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Arrival, information and accommodation
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Pau's
airport
, to the north of town (tel 05.59.33.33.00), is overshadowed by those nearby at Tarbes-Lourdes and Biarritz, so don't expect any international flights - just a few to Paris. The town lies on the A64
autoroute PyrA©nA©enne
and on the main east-west rail route, with connections to Bayonne and Biarritz to the west, and Lourdes, Tarbes and Toulouse to the east, as well as to Bordeaux and Paris. The
gare SNCF
is on the southern edge of the city centre by the riverside: SNCF
buses
leave from here, and private buses from various kerbside terminals in rue Gachet, off place Clemenceau. Buses run south down the VallA©e d'Ossau and to Oloron-Ste-Marie, with onward connections to the VallA©e d'Aspe. A
free funicular
carries you up from the train station to the boulevard des PyrA©nA©es, opposite place Royale, at the far end of which is the
tourist office
(July & Aug Mon-Sat 9am-6.30pm, Sun 9am-1pm & 2-6.30pm; rest of year Mon-Sat 9am-1pm & 2-6pm; tel 05.59.27.27.08). For information on walking and climbing try the local CAF, 5 rue RenA© Fournets (Mon-Fri evenings only; tel 05.59.27.71.81), or Librairie des PyrA©nA©es, 14 rue St-Louis, which stocks a wide range of books on the mountains. There is a central
Internet cafA©
,
CyberSeventys
, at 7 rue Gambetta (
www.CyberSeventys.com
).
For a friendly, clean and quiet budget hotel , try the HA?tel d'Albret , 11 rue Jeanne-d'Albret, close to the castle (tel 05.59.27.81.58; under 160F/a?¬24), which has large rooms mostly with basins. Two equally central alternatives are the HA?tel le Matisse , 17 rue Mathieu-Lalanne, opposite the MusA©e des Beaux-Arts (tel 05.59.27.73.80; under 160F/a?¬24), and Pomme d'Or at 11 rue MarA©chal-Foch (tel 05.59.27.78.48; under 160F/a?¬24). Two-star, en-suite comfort is available at the Commerce at 9 rue MarA©chal-Joffre (tel 05.59.27.24.40, fax 05.59.83.81.74; 220-300F/a?¬34-46) and the Postillon at 10 Cours Camou behind place de Verdun (tel 05.59.72.83.00, fax 05.59.72.83.13; 220-300F/a?¬34-46), both arrayed around their own courtyards.
There are two
hostels
: one at 30 rue Michel-Hounau (tel 05.59.72.61.00), and the
Maison EuropA©enne de la Jeunesse
, 18 rue Bourbaki, at the end of rue Montpensier (tel 05.59.62.50.50), with a canteen. There is also a pair of
campsites
, the
Base de Plein Air
at Gelos (tel 05.59.06.57.37; closed Oct-May), just over the river from the train station, which has better amenities and is more convenient than the municipal one on boulevard du Cami-SaliA©, off avenue Sallenave towards the
autoroute
, on the northern edge of town (tel 05.59.02.30.49; closed Oct-May). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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France,
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