Enjoy the Pyrenees: The Cultural Crossing

The journey begins in the Basque Country: Bayonne with its cathedral, market halls, and chocolate tradition; the white-and-red etxeak of Ainhoa and Espelette; the witches’ caves of Zugarramurdi; and Roncesvalles, where pilgrims have been resting on the Way of St. James for a thousand years. Further east, the cheese dairies in the Roncal Valley, the Romanesque cathedral of Oloron-Sainte-Marie, and the pilgrimage site of Lourdes tell the story of a life balanced between piety and the daily life of mountain farmers.

At the heart of it all lies the golden age of the Romanesque: the UNESCO-listed churches of the Vall de Boí with their slender bell towers and frescoes, the Cathedral of La Seu d’Urgell, and the ecomuseums of Pallars Sobirà. Then begins the land of the Cathars—Foix and Montségur, fortresses perched on rocky ridges, symbols of resistance and a tragic end.

The south belongs to the Mediterranean: the Benedictine monasteries of Saint-Martin du Canigou and Saint-Michel de Cuxa, the Palais des Rois de Majorque in Perpignan, Collioure as the artists’ haven of the Fauvists, the vineyards of Banyuls, and, high above the sea, Sant Pere de Rodes. After visiting the Greco-Roman ruins of Empúries, the journey concludes in spectacular fashion at the Dalí Theater-Museum in Figueres.

Four weeks, four stages—or experience them individually. The route forms a grand cultural journey, but can also be booked on a weekly basis and customized to suit your preferences.