Tarbes, the chief town of the Hautes-Pyrénées département and capital of the Bigorre area, is known for its beautiful garden, the Jardin Massey, which figures on France's official list of Jardins Remarquables. This wonderful landscape park created in the 19th century by the naturalist Placide Massey features a network of footpaths and a large number of rare tree species. A Moorish-inspired mansion topped with an observation tower stands in the middle of the park. It houses the Massey museum which has a collection of fine art and one based on the history of the hussars.
Also worth visiting is the Haras National de Tarbes (national stud farm) founded by Napoleon in 1806, and today a listed building. A guided tour of this Empire-style group of buildings shows you the stables, stallions of different breeds and a collection of horse-drawn vehicles. The Maison du Cheval there is a museum in a former indoor school dedicated to the world of horses and in particular images of the horse in the Midi-Pyrénées region. Every year, the European equestrian show festival, Equestria, is held at the Haras National de Tarbes in late July / early August: a festive event in which the worlds of horses and the arts come together.
Fine food fans should make a point of visiting Halle Marcadieu covered market for its fresh produce market every Thursday morning.