The Route nationale 21 (N21) is a trunk road ( nationale) in south west

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Reclassification

The N21 used to end at Gavarnie in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

but after 1972 ended at Argelès-Gazost the old road is now the D921. Since 2006 the section south of Lourdes which is partly dual carriageway has been maintained by the Department Hautes-Pyrenees.

Route

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...

- Bergerac -

Agen Agen (, , ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne, southeast of Bordeaux. In 2021, the commune had a population of 32,485. Geography The city of Agen l ...

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for its Château fort, a ...

Argelès-Gazost Argelès-Gazost (; ) is a commune and a subprefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France. The Pyrénées Animal Park is located in Argelès-Gazost. Population Climate See also *Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées de ...

Limoges to Bergerac (0 to 145 km)

The road starts at a junction with the N20 and heads west along the bank of the river

Vienne Vienne may refer to: Places *Vienne (department), a department of France named after the river Vienne *Vienne, Isère, a city in the French department of Isère * Vienne-en-Arthies, a village in the French department of Val-d'Oise * Vienne-en-Bessi ...

which it crosses at

Aixe-sur-Vienne Aixe-sur-Vienne (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. History A merovingian ''castrum'' was recorded as being at the confluence of the river. The Château d'Aixe (or "Tour Jeanne d' ...

. The road turns south west over open countryside to the small town of

Châlus Châlus (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regions of France, region in western France. History Richard I of England, Richard I, King of England was siege, bes ...

. The road passes through the ''Parc Regional Limousin'' reaching 350m altitude. The road passes the town of

Thiviers Thiviers (; ) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population Personalities It is notable as being the town in which Jean-Paul Sartre lived as a child. Painter Pierre Bouillon was born there ...

before joining the River Isle close to its joining the river Auvezere. The road turns west to the town of

Périgueux Périgueux (, ; or ) is a commune in the Dordogne department, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of Dordogne, and the capital city of Périgord. It is also the seat of ...

. To the south of Périgueux the road is now numbered the D6021, with through traffic directed to use the N221 and

A89 autoroute The A89 autoroute is an autoroute in central France. It is known as the ''La Transeuropéenne''. It connects Bordeaux (from Libourne) and Lyon (at Limonest) via Clermont-Ferrand. Its total length is 544 km (338 mi). The project st ...

. The N21 recommences after the junction with the A89 and D6021 heading south. The countryside is now wooded including the ''Forêt de Montclard''. The road meets the River

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...

at the town of Bergerac.

Bergerac to Agen(145 to 236 km)

After Bergerac the road heads south east past the Chateau Montbazillac, to the small town of Castillonnes and then Cancon. The countryside becomes more rolling and the road reaches the Lot valley. The road now by-passes the town of

Villeneuve-sur-Lot Villeneuve-sur-Lot (; in the Languedocien dialect of Occitan language: ''Vilanuèva d'Òlt'' ) is a town and Communes of France, commune in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Lot-et-Garonne. The commune was formerly name ...

and continues to the south. The road then heads to the

Garonne The Garonne ( , ; Catalan language, Catalan, Basque language, Basque and , ; or ) is a river that flows in southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux � ...

valley and the town of Agen. The town is home of the attraction Walibi Aquitaine and famous for its

Prune A prune is a dried plum, most commonly from the European plum (''Prunus domestica'') tree. Not all plum species or varieties can be dried into prunes. Use of the term ''prune'' for fresh plums is obsolete except when applied to varieties of ...

s. Through traffic is directed west of the town along the N113.

Agen to Lourdes (236 to 402 km)

The road continues south crossing the river and a junction (7) with the

A62 autoroute The A62 autoroute is a French motorway forming part of the ''Autoroute de Deux Mers'' (Two Seas Motorway). The route forms the entirety of European route E 72, which is a part of the International E-road network, inter-European road system. ...

. The countryside becomes more rugged as the road passes the towns of Astaffort and Lectoure. The road heads into the valley of the Ger and the town of Fleurance. Further south the road passes through the town of

Auch Auch (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in southwestern France. Located in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie, it is the capital of the Gers Departments of France, department. Geography Localiza ...

. The road heads south west to

Mirande Mirande (; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Miranda'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Gers Departments of France, department, Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, southwestern France. Geography Population Sites of interest * To ...

and the town of Miélan. The road heads west crossing a ridge and the ''Puntous de Laguian'' (342m). At Rabastens-de-Bigorre the road turns south again to the town of

Tarbes Tarbes (; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of southwestern France. It is ...

. The road leaves Tarbes to the south west (old road now the D921) with a junction (12) to the

A64 autoroute The A64 autoroute is a motorway in southwestern France. It is also called the ''La Pyrénéenne'' and numbered the European route E80. It is a toll road for part of its length. Aligned East-West, it connects Toulouse to Bayonne via Tarbes and ...

. It passes the Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport before reaching the town of

Lourdes to Argelès-Gazost/Gavarnie (402 to 453 Km)

The road is dual carriageway south of Lourdes and is now numbered the D821 following the River Luz. Thereafter the old road is now the D921 continuing south along the ''Gorges de Luz'' into the Pyrenees mountains. It passes Luz-St-Sauveur before taking the ''Gorges de St Sauveur'' to the

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

resort of Gavarnie overlooked by the ''Pic de Tentes'' (2,322m) and the ''Cirque de Gavarnie'' (3,248m).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Route Nationale 021

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