Hautes-Pyrénées is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France; Toulouse is its capital.
It is bordered by Pyrénées-Atlantiques to the west, Gers to the north, Haute-Garonne to the east, as well as by the Spanish province of Huesca to the south.
The Hautes-Pyrénées consists of several distinct geographical areas.
The southern portion, along the border with Spain, consists of high mountain peaks, ranges and groups like the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, Vignemale and Gavernie.
A second area consists of low-altitude rolling hills, broadly speeking above the line between Argèles-Gazost and Bagnères-de-Bigorre.
The northern part of the département consists of largely flat agricultural land, above the line between Lourdes and Lannemezan, with Tarbes in the centre.
The Western Pyrenees National Park, a favorite destination for hikers, covers a significant area, and includes Cirque de Gavarnie and Pont d’Espagne.
The area is also known for its hot springs, and several towns were built around these, most notably Cauterets, Luz-Saint-Sauveur and Bagnères-de-Bigorre.
Popular ski resorts in the Hautes-Pyrénées are Barèges-La Mongie, Gavarnie, Luz-Ardiden, Cauterets, Hautacam, Piau-Engaly and Saint-Lary-Soulan.
And the (Hautes-)Pyrénées is a near-permanent destination on the Tour de France’s itinerary, with significantly difficult passes such as the Tourmalet, the Aubisque and the Soulor.
The highest (paved) pass in the area, is the Col du Tourmalet (2,115m/6,939ft) but that was not the highest altitude I reached during my Tour de France 2023.
Even so, looking at the Top 10, ranked by difficulty, I had the feeling beforehand that this Tour might not be any less challenging than previous Tours:
| Name | Length | Gradient |
| Col du Portet from Saint Lary Soulan | 16.1km | 8.7% |
| Col du Tourmalet | 18.3km | 7.7% |
| Col du Tourmalet from Luz Saint Sauveur via Super Barèges | 18.9km | 7.4% |
| Plateau de Beille | 16km | 7.7% |
| Col de Pailhères | 18.6km | 6.7% |
| Col du Tourmalet from Sainte-Marie de Campan | 16.9km | 7.5% |
| Lac d’Aumar / Lac d’Aubert from Saint Lary Soulan | 25.2km | 5.5% |
| Col de Tentes from Luz Saint Sauveur via Cirque de Gavarnie | 30.1km | 5.1% |
| Col de Mantet | 21.1km | 6.2% |
| Col de Pailhères from Usson-les-Bains | 15.5km | 7.7% |
Map with cols in the area, almost all of which I cycled; the Aubisque’s summit is in the Pyrénées-Atlantique, but the Argelès Gazost end starts in the Hautes-Pyrénées:
