Things to do

In the direct neighborhood of Tuzaguet (within 20 minutes drive) there are many cultural highlights such as the Roman village Saint Bertrand the Comminges, built in 72 BC, with the cathedral containing the impressive 67 stalls within the choir made out of oak and walnut representing characters from the bible. ‘Château de Mauvezin‘, originally built in 1380, but recently completely renovated. ‘Abbaye de L’Escaladieu‘, from the 12th century, and ‘Basilique St. Just de Valcabrère‘, from the 11th century.

Pyrenees equals superb hikes. The most famous hike is to the waterfall ‘Gavernie’ in National Park ‘Cirque de Gavernie’. The park is just under a 2-hour-drive from Domaine Lou Castet. This is a great day trip! Closerby are beautiful hikes at ‘Cap Nestès‘ (45 min. away), ‘Gourge d’Asque‘ (30 min. away), ‘Casacade du Pointhil‘ and the ruines of ‘Château Bramevaque‘ (both 20 min. away), ‘Mont Ergé‘ (12 min. away), ‘Le Calvaire du Mont Arès‘ and ‘Les vestiges du Château de Montoussé‘ (both 8 min. away from Le Domaine). It is also possible to go hiking with an experienced guide.

The French Pyrenees are well known among cyclists with famous ‘cols‘ such as ‘Col d’Aspin’, ‘Col des Ares’, ‘Col de Menthe’, ‘Le Mourtis’, ‘Col de Portet d’Aspet’ and ‘Port de Balès’. In July 2017 and 2022 the ‘Tour de France‘ passed by the door of Domaine Lou Castet on it’s stage through the Pyrenees Mountains. Besides the ‘cols’ there are beautiful tracks directly from Tuzaguet to St. Betrand the Comminges and beyond or cycling in the direction of Arreau in the ‘Vallée d’Aure’.

The pilgrimage town Lourdes with it’s beautiful ‘Basilique Notre Dame du Rosaire’, ‘Basilique de l’immaculée conception’ and famous cave, ‘La Grotte des Apparitions’ where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to Bernadette, is 50 minutes away by car. The water from the spring has been claimed to cure nervous disorders, cancers, paralysis and even blindness. Outside the ‘Sanctuaries of our Lady of Lourdes’, there is a steep climb up the stairs to the ‘Château Fort de Lourdes’  offering amazing views of the sanctuary, Lourdes and the Pyrenees.

Vacation is all about relaxing. What about a visit to the Golf Club at Lannemezan (10 minutes drive) or the spa of Capvern les Bains (15 minutes drive). It were the Romans who were the first to exploit the thermal springs here. Today it specializes in treating the renal and urinary system, metabolic disorders and excess weight. As well as providing an overall relaxation and well-being experience in thermal water. If you like snow, head to Nistos Cap Nestès (45 minutes drive), a cross country ski station with 8 pistes: 1 black, 4 red, 2 blue and 1 green. In St. Lary Soulan (40 minutes drive) is a downhill ski station with 55 pistes: 10 black, 12 red, 26 blue and 7 green. In the warmer season both areas are also great for hiking. Fishing, with a permit, ‘carte de peche‘, obtained online, can be done in the river Neste (8 minutes walk). More adventurous activities such as rock climbing and canyoning are also possible in the area.

In good weather it is great to swim. This can be done in the river Neste in Tuzaguet, an 8-minute-walk from Domaine Lou Castet. It is fun to swim with the current or jump from the rocks (different heights). At Lortet (12 minutes by car) is another excellent place to enjoy ‘La Neste‘ as there are big pick nick tables, plenty of large trees providing shade and grass to lie on. In St. Laurent de Neste (5 minutes drive) are ‘Les Ocybelles‘, an outdoor swimming pool filled with natural spring water.  A very affordable outdoor animation park is ‘Parc de Loisirs de la Demi Lune‘ in Lannemezan (10 minutes drive). Entrance is just 1 euro and many attractions (playground, mini farm, fairy tale castle) are free of charge. For pony riding, peddle boating, bumper boating, zip lining, baby bob slewing and other attractions there is a small fee.

There are three caves in the area of Le Domaine: ‘Le Gouffre d’Esparros‘, ‘Les Grottes de Gargas‘ and ‘Les Grottes de Labastide‘. The tunnels and galleries of the first cave are covered in crystal formations and there are several impressive stalactites & stalagmites. The visit is animated with lights and music and by a tour guide who explains how the crystals are formed. The other two caves have prehistoric drawings on it’s wall including paintings of hands, a horse and a bison. The caves are within 20 minutes drive by car.

The Pic du Midi de Bigorre at 2,877 m is one of the mountain peaks of the French Pyrenees. You can get to the top by cable lift and take in the panoramic view. There is a restaurant and a museum about the history of this peak. In the planetarium you can discover the stars and planets as the highest astronomical observatory of Europe is located here as well. It houses a 1.06-meter telescope that was installed in 1963, funded by NASA, and was used to take detailed photographs of the surface of the Moon in preparation for the Apollo missions.