Gavarnie Gèdre

Gavarnie earns its praise as a place to learn: the longest green run in the Pyrenees, around seven and a half kilometres, plus gentle slopes and hardly any crowds. Low prices and friendly staff come up repeatedly, as does the setting inside the UNESCO-listed Gavarnie cirque. Visitors also mention a cross-country loop, rides in a snow groomer's cab, snow tubing and laser shooting.

Access is what reviewers grumble about. Snow clearance on the road up to Gavarnie lags behind other Pyrenean resorts, and chains or winter tyres are treated as essential. Only two buses a day run to the slopes, seats are scarce and the locals do not form a queue, so boarding becomes a scramble. The chairlifts are described as ancient. One party lost an hour and a half when the ticket windows opened at ten instead of nine.