Pic du Midi
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Pic du Midi Classé - Grand Site Occitanie and International Dark Sky Reserve
An absolute must destination in Hautes-Pyrénées, the Pic du Midi is a wonderful place for families, friends and groups to visit by day or night.
Take the 15 minute cable car ride from La Mongie up to 2,877m altitude with a vertiginous drop of 350m below ! You arrive on a 600m² terrace where the show begins… A unique panorama across 300km of Pyrenean summits and in fine weather you can make out the foothills of the Massif Central to the north.
The Pic du Midi has been a major observation and research centre since 1880. It is the oldest astronomical high altitude observatory in the world and produced the lunar map for NASA in 1969.
At the summit of the Pic du Midi
Orientation tables enable visitors to identify the mountains and surrounding environment.
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The Pontoon in the Skies.
Don’t look down ! Keep your eyes fixed on the horizon as you walk along the 12 metre-long suspended metal gangway to a glass-enclosed viewing platform with a sheer drop below ! A one-off thrilling experience !
Vacances au Pic du Midi
The Planetarium
Take a seat in a comfortable armchair, tilted backwards beneath a huge dome for a journey to see the stars and lots more besides ! The Planétarium du Pic du Midi is inside the Baillaud Dome, a building steeped in history and science and the oldest astronomical installation in the observatory. It took two years to transport it to the summit on the back of men and mules in 1907 and 1908. After a century of research and astronomical discoveries, the Baillaud Dome has a new lease of life, housing the highest planetarium in Europe !
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Great ideas : spend the night at the summit, spend an evening star-gazing and ski or mountain bike down the slopes of the Pic !
Open all year round (except November and May). First cable car up leaves La Mongie at 09.30. Last cable car down leaves Pic du Midi at 17.00 (19.00 in July and August).
Access is via the ski resort of La Mongie.
How to get to Pic du Midi
By road : A64 autoroute, exit 12, then D935 or exit 14 then D918 to Bagnères. La Mongie is accessible all year round. Access via Barèges and Col du Tourmalet in summer only.
By air : nearest airports at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées (1 hour), Toulouse Blagnac (2 hours), Pau-Pyrénées (1¾ hours).
By rail : to Tarbes, TER Toulouse-Tarbes and TGV Paris-Lourdes-Tarbes. Bus and taxi service to La Mongie.
Advice : check the weather forecast before your trip to ensure you can make the most of your journey to the stars.
Discover other destinations in Hautes-Pyrénées : The Sanctuary of Lourdes and the Cirque de Gavarnie for lovers of wide open spaces and walking."
