Golf resorts · Pau
Golf Stays in Pau, Cradle of Continental Golf
Pau holds a special place in golf history: the Pau Golf Club, founded in 1856 by British winter visitors, is the oldest golf club in continental Europe, and it still plays on the banks of the Gave at Billère, just west of the city. Only one hotel is tagged golf on this page, and it has no course of its own. Hôtel Villa Navarre, rated 7.4 from about 600 reviews, sits in an 18th-century building within a two-hectare park, with a spa, a gourmet restaurant and views of the Pyrenees. It is a base for golfers, not a golf resort.
Pau, capital of the Béarn and birthplace of Henri IV, became a fashionable winter resort for the British in the 19th century, who brought golf, horse racing and grand villas to a city that looks straight across to the Pyrenees.
Updated October 11, 2026
A Spa Hotel Near Historic Fairways
Golfers come to Pau for its historic club and for the courses of the Béarn and the nearby Basque coast. A comfortable hotel with a spa and a restaurant is a good base between rounds, and Villa Navarre's park and mountain views add to the setting, even if its score shows service can be uneven.
Hôtel Villa Navarre is the only property listed under golf in Pau, and it is fair to say plainly that it has no golf course. What it offers instead is a setting that suits a golfing break: an 18th-century building inside a two-hectare park, rare green space for a city hotel, with some rooms looking out on the Pyrenees. After a round, the spa with sauna and hot tub helps tired muscles, and the gourmet restaurant and bar save looking for dinner elsewhere. Its score of 7.4 from about 600 reviews suggests that service does not always match the surroundings.
The main reason golfers stay in Pau is the Pau Golf Club, founded in 1856 and regarded as the oldest golf club in continental Europe. Its course lies along the Gave de Pau at Billère, a short drive west of the city centre, with flat, tree-lined fairways and views of the mountains. Playing there is a piece of sporting history, and the clubhouse keeps that British heritage alive. From Villa Navarre, which is near Pau station and the Musée des Beaux-Arts, it is an easy trip by car or taxi, so you can play in the morning and spend the afternoon in town.
Pau also works as a base for golf further afield. Several courses lie within reach in the Béarn countryside, and the Basque coast, with well-known courses around Biarritz, Anglet and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, is a little over an hour west by motorway. The mild autumns and springs of the south-west mean golf is possible for much of the year. If you plan to play several courses, a car is essential, and it is worth checking parking arrangements with Villa Navarre in advance, as the listing does not detail them. Ask the hotel about tee-time help when you book.
Between rounds, Pau has plenty to fill the days. The Boulevard des Pyrénées runs along the edge of the old town with a panorama of the mountain chain, and a small funicular links it with the station below. The Château de Pau, birthplace of Henri IV in 1553, is now a museum with fine tapestries, and the Palais Beaumont recalls the city's era as a winter resort. Jurançon wine comes from the hills just south of the city, and the Ossau valley and the Pyrenean ski stations are about an hour away. It is an easy city to combine golf with culture and good food.
A traveler's take
For a golf trip to Pau, I would book Hôtel Villa Navarre: it is rated 7.4, set in a two-hectare park with Pyrenees views, and its spa with sauna and hot tub suits the end of a day on the course. It has no golf of its own, so my plan would be to play the historic Pau Golf Club at Billère, a short drive west, and keep a day for the Basque coast courses.
Pau
Local tips
- 1Do not expect a course at the hotel: Hôtel Villa Navarre is a base for golfers, not a golf resort.
- 2Book a round at the Pau Golf Club in Billère, founded in 1856 and the oldest in continental Europe.
- 3Use the spa at Villa Navarre, with its sauna and hot tub, after a day on the fairways.
- 4Hire a car if you plan to play the courses around Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, about an hour west.
- 5Ask for a room with a Pyrenees view when booking Villa Navarre.
- 6Taste Jurançon wine from the hills just south of Pau between rounds.
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Frequently asked questions
Golf resorts · Pau
Not in the resort sense. Hôtel Villa Navarre is the only hotel listed under golf in Pau, and it has no course on site. It offers a park, a spa and a restaurant, and it makes a comfortable base for playing the Pau Golf Club and other courses in the region.