Located on the northern edge of the Pyrenees, Pau is a charming city near France’s border with Spain. It’s home to the birthplace of King Henry IV of France at the Château de Pau and features an outstanding art museum that occupies an Ancient Greek-inspired building.
Things to do in Pau
Visit the birthplace of Henri IV at the Château de Pau, which was also used as a holiday home by Napoleon during his reign. It's open to the public as a National Museum, with guided tours taking you through its opulent rooms where artwork, decorations and furnishings have been preserved from its 19th-century restoration. Of particular note is the castle’s centuries-old collection of royal tapestries.
Housed within a 1930s building in the heart of the city is the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Pau, which boasts an exceptional collection of work dating back to the 16th century to the present day. Get up close to paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, Jan Brueghel the Elder and El Greco, as well as French works by Edgar Degas, Eugene Deveria and Berthe Morisot.
For panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, visit the Boulevard des Pyrénées. It was created at the request of Napoleon I and overlooks the terraced gardens that descend to the Gave de Pau. On a clear day, you can see the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, the Pic d’Anie and the Pic du Midi d’Ossau, with a signboard indicating the features of each mountain.
Getting around Pau
Pau is around 1.5 hours’ drive from Bayonne and Biarritz Pays Basque Airport while Toulouse-Blagnac Airport is two hours away. Regular trains connect to the Gare de Pau and buses travel throughout the city. The Funiculaire de Pau links the city centre with the Château de Pau.