The Rough Guide to the Pyrenees

Just exactly the guide book I was looking for. I'll be scouting other location / guides from this group as needed.

My friend and I spent two weeks in the Pyrenees and the surrounding region in Southeastern France in the fall of 2008. We brought three guidebooks but this one by far was the most useful, with detailed information about the small towns in the region that are off the beaten tourist track. We referred to this guide constantly.

My husband and I spent five days in very small towns/countryside in the eastern Pyrenees along the entire Petit Train Jaune (Little Yellow Train) route. The information we found in this book was invaluable as I couldn't find a lot of it elsewhere. We stayed in outstanding rural accommodation and found gem after gem of hikes. They explain a lot about the unique culture and language of the Pyrenees region as well, which put the trip in context.

I did a trip to the Pyrenees a year ago (hiking and traveling) , and this book helped me a lot (both in and out of the hikes). Very useful, informative & accurate and quite essential to my opinion. I used it together with Trekking in the Pyrenees, 3rd: France & Spain Trekking Guides (Trailblazer) and I find them both to complete each other. I just saw that it has a new 6th edition, so maybe that's a bit better, but never the less I highly recommend on it.

Marc Dubins rough guide is a detailed and interesting book. He concentrates on the areas close to the mountains and gives interesting descriptions of small villages as well as larger resorts and towns. He includes recommended walks and rates the ski resorts. He assumes you will be walking or on public transport and so does not cover many hamlets and villages only reachable by car. Overall a very thorough book that I am sure will be invaluble on our trip there.