Things to do in Tarbes
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Tarbes
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months overall, warm, mountain roads open, gardens at their best and day trips in their prime.
Festival and mountain peak, hottest and busiest weeks, with afternoon mountain thunderstorms.
Ski season in the stations above and the Pic du Midi at its most spectacular on clear winter days.
Worst month for the city alone, rain, short days and the thinnest cultural programme.
What's on
- Equestria late July
Horse festival at the Haras with equestrian shows, night creations, a gourmet village and music.
- Tarbes en Tango mid to late August
A week of Argentine tango, milongas and shows in Jardin Massey and venues across the city.
- Tarba en Canta early June
International festival of polyphony, vocal ensembles in Tarbes churches and halls.
- Tour de France passage July, most years
The Tour crosses the Hautes Pyrenees most years, with road closures, crowds and full hotels.
Best things to do in Tarbes
Jardin Massey
An 11 hectare garden with rare trees, ponds, a cloister and free roaming peacocks in the centre of Tarbes.
Musée Massey
The Hussars collection of uniforms and cavalry history, plus fine art, inside the villa in Jardin Massey.
Haras de Tarbes
The historic national stud, visited on a guided tour of stables, forge and horse museum in parkland.
Halle Brauhauban
More than 40 food traders under one roof, best on Saturday for oysters, cheese, charcuterie and a picnic.
Halle Marcadieu
The big Thursday morning market for Bigorre produce, cheese, cured meats and flowers around Place Marcadieu.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Sède
Tarbes oldest monument, a 12th century cathedral in brick and pebbles with a baroque marble canopy inside.
Maison natale du Maréchal Foch
The birthplace of Ferdinand Foch, a small Bigourdan house museum of his life and Allied command in 1918.
Le Carmel
Contemporary art exhibitions in a former Carmelite chapel, a quiet cultural stop a short walk from the centre.
Where to stay in Tarbes
Centre-ville: Place de Verdun to Jardin Massey
first visits, couples, anyone without a car
Everything is within a 15 minute walk, restaurants cluster here and the station is walkable.
Gare and Avenue du Marechal Joffre
early trains, Lourdes day trips, one night stops
Functional and convenient for the station, a short walk from the centre but without its charm.
Laloubère, Odos and the southern edge
drivers, golfers, families wanting a pool
Free parking and bigger chain rooms by the golf courses and Lourdes road, but you drive in for dinner.
Orleix
a splurge with character
A village suburb five minutes out, quiet and residential, with the area top scoring chateau hotel.
Think twice about
- Motorway edge commercial zones at Bastillac and Odos without a car
Not walkable at night, with no pavements or people around. Fine for drivers, wrong for a car free stay.
- Immediate station perimeter as a holiday base
Functional and deserted late at night. Use it for an early train, sleep in the centre for a holiday.
Best restaurants in Tarbes
L'Empreinte
Manuel Godet creative cooking on local produce, simple at lunch and ambitious in the evening.
L'Arpège
Japanese inflected creative cooking by two Japanese chefs on Place de Verdun, with a valued lunch menu.
Le Soixante Cinq
Modern French cooking named for the department, one of the highest rated kitchens in the city.
Le Contre-Temps
Relaxed, good value French cooking with a lovely menu and great service, easy to return to.
Le Petit Gourmand
A dependable centre bistro for local French food, a short walk from the main square and worth it.
Les Galopins
A lively French bar restaurant for tapas, burgers, steak and fish, the liveliest room on a Saturday.
Asia Restaurant
The most reviewed Asian restaurant in Tarbes, Chinese, Asian and Thai cooking praised for flavour and choice.
L'Amuse Bouche
Cheap, fresh and healthy leaning French lunch cooking with a rating level with the city best.
Outdoor things to do in Tarbes
Le Caminadour
A flat green way along the Adour for walking, jogging and cycling, starting inside the city itself.
Golf de Tarbes les Tumulus
An 18 hole par 70 wooded course south of Tarbes, technical and accessible with Pyrenees views.
Golf de l'Hippodrome de Laloubère
A 9 hole course inside the racecourse with fast greens, streams and exceptional views to the Pyrenees.
Pic du Midi de Bigorre
A cable car to a 2877 metre observatory summit for the great Pyrenees panorama, best on a clear morning.
Cirque de Gavarnie
A UNESCO glacial amphitheatre walked from Gavarnie village to the foot of the Grande Cascade waterfall.
Pont d'Espagne
Waterfalls and gorges where mountain valleys meet above Cauterets, gateway to Lac de Gaube and the GR10.
Lac de Gaube
A glacial lake above Pont d'Espagne looking straight to the Vignemale, reached by lift or the GR10 path.
Sanctuaire de Lourdes
The Sanctuary and Grotto at Lourdes, reached in about 20 minutes by direct train from Tarbes station.
Best hotels in Tarbes
Le Rex Hotel
The city four star flagship in the centre, with design rooms, private parking, wellness and fitness.
Hôtel Foch
A three star directly on Place de Verdun, contemporary rooms with some terraces and parking nearby.
Hôtel Henri IV
A calm three star near Jardin Massey with a patio, garden terrace, covered parking and bike rental.
Hôtel de l'Avenue
A welcoming family run two star minutes from Jardin Massey, clean and simple with a good breakfast.
Le NexHotel
A modern, soundproofed three star near the station with free parking, rated with the Rex as a top pick.
Le Nex2
The budget sibling of Le NexHotel, simple modern rooms with free parking for a station side stop.
ibis Tarbes Odos
A three star with garden, outdoor pool and Pyrenees views on the Lourdes road south of Tarbes.
ibis budget Tarbes
The lowest reliable price in the area, a compact budget room with free parking for drivers.
Is Tarbes expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €55 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €110 a person |
| Splurge | €220 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Haras de Tarbes: a few days ahead
- Théâtre des Nouveautés: a few days ahead
- Golf de Tarbes les Tumulus: a few days ahead
- Pic du Midi de Bigorre: weeks ahead
- Aquensis: a few days ahead
- Gave de Pau: a few days ahead
- L'Empreinte: weeks ahead
- L'Arpège: weeks ahead
- Book Le Rex and Chateau d'Orleix for Equestria, tango, Tour de France and Lourdes pilgrimage peaks.
- Book L'Empreinte, L'Arpege, the Haras tour, Aquensis treatments and Tumulus tee times ahead.
- Book the Pic du Midi cable car for a timed slot and summit nights months ahead.
Is Tarbes safe?
- Tarbes is a low crime provincial city, calm in the centre and around Jardin Massey in the evening.
- Watch bags in Thursday market crowds and do not leave valuables visible in mountain car parks.
- Emergency number is 112.
Tarbes travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not drive to Lourdes in pilgrimage season, take the 20 minute train instead.
- Do not go up the Pic du Midi in cloud, the ticket buys a view and nothing else.
- Many sights and restaurants close Sunday and Monday in some combination, and small museums keep split hours.
- Tarbes Arpege is not the Paris three star of the same name, it is excellent and its own thing.
Getting around Tarbes: public transport and more
- Walk the centre, Verdun to Jardin Massey is minutes and the station is a 10 to 15 minute walk.
- Trains run to Lourdes in about 20 minutes, to Pau in about 40 minutes and to Toulouse in under two hours.
- A car is needed for Gavarnie, the Pic du Midi, Pont d'Espagne and the golf courses.
- City buses cover Laloubère, Odos and the commercial zones for the edge hotels.
Who Tarbes suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Tarbes your trip
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