Col du Tourmalet and the French Pyrenees by Motorcycle

The Col du Tourmalet is the road most riders come to the French Pyrenees for: a 2,115 m (6,939 ft) pass in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, climbed from Luz-Saint-Sauveur in the west over 19.0 km (11.8 miles) or from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan in the east over 17.2 km (10.7 miles), both averaging 7.4 per cent. Pair it with the Col d'Aubisque at 1,709 m (5,607 ft) and the Col du Soulor at 1,474 m (4,836 ft) and you have a two-day loop that most riders rate against anything in the Alps. The catch is the calendar. The Tourmalet is generally shut from around 1 November to the end of May, and the Aubisque is typically closed from December into June, so this is a summer and early-autumn region and nothing else.

What makes the French Pyrenees different from the Alps

Riders who arrive expecting a smaller Alps usually leave with a different impression. The passes here are lower — the Tourmalet's 2,115 m would be an unremarkable number in the Écrins — but the roads are narrower, the traffic is thinner outside the Tour de France window, and the villages at the foot of each climb are working farm villages rather than resorts. The range also runs east to west along the Spanish border, which means most of the classic climbs are north-side approaches out of the same string of valleys, and you can link three or four in a day without repeating yourself.

The other difference is cyclists. The Tourmalet has appeared in the Tour de France more than any other pass, first crossed in 1910 and visited 87 times up to 2020, and the Aubisque has been crossed 47 times since 1947 alone. On a July weekend you will be sharing every hairpin with people on 8 kg bikes going 8 km/h uphill. Plan for it, leave room, and do not use the whole road on a blind bend.

Route at a glance

Section	Distance and height	Character	Start and end
Col du Tourmalet, west side	19.0 km (11.8 miles), 1,404 m (4,606 ft) of climb	Average 7.4%, maximum 10.2% near the top	Luz-Saint-Sauveur to the summit via Barèges
Col du Tourmalet, east side	17.2 km (10.7 miles), 1,268 m (4,160 ft) of climb	Average 7.4%, maximum 12%, passes La Mongie	Sainte-Marie-de-Campan to the summit
Col d'Aubisque, west side	16.6 km (10.3 miles), 1,190 m (3,900 ft) of climb	Easy start, a 13% ramp, then 8 km at 8% past Gourette	Laruns to the summit via Eaux-Bonnes
Aubisque to Soulor corniche	10.6 km (6.6 miles) between the two cols	Cliff-edge road through the Cirque du Litor, two short narrow tunnels	Col d'Aubisque to Col du Soulor
Col du Soulor, east approach	19.5 km (12.1 miles), 1,019 m (3,343 ft) of climb	Average 5.2%, steepening past Arrens-Marsous to 10% and more	Argelès-Gazost to the Col du Soulor

The Col du Tourmalet, both sides

The western climb from Luz-Saint-Sauveur is the one most riders remember. It starts gently along the gave, tightens through Barèges, and then opens out onto bare grassy slopes where the road stacks up in visible switchbacks above you. The steepest section, a little over 10 per cent, comes in the last kilometres, and it is the part where the surface has the most patching. From the east, the climb out of Sainte-Marie-de-Campan is shorter and steeper — up to 12 per cent — and runs through the ski station of La Mongie two-thirds of the way up, which brings buildings, parked cars and pedestrians into what was until then an empty mountain road.

At the summit there is a shop, a memorial to Jacques Goddet, and a large statue of Octave Lapize, the first rider over in 1910. There is also a rough track heading up towards the Pic du Midi de Bigorre observatory; the section as far as the Col de Laquets at 2,637 m (8,652 ft) is dirt and gravel, and beyond that it becomes a hiking path rather than a road. On a loaded touring bike, the sensible plan is to look at it and carry on over the pass.

One correction worth having: despite what a lot of signage and marketing implies, the Tourmalet is not the highest paved pass in the Pyrenees. That is the Port d'Envalira in Andorra at 2,407 m (7,897 ft), and on the French side the Col de Portet is higher too. It is still the pass that defines the range.

The Aubisque and the Soulor corniche

The Col d'Aubisque sits about 30 km (19 miles) south of Tarbes and Pau, on the northern slopes of the Pic de Ger, and connects Laruns in the Ossau valley to Argelès-Gazost in the Gave de Pau valley. Climbed from Laruns it is 16.6 km (10.3 miles) with 1,190 m (3,900 ft) of ascent: an easy run up to the spa village of Eaux-Bonnes, a sharp left into a 13 per cent section, then eight kilometres averaging 8 per cent past the Gourette ski resort at 1,400 m (4,600 ft).

The 10.6 km between the Aubisque and the Col du Soulor is the section riders talk about afterwards. The road is cut into the cliff face across the Cirque du Litor with almost nothing on the downhill side, and it passes through two short, narrow, unlit tunnels. It is not technically hard, but it demands that you look at the road rather than the drop, and it is a genuinely bad place to meet a camper van on a blind corner. This is also where Wim van Est went over the edge while wearing the yellow jersey in 1951 — there are barriers now, and a monument on the spot.

Building a loop out of it

The classic circuit links Argelès-Gazost, the Soulor, the Aubisque and Laruns on one day, then Luz-Saint-Sauveur, the Tourmalet and Sainte-Marie-de-Campan on the next, with Bagnères-de-Bigorre or Argelès-Gazost as a base. Riders with more time add the road up to the Cirque de Gavarnie south of Luz-Saint-Sauveur for the cliff scenery, or cross the border into Spain over the Col du Pourtalet or the Somport for a lunch that costs half as much.

Distances are short — the whole area fits inside a 100 km (62 mile) square — so the temptation is to over-plan. Two big cols in a day is a full day here, because the average speed on these roads is far lower than the map suggests and every summit invites a stop.

Practical details that decide the trip

Season. The Tourmalet is generally closed from around 1 November to 31 May, and the Aubisque from December through to about 1 June, though both dates move every year with the snow. The Hautes-Pyrénées department publishes live pass status on its InfoRoute65 service, and that is the only source worth trusting the morning you set off. As of August 2026, plan a trip between June and October and check the official status before committing to a route.

Race closures. When the Tour de France or the Vuelta a España is in the area, roads close to traffic for most of the day, sometimes from the previous afternoon. In July 2026 access to the Tourmalet on the D918 was closed from the Wednesday afternoon before the stage. If your dates fall in July, look up the route first.

Fuel. Fill up in the valley towns — Luz-Saint-Sauveur, Argelès-Gazost, Laruns, Bagnères-de-Bigorre. There is no fuel at the summits and the ski stations are seasonal.

Weather. Cloud rolls up the valleys in the afternoon and can put the top of the Tourmalet inside a whiteout while the valley is in sun. Cold, wet descents are normal even in August. Carry the layer you think you will not need.

Tolls and border crossings. The French motorways used to reach the region are tolled, and if you cross into Spain the road tolls and fuel prices change on the other side. Neither country requires a vignette for a motorcycle on these mountain roads. Check current toll arrangements with the motorway operator before you travel rather than relying on prices quoted in older guides.

Gear notes for the Pyrenees

Two things about this region shape what you want on the bike. The first is that mobile coverage disappears in the valleys between Laruns and Argelès-Gazost and does not reliably come back until you are over a col, so anything you depend on for routing has to work from data already stored on the device — our offline navigation guide for riding abroad covers how to set that up properly, and a riding system display keeps the map readable in the rain that comes with an afternoon descent. The second is altitude: climbing 1,400 m in under twenty kilometres and dropping the same amount an hour later moves tyre pressures noticeably, which is the mechanism explained in our guide to why pressures drop in cold weather, and a TPMS sensor turns that from a hunch into a reading you can act on at the summit car park. For longer trips where campsites and mountain gîtes have one shared socket, the MT100 bi-directional charger handles the phone, the intercom and the camera off one battery. Riders continuing north-east into the Alps will find the same logic in our Route des Grandes Alpes guide.

FAQ

When is the Col du Tourmalet open?

Typically from late May or early June until around the end of October. The pass is generally described as closed from 1 November to 31 May, but the actual reopening depends on snow clearance and shifts by weeks either way. Check the Hautes-Pyrénées InfoRoute65 service before you ride.

Is the Tourmalet difficult on a motorcycle?

No. It is a wide, well-surfaced two-way road with generous hairpins, and the gradient that punishes cyclists is irrelevant on a bike. The real hazards are cyclists, camper vans, cattle on the open sections and cloud arriving at the summit.

Which is better, the Tourmalet or the Aubisque?

The Tourmalet is the bigger climb and the famous one. The Aubisque and the corniche across to the Col du Soulor are the more dramatic ride, because the road is narrower and cut into a cliff. Most riders do both, and remember the corniche.

How many days do you need?

Three full riding days covers the Tourmalet, the Aubisque, the Soulor and a run up to Gavarnie without rushing. A week lets you add the Spanish side of the range and the passes further east towards Andorra.

Should you avoid July?

Not entirely, but check the Tour de France route. Stage days close the passes to traffic for hours, and the days either side bring heavy camper van traffic and full car parks at every summit. June and September are quieter with the same road conditions.