Pyrenees Hotels: Book in advance? Or book on the fly?

Francley40

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I'm planning a trip across the Pyrenees for June 2026.
Ferry to Bilbao then ride West to East, hopefully mixing Spain/France locations up a bit.
After the Pyrenees maybe go to Gorge du Tarn area, and homewards up the Eastern side of France.
I usually like to book all the accomodation in advance but wonder if I should give booking 'on the fly' a go.

Has anyone out there tried this approach in the Pyrenees?
Was it a succes or a dismal failure?
Many thanks in advance for any advice.
 
As you're going at the start of the season i would book ahead. Not saying to plan everything, but may be something like 2-3 days ahead. So you are not always on the hunt for a Hotel/changing direction from where you want to be.
 
Francley40 said:
I usually like to book all the accomodation in advance but wonder if I should give booking 'on the fly' a go.
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I think you are answering your own question.

You wonder if….

You know you, way better than we know you. Do it (or not) you’ll know by the end (or maybe earlier) of the not insignificant journey, whether or not it was a good and cunning plan.

PS Don’t forget to start a thread, asking what the weather will be like in June ‘26. The earlier the better.
 
In my experience it all depends on how many of you are going. If just one or two of you then you will probably booking on the fly. If it’s a group of 10 then booking in advance is recommended.
 
You should find places to stay in June in that area. Plenty of decent sized towns along the N260 in Spain and D918/618 in France. The only exception maybe some of the resort towns in the Med coast like Collioure.
 
Why bother booking? June 2026 is an age away, just rock up and ask for a room. It’s not like some likeminded bod(s) has a same idea as you to go on a trip in June 2026.
Hardly a difficult task. :hide
 
glenn2926 said:
In my experience it all depends on how many of you are going. If just one or two of you then you will probably booking on the fly. If it’s a group of 10 then booking in advance is recommended.
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good point, and when travelling with a group, I tend to book 2 or 3 nights in the same place with a choice of eateries. This gives people a choice of having a short or non riding day and leaving luggage at the base, as well as a choice of food options.
 
Many thanks for the replies, Gents.
Guess it's down the whatever I'm most comfortable with...
 
Obviously have a plan, but could stop at several towns/villages, depending how the day pans out

Always get to a point where I decide I've just about had enough riding for the day, look for nearest town, open Booking.com, filter to include parking and book. Could be round the corner, could be an hour. Never failed me.
 
craigholt said:
Obviously have a plan, but could stop at several towns/villages, depending how the day pans out

Always get to a point where I decide I've just about had enough riding for the day, look for nearest town, open Booking.com, filter to include parking and book. Could be round the corner, could be an hour. Never failed me.
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Same here.
 
Free cancellation is the way to go, all the best laid plans soon go awry when the weather changes for the worst. Unless your happy riding in all weathers.

We've had a few Pyrenees trips thwarted by a weeks worth of rain forecast. Usually end up avoiding the bad weather either going deeper into Spain or head for the Alps or NE France, wherever the sun is shining.

Windy.com is a fairly accurate weather app flick between rain, cloud and temperature https://www.windy.com/-Rain-thunder-rain?rain,42.527,0.467,8 You'll be suprised how often the Pyrenees is affected by rain.

From experience when the weather changes for the worst we check the forecast for the following day over a beer, suss out a town/city that appears to be un affected by bad weather and decent twisty roads getting there. Then all scour booking.com or accor.com for a hotel there (with secure parking), then book it together on the fly. This works well but turns into a mystery tour :D
 
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If it’s only you looking for one room I wouldn’t be worried. As long as you’re prepared to accept anything available.
If you only do ‘posh’ rooms or looking for lots of rooms then planning is more relevant.
You shouldn’t have any problem in June or July.
 
Well we’re going in May and will be booking ahead as the N260 can be quite popular
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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