Camping du Loup

This site is just outside central Lourdes (10 minutes' walk) and close to lots of family-friendly spots. Sporty folk can tee off at Lourdes Pyrénées Golf Club (10 minutes' drive), a well-liked local links overlooking Lac de Lourdes. Model villages more your thing? Head to the intricately-crafted Musée du Petit Lourdes (25 minutes' walk or five minutes' drive). Set your sights on the high peaks of the Pyrenees? It's a bit of a longer drive to get out to the loftiest spots, but the folk at Camping du Loup think it's well worth the extra distance. The Cirque de Gavarnie (an hour and 15 minutes), for example, has mountain vistas so fine that UNESCO deemed them worthy of special protected status. Afterwards, take the kids downhill to Gavarnie (an hour from site) for ice creams and donkey rides. Fancy a look-in at another Pyrenean town? Tarbes (30 minutes) is the place to be for military regalia – head to the Musée Massey for its top-notch Hussar artefacts. Just next door, the Jardin Massey is an 11-hectare oasis of rare flora and fauna.