Environment

Some signs cannot be mistaken. Each year, the department attracts around 3 million tourists. The extent of its charms is far-reaching. The lush Pyrénées mountain range provides fresh air for outdoor recreation. The area offers ski resorts, high-altitude tourist trains, white-water sports, family hiking excursions, and mountain climbing. Its National Park serves as a preserve for flora and fauna that form a priceless heritage.

The coastline beckons laid-back types and thrill seekers alike with its prestigious beach resorts, its untamed seaboard, its marinas and fishing ports, its thalassotherapy spas, and its board sports, drawing surfers from around the world.

Rural tourism invites visitors to explore the countryside, where invigorating mountain streams gently snake through the hills. In the south-western part of the department, the waters of the Bidassoa River flow across a vast expanse of land, carving out the natural border with Spain. To the east and north rise old houses topped with shingles, the signature roof found on typical Béarn homes. From the mouth of the Adour to the province of Soule stand imposing Basque structures. From their white walls spring colourful woodwork in crimson and bright green. These lands are the sentinels of ancestral traditions. In their hands, they guard the secrets of the local cuisine, noble and refined, toasted with the nectar of the Jurançon, Irouléguy, Madiran, and Bellocq wine regions.