Pays de Nay

The Pays de Nay extends from Lestelle de Betharram to Arthez d'Asson. This area, rich in its local heritage, offers its visitors various historical, gastronomic and artisanal walks.

Map of the Pays de Nay

NAY

Located halfway between Pau and Lourdes, Nay is a fortified town founded in 1302 by the Viscountess of Béarn Marguerite de Moncade. The fortified towns mainly have a commercial and trading vocation, based on the sale of regional products and the promotion of local crafts.

Its market, founded by Gaston Phébus, still exists and the trades are very diverse. Several spinning mills have been set up, including the one that makes the famous Béarn beret. Visitors strolling through the streets of Nay will travel through the centuries thanks to its traditional Béarnese architecture inherited from the Middle Ages and the workers' settlement at the end of the 19th century.

At the foot of the Pyrenees, on the banks of the Gave de Pau, the setting is ideal for nature lovers who want to recharge their batteries.

The green Pays de Nay

The bastide of Lestelle-Bétharram

Just 20 km from Pau, Lestelle-Bétharram is an old fortified town that has preserved a very beautiful architectural heritage. People also come here on pilgrimage, because it is a place where an apparition of the Virgin Mary is famous, having saved a young girl from drowning in the Gave de Pau.

• Admire the listed Saint Jean-Baptiste church. The chapel of Bétharram which contains listed and precious religious objects. Don't hesitate to go inside to observe its magnificent sculptures and paintings representative of this Béarnese Gothic art.
• Dive into the depths of the earth, discovering the superb Caves of Bétharram which are located between two departments. It's fun, because you enter on the Pyrénées-Atlantiques side and come out on the Hautes-Pyrénées side! What a journey...
• Discover the Museum of the Congregation of the Fathers of Betharram, which houses a collection of crafts, ancient coins and religious artifacts.

Lestelle-Bétharram is rich in sports activities. With family, as a couple or with friends, enjoy the mountain hiking trails, discover the pleasures of white water fishing and relax, while having fun, at the Saillet leisure center.

Located at the foot of the Pyrenees, this leisure center, which also serves as a campsite, offers several sports activities such as rafting and canoeing. Ohlala Eaux Vives provides you with paddles, buoys and hydrospeeds to entertain you while admiring the Pyrenees.

Lestelle Bétharram Photo @Flo641 CC BY SA 4.0

The caves of Bétharram, a jewel to discover, well hidden underground. Photo: @ Fiche des Gƒrottes de Bétharram

CRAFTS OF THE PAYS DE NAY

The Basque beret was once knitted by the shepherds themselves, before being manufactured in the factories of Oloron from 1800, then of Nay. The city also has today a beret museum, unique in the world, very interesting to visit. You will discover the history and the manufacture of this headgear which will no longer hold any secrets for you. The Basque beret is exported nowadays well beyond our borders.

The Nay region is also home to one of the last bell-making workshops. Maison Daban works with sheet metal to make bells that will be used by the herds of the Pyrenees. These are real musical instruments for livestock, and their creation requires unique know-how that is presented to visitors using videos and guided tours of the workshops. Maison Daban is an excellent example of the longevity of traditional Béarnese know-how that spans several generations.

Maison Daban manufactures handcrafted bells. Photo @ Maison Daban information sheet

LOCAL PRODUCTS

The country of Nay is also highlighted by its terroir and its gastronomy. These specialties are valued thanks to many producers, restaurateurs and markets who exhibit their products in order to seduce your senses. Several labeled regional companies open their doors to the public in order to share their passion for the art of eating well in Béarn.

Cheeses, cold meats, honey, preserves, local produce... are on sale directly at the farm or can be found on the stalls of the most beautiful markets in Béarn.

Tours of the goat farm are offered allowing everyone to understand the chain of operations of cheese making from milking to maturing. Your trip ends with a tasting of several of these products.

Other sites, such as the Rucher du Mourle honey house, welcome visitors to present their trades and their productions in order to show the wide range of products that the Pays de Nay offers.

The markets of the Pays de Nay

ACTIVITIES AND LEISURE

The Pays de Nay offers a wide range of activities and leisure activities. Thus, we suggest you go and discover the Maison Carrée located in the heart of the bastide of Nay. This 16th century building, listed as a Historic Monument, houses the Museum of Industry.

Its architecture typical of private mansions in the Italian Renaissance style makes this house a must-see place in Nay. Immerse yourself in the history of the Béarnese rural industry and its relationship with the landscape that surrounds you.

Finally, nature lovers and those who enjoy relaxing by the water will find what they are looking for at Lake Baudreix. A sandy beach, water slides, water activities, marked trails and other courses are open to visitors in an exceptional setting.

The Ôkiri leisure center offers you the opportunity to get your fill of thrills thanks to the water ski lift and the Water Jump Drop In. This leisure center also offers accommodation (mobile homes, chalets or cabins) and catering areas , including a floating restaurant, so you can fully enjoy your time with family or friends.

A beautiful playground!

LOURDES

A Catholic pilgrimage center since the mid-19th century and a few kilometers from Nay, Lourdes welcomes millions of visitors and pilgrims from all over the world each year.

It was in 1858 that the Virgin appeared several times, in the grotto of Massabielle, to Bernadette Soubirous. Seventeen other apparitions followed and the creation of sanctuaries began. The city, located at the crossroads of several valleys, near the Gave de Pau, offers its visitors different discovery circuits around an exceptional fauna and flora as well as several cultural activities.

We invite you to visit its fortified castle overlooking the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, its panoramic terraces as well as the three basilicas of Lourdes: the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and finally, the Basilica of Saint Pius X.