Pic du Midi
High Mountain Observatory At About 2,877 M In The Pyrenees, Reached By Cable Car From La Mongie, At The Heart Of The Pic Du Midi International Dark Sky Reserve Created In 2013 · La Mongie, Occitanie
The Pic du Midi de Bigorre is a lone summit of about 2,877 metres standing forward from the main chain of the Pyrenees, which gives it one of the widest mountain views in France. An observatory has worked on its top since the late nineteenth century, and research, notably on the Sun and the planets, still goes on beside the visitor areas. A cable car in two stages climbs from the ski resort of La Mongie in roughly a quarter of an hour, and on top there are terraces facing the whole range, a museum on astronomy and the history of the site, a restaurant and a glass walkway built out over the void. The summit sits at the heart of an International Dark Sky Reserve created in 2013, and the best way to see it is at night: star evenings and an overnight stay with dinner and telescope sessions, which must be booked well ahead, confirm. Weather decides everything here; high wind or storms stop the cable car, and it is cold on top even in August. Lourdes is about an hour away.
Pic du Midi, cable car from La Mongie, Hautes-Pyrénées, La Mongie, Occitanie, France
The Pic du Midi is open for much of the year, but the cable car depends on the weather, the season and maintenance, so check the official site or call on the morning of your visit. It usually runs every day in summer and on most days in winter and spring, with an annual technical closure of several weeks, often in late autumn and sometimes in spring, confirm the dates. Cabins leave La Mongie at regular intervals from the morning until mid-afternoon, and the last descent is in the late afternoon, earlier in winter, confirm. High wind, storms, icing or thick cloud can stop the cable car at short notice, and visitors on the summit may be brought down early. Evening sessions under the stars and the overnight stay with dinner, observation and breakfast run on selected dates and sell out weeks or months ahead, confirm prices and the programme. The restaurant on top serves lunch in normal opening hours. In winter La Mongie is a busy ski resort, and the road up from Bagnères-de-Bigorre is usually open, while the Col du Tourmalet road from Barèges is closed by snow from roughly autumn to late spring, confirm. Tickets are timed and can be booked online.