The Pyrenees are a range of mountains in the southwest of Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. They separate the Iberian Peninsula from France and spread for about 430 km from the Bay of Biscay to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean Sea..
The Pyrenees are divided into three sections: the Central, the Atlantic the Western and the Eastern one). The highest summit is called Aneto (3.404 m ) situated in the Central Pyrenees.
Among the French ski resorts the most popular and interesting are: Bareges and La Mongie, Font Romeu and Les Angles.
The ski area around Bareges includes the connected resorts of Bareges and La Mongie. The 100 km of skiing would primarily exert an attraction of intermediates. You can ski back to Bareges but you must know that there is no nursery slope next to the village, the nursery area is at the top of gondola lift. Pretty tree level skiing exists on the slopes of Bareges.
Font Romeu is one of the oldest Europe`s winter centres. It has been offering hospitality to skiers since 1921 and it remains an active and well-known border resort that attracts weekend crowds from Spain and France. It owns the greatest snow making operation in the Pyrenees and the second biggest bed base. Font Romeu is a historic place, situated about 200 km from the city of Toulouse. To its greatest facilities belong: casino, climbing wall, dog sledding, horse riding, ice hockey, judo, squash, tennis and marked winter walking routes.
Les Angles is the northeast-facing ski resort that lies the nearest to Mont-Louis. There are 32 pistes, more than half of them red-rated, amounting over 40 km. Les Angles is a tribute to the winter sports. You can watch Catalan church steeples from the ski trails and ‘apres ski’ activities are inspired by the warmth of Catalonia. This ski resort, encompassed by forests and lakes, offers you many other attractions.
The most famous among Spanish ski resorts are: Baqueira-Beret, Formigal, Panticosa and La Molina.
Baqueira-Beret was founded in 1964 by Luis Arias (Spanish champion ski racer) and now it is one of the biggest resorts in Spain. The terrain is regarded as very challenging in the Pyrenees mountains. However, there is a modern lift system. Baqueira`s southerly latitude lets you ski an hour more than in the Alps.
The ski resort of Formigal lies in the Aragon Pyrenees. It is best suited to beginners, intermediate skiers and families. This place has a very specific friendly atmosphere, you do not come here just to shook hands with the celebrities. The services are provided at remarkably lower prices than in the better known winter playgrounds in the Alps.
Panticosa is situated in the centre of the Spanish Pyrenees Mountains in the region of Aragon. A group of locals living in this centuries-old village, came up with an idea of putting in a chair lift so as to make contact with the local mountain summits as far back as 1970. Today, after many innovations and improvements, Panticosa is a modern and charming resort.
La Molina lies in the Catalunya Pyrenees. This is the oldest Spanish ski area but there are many facilities which are being improved and developed for all the time. The scenery of La Molina is really spectacular and has been attracting skiers for nearly a century. The skiing conditions are ideal because of the pine-covered slopes of the Vall de Nuria.
What sort of winter sports can you practise in the Pyrenees? Here is the answer: ice skating, ice hockey, ice climbing, ski mountaineering & cross-country, skiing, snowboarding, mushing and mountaineering.
If you want to visit some interesting places, we assure you that you will find there plenty of them. It is enough when you go to Barcelona. There are so many things to see including La Sagrada Familia by Gaudi (probably the most famous Barcelona`s building) , Museu Picasso, La Seu Cathedral (a masterpiece of Gothic craftsmanship), Barri Gothic and many many other sights.
Another area with lots of places of interest is Costa Brava. There are: Santa Maria de Castello d`Empuries (the second of the most important religious monuments in the province) , Santa Maria de Vilabertran, Castell de Montsoriu (stands on the boundary between the townships of Arbucies and Sant Feliu de Buixalleu), Castell de Pelarada, Castell de Sant Ferran (a huge military fortress built in the 18th century) and that is not the end of the list, of course.
Now let`s focus on the Catalunya Pyrenees and its monuments and places of interest. Some of them are: Santa Maria abbey, Solsona Cathedral (made up of various buildings dating to the 11th-18th centuries), Colonia Vidal, Church of Sant Cristofol and Placa de la Creu (the nerve-centre of Tremp since ancient days).