The Pyrenees Traverse

The Journey

Follow the mountains from the famous Camino pass in Navarre eastward toward Catalonia. Medieval monasteries, ski resorts out of season, and wild valleys that feel untouched. The Spanish Pyrenees are much quieter than the French side — and just as beautiful.

Day by Day

Your itinerary

Expand each day to discover the details and imagery of your destination.

1

Roncesvalles

The Camino Pass

Start at Roncesvalles — the mountain pass where Camino pilgrims first cross into Spain from France. The 12th-century monastery is still a working pilgrim hostel. Pick up your car in nearby Pamplona and drive up into the beech forests. The silence is immediate.

2

Jaca

Romanesque Kingdom

Drive east through the Pyrenean foothills to Jaca, first capital of the ancient Kingdom of Aragon. The 11th-century cathedral is one of the finest examples of Spanish Romanesque. Detour up the Valle de Hecho or Valle de Ansó for a glimpse of the wild limestone valleys.

3

Ordesa

Spain's First National Park

Drive east to Ordesa y Monte Perdido — Spain's first national park, established in 1918. The canyon is astonishing: vertical limestone walls 1,000 meters high, waterfalls tumbling into the valley floor. You don't need to hike far to see the best of it. Stay in the medieval village of Aínsa below.

4

Val d'Aran

An Occitan Valley

Continue east into the Val d'Aran — a valley that speaks its own Occitan language and belongs politically to Catalonia. The ski resort of Baqueira-Beret dominates in winter, but in spring and autumn the meadows are impossibly green. Stay in Vielha, the valley capital.

5

La Seu d'Urgell

Journey's End

Descend from the Val d'Aran through increasingly Catalan landscapes to La Seu d'Urgell — a medieval bishop's city with a magnificent Romanesque cathedral. From here the Mediterranean is close: Barcelona is two hours, and the coast feels like a different world from the mountains behind you.