Bagnères de Luchon

This fashionable spa - Bagnères du Luchon - (alt. 630 m/2,065ft; pop. 2,900) is beautifully situated at the junction of the rivers Pique and One, under the highest Pyrenean peaks, with the winter sports resort of Superbagnères (1,800 m/5,900ft) 19km/ 12mi away. The springs were frequented in Roman times, and three Roman baths have been excavated. In the 17th C. the spa was made fashionable by Cardinal Richelieu, the springs having one of the highest sulfur contents and one of the highest degrees of radioactivity in the world. The Musée du Pays de Luchon is informative on local history. Near the town is the important Romanesque church of St- Aventin (11th C.), with two square towers and a doorway with figured capitals.

Luchon is a good base for an excursion to the Vallée du Lys.