Hautes-Pyrénées sits along the Spanish border in the central Pyrénées, best known as home to Lourdes, one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world. A direct TGV service reaches Tarbes from Paris, keeping the department connected. Shaped by religious and natural history, Hautes-Pyrénées is home to Lourdes, drawing millions of visitors each year regardless of faith, and to the Cirque de Gavarnie, a vast natural amphitheatre of cliffs and waterfalls that is one of the most dramatic landscapes in the Pyrénées. Away from the best-known sites, buyers will find mountain valleys offering skiing in winter and walking in summer, and the spa town of Bagnères-de-Bigorre. Hautes-Pyrénées is also known for its milder, more everyday character in Tarbes, the historic capital. A mountain climate brings warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Property ranges from a mountain chalet suited to skiing and hiking, a townhouse in Tarbes or a rural property in one of the department's Pyrenean valleys. With pilgrimage heritage, mountains and outdoor sport, it remains one of the Pyrénées' most rewarding departments. On the local market, houses in Hautes-Pyrénées average €1,517/m².