The Pyrenees mountains create a magnificent natural border between France and Spain, a rugged spine that has separated the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of Europe for millennia. Your crossing will either take you over these dramatic peaks on winding roads or around them at their coastal edges. The busiest crossings are at the two ends of the mountain range: near the Atlantic at Irun (Spain) and Hendaye (France), and on the Mediterranean at La Jonquera (Spain) and Le Perthus (France). In between, several high-altitude passes and tunnels, like the Somport and Bielsa Tunnels, offer scenic but slower routes that are often closed in winter due to heavy snow.
This border has some unique geographical quirks that fascinate travelers. Pheasant Island, a small, uninhabited island in the Bidasoa River that forms the border near Irun, is a condominium whose sovereignty formally alternates between Spain and France every six months. Further east, the Spanish town of Llívia is a complete exclave, an island of Spanish territory located entirely within the French Pyrenees, a few kilometers from the main border. These historical anomalies make a journey along this mountain frontier a trip through geography and history itself.