Luchon is a spa town built by the Belle Époque on the back of hot sulphurous water, and it still has the grand, slightly faded air of a place that once hosted the fashionable world. Its thermal springs were used by the Romans and revived in the eighteenth century, when an intendant named d'Étigny laid out the long, tree-lined avenue, the Allées d'Étigny, that still forms the town's backbone. Today the avenue is lined with cafés, shops and old hotels with wrought-iron balconies, and the baths still operate, though they are mostly for visitors rather than kings.
The town sits in a wide, green valley where several smaller valleys meet, ringed by high peaks, and it is the natural base for exploring the central Pyrenees. In summer it is a hiking and cycling centre, and the Tour de France has used it as a stage town many times. In winter, the Superbagnères ski station above it takes over, reached by a steep, winding road that starts in the town itself. For a motorcyclist, the roads out of Luchon in every direction are enticing: the Peyresourde to the north-west, the Col de Portillon to the Spanish border, the Col de Menté to the north-east, and the road to the Hospice de France, which runs up into wild country.
The climate is mild by Pyrenean standards, though afternoon storms can build over the mountains in summer, and the town sees plenty of rain. The best seasons for riding are late spring, summer and early autumn, with September often the finest month, clear, calm and quiet. In winter, snow closes some of the higher roads, so check conditions.
As the biggest town for a long way, Luchon is where a rider can find what they need: fuel stations, supermarkets, banks, a good choice of restaurants and plenty of places to stay. The local cuisine is hearty mountain food, with duck, cassoulet, garbure, a thick cabbage and meat soup, and local cheeses. A coffee on the Allées d'Étigny, in the shade of the plane trees, is a better introduction than any guidebook. From here the Spanish border is about ten kilometres away, over the Col du Portillon, and the Val d'Aran town of Vielha lies beyond.