Take a ride to the top of the world and discover the Pic du Midi
If a friend asks, have you been up the Pic du Midi, the smart answer is, which one? Do you mean the Pic du Midi d’Ossau, the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, the Pic du Midi d’Arrens, the Pic du Midi de Siguer, the Pic du Midi de Génos – and that’s only in the Pyrenees.
The confusion begins with the word ‘midi’ which in this context means ‘south’. The mountain which lies in that direction will vary according to your location, hence the need for an explanatory suffix.
The highest Pic du Midi in France is the Ossau version, 2,884 metres above sea level. It is a beautiful sight when viewed from the Boulevard des Pyrénées in the centre of Pau. A successful ascent requires a good level of fitness and a head for heights, and if you go with a professional guide, you will be roped up for some sections. And that is why anyone who asks if you have been up the Pic du Midi will almost certainly be referring to its slightly smaller sister from Bigorre, 2,877 metres above sea level. You can reach the summit in Bigorre by cable car from the ski station of La Mongie (for cycling fans, this is 3.5 kilometres from the Col du Tourmalet).
The summit of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre is clearly visible from many places including my local town, 170 kilometres to the north-east. Come closer – on the autoroute near Tarbes, for example – and you may spot a communications tower and a cluster of gleaming buildings clinging to the summit like the fortifications of a medieval fortress. This is a mixture of scientific and tourist infrastructure, including observatories, a cafeteria, a restaurant, and even a hotel where you can stay the night (at the time of writing, a double room costs €539 and the hotel is full until 6 January 2026!).
From the construction of the first observatory in 1878 until the present day, the Pic du Midi has been a centre of astronomical study thanks to its altitude and clear skies. Before 1949, the only way to reach the top was by foot, and it took the mule trains six hours to haul up supplies and scientific equipment. The first cable car was built between 1947 and 1952 and the television tower was added in 1963. A new cable car entered service in 2001, allowing the Pic du Midi to be opened to the general public. I should add that even here, a head for heights is useful because at one point the cable car sways 320 metres above the ground.
Today, a planetarium and several exhibition areas entertain and educate 140,000 visitors a year. But unless you come in poor visibility, the outstanding attraction for most people is the view. Of all the mountains I have climbed in the Pyrenees, this is one of the best places to appreciate their majestic scale. Many other summits are higher, but because the Pic du Midi de Bigorre lies on the northern edge of the central part of the range, it offers unrivalled views of hundreds of peaks to the east, west and south, including the highest mountain in the whole range (the Aneto in Spain) and the highest Pyrenean peak in France (Vignemale).
I enjoyed a visit last Friday, a glorious and well-deserved day of relaxation after a 64-kilometre trail running event on the border with Spain.
