Campan combines culture and hiking with other activities at Lac de Payolle. Each offers a different focus: in Campan, highlights include an interactive heritage experience, a church with Baroque furnishings and hiking trails; at the lake, a water sports centre offers a range of activities. This lets you choose what suits your trip, from art and history to a walk to a shepherds’ hamlet or water sports.
Discover Campan’s Heritage
The Carrefour des Patrimoines offers tactile exhibits, an interactive tour on tablets and games for children. These three elements provide different ways to explore: you can engage with the tactile exhibits, take the tour digitally or try the games. The current programme may change.
The Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Campan is also an important stop for culture enthusiasts. Its rich Baroque furnishings trace the development of the Ferrère dynasty over three generations. This gives your visit a specific art-historical focus: the story is not only about individual works, but also the evolution of a dynasty. The church is a listed historic monument. Its altarpiece, created by Marc Ferrère, is also protected.
Together, the two sites offer different perspectives on the area’s heritage: the Carrefour focuses on tactile exhibits, a tablet-based tour and games, while the church showcases its Baroque furnishings and protected altarpiece. If you are particularly interested in art history, the church offers a specific connection to the work of the Ferrère dynasty; the Carrefour provides several interactive ways to explore.
Hiking and Shepherding Heritage
Les Sentiers de Campan develops hiking on the municipality’s trails as a way to explore and protect the environment, as well as for tourism and leisure. Hiking is therefore not just one of the activities on offer, but also connects visitors with the environment. The municipal trails provide the setting for this focus, while a specific destination makes it easier to plan your time.
The easy walk to Courtaou des Esclozes takes 1 hour and 15 minutes one way. Allow extra time for the return journey, and check trail conditions locally before setting out. At the end of the walk is a partially restored shepherds’ hamlet, with a number of well-preserved leytes. Here, a clearly stated walking time meets a destination with historic character: the trail leads to a shepherds’ hamlet whose surviving leytes form part of its character.
Water Sports at Lac de Payolle
The water sports centre at Lac de Payolle offers kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding, pedal boating and hydrospeed. There is also an electric barge accessible to people with reduced mobility. The options range from kayaking and canoeing to stand-up paddleboarding, pedal boating, hydrospeed and the barge. The accessibility information applies to the electric barge. Activities may be available seasonally, so check before making plans.
Crafts and a Shared Meal
The Journées des Mariolles include a craft market and a communal meal beneath Campan’s market halls. Volunteers prepare the meal using quality local produce. The market and shared meal combine craft discoveries with a culinary focus. The menu and programme may change; check the event dates and current programme before visiting.
Discover more destinations: Saint-PĂ©-de-Bigorre, Pierrefitte-Nestalas, Bonnefont, Maubourguet, Mascaras, Luz-Saint-Sauveur, Arcizans-Avant, Libaros.
For the regional travel overview: Hautes-Pyrénées.
