Cirque de Gavarnie from Gavarnie village

From the car park in Gavarnie village, walk up through the village and follow the broad path up the valley beside the Gave de Gavarnie, through meadows and pine woods and over the Plateau de la Prade. The Cirque grows ahead, a vast amphitheatre of limestone walls and ledges, with the Grande Cascade falling down its back wall. The path ends at the Hôtellerie du Cirque, an old inn at the foot of the walls. Return the same way.

It is 7.4 km there and back with 193 m of ascent; allow about 2½ hours. The grade is Easy: a broad path and track with a steady, gentle climb.

Since 1997 the Cirque has been part of the Pyrénées-Mont Perdu World Heritage Site, listed for both its natural and its cultural value, with the great glacial cirques of Estaubé and Troumouse nearby. Beyond the Hôtellerie a path goes on towards the foot of the waterfall over rough ground with a risk of falling rock, and snow can lie there into summer; this walk stops at the Hôtellerie.

There are pay car parks in Gavarnie village, at the end of the road up the valley from Luz-Saint-Sauveur. In summer the path is busy, so start early.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.