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The Pyrenees coast to coast by car: Atlantic to Mediterranean in 5 days

The Pyrenees are the quiet Alps: the same passes, half the traffic, and the sea at both ends. This route crosses them from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, switching sides as the roads suggest.

Published 6 October 2026 · facts fetched from Wikipedia on 6 October 2026

Plan this trip

  1. 1 Biarritz

    Biarritz
    Photo by Nicolas G. Mertens. This picture is not in the public domain. If you want to use, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Biarritz is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the border with Spain. Wikipedia

    Start on the Atlantic, with a night in Saint-Jean-de-Luz if you prefer somewhere smaller.

    Written about in 81 languagesStart a trip here

  2. 2 Col d'Aubisque

    Col d'Aubisque
    Photo by Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    The Col d'Aubisque (elevation 1,709 m (5,607 ft)) is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees 30 km (19 mi) south of Tarbes and Pau in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Aquitaine region of France. Wikipedia

    Day two: the first big pass, with the Cirque du Litor road cut into the cliff.

    Written about in 17 languagesStart a trip here

  3. 3 Col du Tourmalet

    Col du Tourmalet
    Photo by Adolfobrigido, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Col du Tourmalet is one of the highest paved mountain passes in the French Pyrenees, in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées. Sainte-Marie-de-Campan is at the foot on the eastern side and the ski station La Mongie two-thirds of the way up. Wikipedia

    Day two, afternoon: the highest paved pass in the French Pyrenees. A night in Saint-Lary or Luchon.

    Written about in 26 languagesStart a trip here

  4. 4 Aínsa and the Spanish side

    Aínsa and the Spanish side
    Photo by Heparina1985, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Aínsa is the main town in the Aínsa-Sobrarbe municipal territory, Aragon, Spain. It is located south of the Pyrenees, in a geologically interesting setting at the north of Huesca. Wikipedia

    Day three: over the Bielsa tunnel to Spain, the Ordesa canyon, and the N-260 east.

    Written about in 8 languagesStart a trip here

  5. 5 Andorra

    Andorra
    Photo by Enfo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in southwestern Europe, bordered by France to the north and Spain to the south. Wikipedia

    Day four: the Port de la Bonaigua, then Andorra for the night and the duty-free fuel.

    Written about in 286 languagesStart a trip here

  6. 6 Collioure

    Collioure
    Photo by Doronenko, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Collioure is a commune in the southern French department of Pyrénées-Orientales. Wikipedia

    Day five: down the Têt valley by Villefranche-de-Conflent to the Mediterranean.

    Written about in 52 languagesStart a trip here

Riding or driving it

About 900 km in five days. In Roadlegs, mark the nights as stops and let the rest find its place; the plan lists France, Spain and Andorra and notes the French motorway tolls you can avoid.

Open the plan in Roadlegs How the planner handles this vehicle.

About the facts and photos

The descriptions in italics are the opening sentences of the Wikipedia article for each place, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, fetched on 6 October 2026. Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under the licence named beside each one. "Written about in N languages" counts the Wikipedia editions that have an article, from Wikidata; it is a measure of how well known a place is, not a rating. Everything else is the author's own opinion. Roads close with the seasons: check before you go.

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