-century Gobelin tapestries, and Sèvres porcelain. Henry IV's fairy-tale cradle, carved from a giant tortoise shell, is an oddity not to be missed. The Musée Béarnais on the 3rd floor is a mine of information about the history, traditions and culture of the Béarn. The Musée des Beaux Arts includes works by Degas, Ruben, El Greco, Zurbaran and Boudin.

The streets behind the boulevard are great for easy exploration and there are several good places to eat around the chateau. Le Ravin de Hédas is also worth a visit. This deep cleft in the middle of Pau is also one of its oldest quarters, which has been nicely restored, and was the town's only source of water before the Revolution.

Today Pau has all the facilities of a thriving cosmopolitan city. There are good shops, cinemas and sporting facilities, the golf course, the race course and the casino. You can find more things to do on the city's website.

Pau, History

Once the ancient capital of the Béarn region, Pau became the seat of residence of the Kings of Navarre in 1512. It was the birthplace of King Henry IV who's mother was so determined to have her child in Pau that she embarked on the 19 day carriage ride from Picardy when she was eight months pregnant! The night before her arrival in Pau she stopped off at our neighbouring village, Montaner. Legend has it that she sang throughout labor, in the belief that her song would cause Henry to grow up to be as strong and resilient as she was. In keeping with the traditional French custom, as soon as he was born he was given a sip of the bitter-sweet local Jurançon wine and his lips were rubbed with garlic.

Pau was known as La Ville Anglaise in the mid-19th century, because of the number of British residents and the English lifestyle that they brought with them.

The Duke of Wellington built an army garrison here in 1814 after winning the battle of Orthez during the Peninsular War. Many of the soldiers were so taken with the place that they bought homes for their retirement. The British population grew when Alexander Taylor opened a surgery in the town and published books on the healing benefits of Pau's mild climate and mountain airs. This useful piece of PR sold Pau to affluent high society and it became the place to be in Europe, with a population of up to 20% British at it's peak of fashion. They brought with them fox hunting, polo, croquet, cricket, steeplechase and golf. Five Scotsmen built Europe's first 18-hole golf course here in 1856 (also the first golf course in the world to admit women). The city still observes some English traditions, such as afternoon tea, and the influence of the British can still be seen in the cottages and villas, shady parks and in the English Club, founded in 1859.

Useful Information Pau Tourist Office, Place Royale, Tel: 0033 5 59 27 27 08