This is the website for the Luchon tourism office

https://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/bagneres-luchon-875.htm

Harrogate has been twinned with Bagnères de Luchon since 1953. This was one of the first official, international town twinning agreements, and sprang out of the post war bilingual movement ‘Le Monde Bilingue’.

We know that local headteacher and councillor Don Christelow was an enthusiastic supporter of the bilingual movement and that the then Mayor of Luchon, Alfred Coste-Floret, was the secretary general of the Association of the Bilingual World. In 1952 Le Monde reported,

The first French pilot town for bilingualism is designated: it is Luchon, in Haute-Garonne, whose MP and mayor, Mr. Alfred Coste-Floret, is the secretary general of the Association of the Bilingual World. The Pyrenean spa resort will be twinned with Harrogate, a spa resort in Yorkshire.

Although links between Harrogate and Luchon had faded over time, there has been a resurgence in interest over more recent times and there are now regular exchanges between the towns, covering educational, cultural and sporting visits.

Situated in the mid Pyrenees, and only a short drive from Spain and Andorra, Luchon is probably best known as one of the most popular stage starts and finishes in the history of the Tour de France, and the scene of a memorable stage win by Chris Froome.

Luchon, like Harrogate, is a spa town, and has extensive facilities as a year round outdoor sports resort. Superbagneres is linked by cable car from the centre of Luchon, and provides a wide range of skiing and winter sports facilities. In the summer this transforms into a playground for outdoor pursuits ranging from cycling and trekking to hang and fixed wing gliding. Luchon also offers a stunningly beautiful golf course and a large tennis centre with both indoor and outdoor facilities.

The area is serviced by a ring of airports within a reasonable transfer time to Luchon, including Toulouse, Carcassonne, and Lourdes.

If you want to avoid both the summer and winter busy periods, we would recommend visiting in late May/June of September/early October. If you would  like further information about visiting Luchon, just send a message.

Every August (for over 120 years) Luchon holds Les Fêtes des Fleurs, a parade of bands, dancers and floats decorated with flower heads. The parade is watched by large crowds and Harrogate supports the festival each year with a float decorated by a team of volunteers, and often supported by local bands – most recently, Tewit Youth Band and the Tewit Silver Band.

https://www.hautegaronnetourisme.com/agenda/fete-des-fleurs/    This is the link for the 2023 event.