Laruns: Hotels and Accommodations

Laruns is home to the ZNIEFF “Versant ouest du Lurien, de Soques et de Peyrelue”. This area covers 3,362.66 hectares and ranges from 1,040 to 2,826 m in elevation.

Nature and Hiking

The Laruns area covers 25,000 hectares of meadows, forests, summer pastures, rivers, lakes and peat bogs. It is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including some partly endemic species. Several thousand hectares of summer pastures are used every year by transhumant sheep, cattle, goats and horses. Grazing maintains open landscapes that are accessible to hikers.

The GR 10 is one of the hiking trails that includes a stage in Laruns. The Tour des lacs d’Ayous in Laruns is a difficult 14.2 km hiking loop lasting around five hours. It connects four large lakes below the Pic du Midi d’Ossau.

In the heart of the village, the Maison du Parc national des Pyrénées - Laruns is located next to the tourist office and shops. Its information area provides materials on hiking trails, mountain refuges, fauna, flora and regulations. The Maison du Parc national des Pyrénées in Laruns also features a permanent exhibition about the natural riches of the Ossau Valley.

Finding a hotel in Laruns is a separate decision within your travel planning.

Culture and History

The Chapelle de Gabas in Laruns is listed and protected as a historic monument; its main construction phases date from the 12th and 13th centuries. The Church of Saint Peter received a total of 49 figurative and decorative stained-glass windows in 1881 and 1883. The Commandery of Gabas was a modest station on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.

The patronal festival Heste de Nouste Dame takes place in Laruns every year on August 15 and 16. It includes traditional costumes, processions, dances and songs. Hèstas de Noste Dama de Laruntz, also known as Fêtes de Notre-Dame de Laruns, is listed in the French inventory of intangible cultural heritage.

In Laruns, the Ossau language, singing, dancing and centuries-old traditions are considered living components of cultural identity.

Events and Excursions

The Médiathèque Municipale in the center of Laruns hosts art exhibitions and conferences, as well as nature workshops and various performances throughout the year.

The Hera deu Hromatge takes place every year on the first Sunday in October. The Hera deu Hromatge awards the best cheese made by shepherds and producers from the Ossau Valley.

The Train d’Artouste can be reached from the village of Laruns and is located 20 km from Laruns. It runs for 10 km along a mountainside at an altitude of 2,000 m.

The access roads to Laruns are suitable for cycle tourists.

Further destinations: Eaux-Bonnes, Gourette, Lées-Athas, Urdos, Arette.

For the overview of higher-level destinations: Pyrenees-Atlantiques.