Pau: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 172 - 263 Hotel Parc Beaumont
 Contemporary in design, the hotel is a warm, traditional house, ideally located in downtown Pau, on the edge of the Parc Beaumont.
Resolutely modern,… MoreEUR 48 - 74 Hotel Adour
 Nestled in the heart of Pau, a ten-minute walk from the railway station, Hôtel Adour is the perfect place for a restful stopover or a family stay in … MoreEUR 120 - 361 Hôtel Villa Navarre
 This charming hotel, housed in an 18th century building in a 2 hectare park, offers you views of the Pyrenees.
Here, 5 minutes away from the city cen… MoreEUR 51 - 55 Hôtel Montilleul
 Hotel Montilleul is located 1 km from centre of Pau in the Aquitaine region. It offers en-suite accommodation with free Wi-Fi internet access.
Each … MoreEUR 70 - 180 Inter-Hotel De Gramont
 Situated in the historic centre of Pau, near the Chateau and the Palais des Congrés, the Hotel de Gramont combines the charm of yesterday with the co… MoreEUR 49 - 78 Inter-Hotel Montpensier
 Inter-Hotel Montpensier sits in a garden in the centre of Pau. It offers air-conditioned rooms with flat-screen TV with Canal+ and free Wi-Fi internet… MoreEUR 75 - 140 Quality Hotel Pau Centre Bosquet
 The Quality Hotel Pau Centre Bosquet is located in the city centre, close to the historic district and the congress centre. It offers soundproofed and… MoreEUR 78 - 163 Mercure Pau Palais Des Sports
 Located in a lovely verdant area 10 minutes from the railway station and 15 minutes from the airport, the hotel offers comfortable and modern accommod… MoreEUR 65 - 80 Logis Le Bourbon
 The Hotel Le Bourbon, a former 19-century coach inn, now a charming hotel , is located in the city centre of Pau on Place Clemenceau.
All guestrooms … MoreEUR 49 - 69 Hôtel Central
 Hotel Central offers en suite accommodation in the centre of Pau, 50 metres from the pedestrian area. Free Wi-Fi is available.
Each non-smoking Centr… MoreEUR 70 - 140 Citôtel Roncevaux
 The Citotel Roncevaux is a former monastery set in a private courtyard, just a few steps from the Hotel de Ville and the Chateau de Pau.
Rooms at the… MoreEUR 43 - 121 Appart´city Pau Centre
 Located in the heart of Pau’s business centre, this Appart’city Residence is just a 10-minute drive from the SNCF Train Station. It offers furnish… MoreEUR 44 - 55 Altica Pau
 10th hotel of the Altica chain, Altica Pau is the perfect place for a cosy getaway or a family holiday in the South of France.
Enjoy the comfort of 6… MoreEUR 49 - 99 All Suites Appart Pau
 Ten minutes from Pau city centre and a 15-minute walk from Domaniale Forest, lies the All Suites Appart with its contemporary suites and studios featu… MoreEUR 55 - 85 Appart´hotel Victoria Garden Pau
 Ideally located just 25 minutes from the train station and 15 minutes from Pau Pyrénées Airport, the Appart’hotel Victoria Garden’s well-equippe… MoreEUR 49 - 49 Atlantic Hotel
 The Atlantic Hotel is located in Pau, near the A64 motorway and the airport. It offers spacious rooms with satellite TV and free Wi-Fi internet access… MoreEUR 40 - 88 Brit Hôtel Bosquet
 Recently certified HotelCert AFAQ, Hotel Bosquet, a quality hotel, is located in Pau, capital of the Béarn region and close to the Pyrenees.
Le Bos… MoreEUR 86 - 154 Best Western La Palmeraie
 Le Best Western La Palmeraie is set near La Forêt Domaniale de Bastard, 5 minutes from the centre of Pau and 200 metres from exit 10 of the A64 motor… MoreEUR 72 - 85 Best Western Hôtel Continental
 Located in the historical centre of the royal city of Pau, the hotel Best Western Continental is just a few steps from the Beaumont Palace.
This pre… MoreEUR 43 - 58 A L´hôtel
 Situated opposite the university and just 1.5 kilometres from the centre of Pau, the A l’Hotel offers quality accommodation at an affordable price. … More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pau: Guide
''For the Italian town, see Pau (OR).
Pau is a town of southwestern département.
Geography
Pau was the capital of the former provinces of France|province of Béarn. The site, on a slight elevation overlooking the valley of the mountain river called the Gave de Pau, where it was crossed by a ford, controlled access to an easy passage into the Pyrenees, used annually for the seasonal pasturage of flocks of sheep in the high meadows (now represented by a hiking footpath GR65 that runs about 60 km south to the Spain|Spanish border). Access to the pass partly accounts for Pau's strategic importance.
History
The site was fortified by the 11th century— "pau" means "palissade" in Gaston Fébus, count of Foix, became the residence of the kings of Navarre, who were also counts of Béarn, and so it was the birthplace of Henry IV of France (1553–1610), though his mother, the redoubtable Jeanne d'Albret, had to cross the whole of France to ensure that her son was born at Pau. The baby's lips were moistened with the local wine and rubbed with garlic in his first moments. Charles XIV of Sweden was also born at the château, in 1763. The château now is considered a French historical monument and contains a nice collection of tapestry.
When Henri IV left Pau to become King of France, he remarked to the local notables that he was not giving Béarn to France, he was giving France to Béarn.
The English discovered the charms of Pau and its climate and left a decided imprint, before the French themselves did, partly because Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Wellington left a garrison at Pau on his way into Spain. The vacationing British, arriving before the railroad did, established the scenic promenade, the Boulevard des Pyrenées, the first full 18-hole golf course in Europe (laid out in 1856/1860, and still in existence), and a real tennis court (since converted into a trinquet).
Napoleon III of France|Napoleon III refurbished the château, while Pau added streets of Belle Époque architecture, before fashion transferred to Biarritz. Pau is still a major centre for winter sports and for equestrian events, with a famous steeplechase (horse racing)|steeplechase.
Main sights
In the center of Pau there is a magnificent castle, le château de Pau that dominates the château quarter of the city. It is famous for being the birthplace of the 15th century king of France Henri IV and used to be used by Napoleon as a holiday home during his period of power. It has a small garden that was tended by Marie Antoinette when she spent much of the summers in the city. Tours are available daily except holidays and last apporimately an hour to an hour and a quarter (they are conducted exclusively in French but there are information sheets in English and other major languages).
There is an excellent wikipedia article on the
The other must see attraction is the Boulevard de Pyrenees. A walk of only about three-quarters of a kilometer or so from the château to the Parc du Beaumont and the royal Beaumont Park it has magnificent views of the mountains in the Pyrenees mountain range. Taking a stroll along the elevated path, be sure to look at the iron hand-rails for the plaques that tell you which mountain is directly infront of you and how high it is.
From the Boulevard de Pyrenees there is a (newly refurbished) funicular railway that takes you from the top of the boulevard to the bottom beside the train station.
When you arrive in Pau the tourist information office is well funded and can be found attached to the town hall in Place Royale
From the 1950s to the 1990s Pau depended on the production of natural gas and sulphur dioxide which were discovered nearby at Lacq. Today the mainstays of the Béarn area are the oil business, the aerospace industry (Turbomeca), tourism and agriculture. Pau was the birthplace of Elf Aquitaine, which has now become a part of Total S.A.|Total.
The UPPA|Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (founded in 1972) is also in the town.
Pau holds the honor of arranging the first race ever to be called a Grand Prix in 1901. After that the 1928 French Grand Prix was held in nearby St Gaudens, Pau also wanted to arrange the race and in 1930 the French Grand Prix was held on a Circuit de la Sarthe|Le Mans type track outside the city with Philippe Étancelin winning for Bugatti. Pau was back in the race calendar in 1933, now with a Circuit de Monaco|Monaco inspired track in the city center.
The track, which is 2.769 km in length, is one of the most curious and twisty in the GP history and has remained more or less unchanged into the 1990s. The first curve is the sharp station hairpin. After that the road climbs on the Avenue Léon Say, alongside the stone viaduct that carries the Boulevard de Pyrenées, to Pont Oscar. A tunnel is followed by the narrow hairpin at the school that leads the track into the demanding Parc Beaumont section at the top of the town. After visiting the Casino garden and passing yet another hairpin, the Virage the Buisson, the track winds its way back to the startline along the Avenue Lacoste.
Pau was traditionally the season opener but selecting mid February as the date for the 1933 GP was to challenge the fate and the race took place in a snowstorm with sludge making the conditions into one of the worst ever in racing history. After a one year pause the race was back in 1935 with Tazio Nuvolari dominating for Ferrari. The 1936 race saw the only major victory for the Maserati V8-R1, driven by Ètancelin. In 1937 the race was part of the French sports car series with Jean-Pierre Wimille dominating, running three to four seconds a lap faster than the rest of the field. GP racing was back in 1938 and Pau became a test track for Mercedes-Benz before the European Championship (auto racing)|Grandes Epreuves.
The 1938 race saw René Dreyfus' Delahaye sensationally beating the Mercedes-Benz team. In 1939 Mercedes wasn't to be taken by surprise, Hermann Lang leading the team to a double victory. After the World War II|war Pau continued as a non-championship Formula 1 race until 1963. Thereafter the race was run to Formula 2 rules until the sport was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985. In 1999, the event again changed, with Formula Three cars racing.
Pau was the birthplace of:
Pau is twinned with:
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Pau". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.Economy
Transport
Pau has an airport, Pau Pyrénées Airport, which is about 10 km away from the centre. The A64 motorway runs across Pau. The Spanish border is about 60 km away from Pau.Miscellaneous
Grand Prix de Pau
Births
Jeanne d'Albret (1528–1572), Queen of Navarre from 1555 to 1572
Henry IV of France|Henry IV (1553–1610), king of France from 1589 to 1610
Charles XIV John of Sweden|Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte (1763–1844), Marshal of France and later Monarch of Sweden|King of Sweden and King of Norway|Norway
André Courrèges (born 1923), fashion designer
Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg (born 1943), politician
Bertrand Cantat (born 1964), singer and songwriter
Cedric Gracia (born 1978), mountain biking|mountain biker
Charles Denis Bourbaki (1816–1897), French general of Greek descentTwin towns
Zaragoza, Spain, since 1970
Mobile, Alabama|Mobile, Alabama, United States, since 1975
Pistoia, Italy, since 1975
Kofu, Yamanashi|Kofu, Japan, since 1977
Setúbal, Portugal, since 1981
Swansea, Wales, since 1982
Göttingen, Germany, since 1983
Daloa, Côte d'Ivoire, since 1984
Xi'an, China, since 1986See also
Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez
Section Paloise - rugby union|union teamExternal links
(English)