Hotels in Tarbes

Tarbes is the workaday prefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées, a mid-sized market town on the plain with the full wall of the Pyrenees filling the southern horizon on clear days. It is better known as a base than a destination. Lourdes and its pilgrim crowds are a short hop away, the ski stations and the Pic du Midi are within easy driving range, and the Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées airport sits just outside town. Its own sights are modest but real: the Jardin Massey, a large and genuinely lovely landscaped park with a museum at its centre; the Haras national, the historic stud farm tied to the region's horse-breeding tradition; and the birthplace of Marshal Foch.

Food-wise, look for the haricot tarbais, the local bean that turns up in garbure and cassoulet. Be honest: the centre can feel quiet to the point of sleepy, especially in the evenings and on Sundays, and few people linger more than a night or two. Stay in the town centre between the train station and the Jardin Massey, where you can walk to restaurants and still make quick exits toward the mountains or Lourdes.