The Sights
A medieval towered bridge is the main landmark in Orthez. Dating back to 1370 or thereabouts, it was once used for throwing off criminals! It was extensively restored about a hundred years ago, having been seriously damaged by Wellington’s army in 1814. Note the little window in its central tower; this was early rubbish disposal whereby garbage was simply tossed out into the river.
It is a short stroll from here to the Tourist Office housed in an impressive building the Maison de Jeanne d’Albret, a restored Bearnaise pigeonnier and courtyard.
Culture
Orthez lies in a roughly triangular area known as the Béarn, a historic province that managed to avoid major conflicts and has therefore successfully retained much of its culture. The traditional Béarnais farmhouses in this area are tall with slate roofs soaring towards the sky at a dizzying angle!
On the river
The rivers draining the Pyrenees are called ‘gaves’ and their fast-flowing water makes them ideal for canoeing, kayaking and white water rafting (from Navarrenx, Orthez and Sauveterre-de-Béarn) and the pure clear water also draws keen anglers for trout and salmon fishing.
And nearby...
Salies de Béarn, often referred to as ‘The Venice of Le Béarn’, is a charming spa town whose streets are lined with half-timbered, brightly painted steep tiled roofed houses, many of them with wooden balconies jutting out over the river Saleys. The French swear by the therapeutic properties of the water here, loaded with precious natural elements, reputedly seven times saltier than the sea.
Standing high over the Gave d’Oloron river, Sauveterre de Béarn enjoys some of the best medieval fortifications of any town in the region, and there are some pretty waterside walks that wind up to the ruined castle and church.
