PAU CHATEAU
STAGE 13
27.2 km - 19 JULY 2019
“Turtle shell for Henri IV”

At Pau chateau, the highlight of the tour is without a doubt the room in which Henri IV, King of France, was born, and the famous turtle shell that served as the royal crib. In addition to a collection of 12,000 works of art, the chateau is also home to a landscaped garden that delights visitors. A stone’s throw from Spain at the foot of the Pyrenees, and an hour from the Atlantic coast, Pau is the perfect base camp for exploring the beauty of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

DINNER IS SERVED!

When Southwest meets Far East

The Japanese chef, Yuri Nagaya, the Fooding Guide’s best chef, offers a fresh take on Japanese tradition with the very best Gascony produce. Black pig bacon and hake maki, caramelised foie gras... outlandish pairings that taste just as good to take-away in your bento box.

GO CULTURAL

A tour of the artisans of Béarn

An ode to béarnais culture and heritage, the Craft and Trades Route offers a tour of local craftsmanship. Wood sculptors, potters, soapmakers, and painters... The route offers encounters with more than 40 artisans. They include the famous Moutet weavers, and berets in Orthez, as well as the ceramics workshop in Monein.

GET ACTIVE

See you on the green!

Pau is a hole-in-one for keen golfers. France may be home to various great greens, but Pau Golf Club 1856 remains one of the most iconic. The oldest golf club in the world outside the British Isles, it provides a fine 18-hole course, and a superb Victorian-style club house.

TOUR TRIVIA

In Pau, back in 1910

The Tour de France visited the Pyrenees for the first time in 1910. Back then, the 326km between Luchon and Bayonne was a 15-hour ride over the Aspin, Tourmalet, Peyresourde, and Aubisque passes. Thoroughly spent, a victorious Octave Lapize had formed a strong opinion about the race organisers, “You’re muderers, I tell you, murderers!”

EXPERIENCE

In red and white!

For four days and five nights in late July and early August every year since 1932, Bayonne (a hundred or so kilometres west of Pau) welcomes more than one million visitors to one of France’s biggest summer festivals. It is a festive gathering marked by the region’s cultural identity, with its dances, music, and traditional songs.