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Why Go? ...... 633 Gently sloping from the foothills of the Pyrenees into the ...... 641 deep-sapphire-blue Bay of , the Basque Country straddles France and Spain. Yet this feisty, independent St-Jean de Luz & land remains profoundly diff erent from either of the nation ...... 648 states that have adopted it. St-Jean Pied The Basque Country is famed for the glitzy beach resort de Port ...... 655 of Biarritz, where surfers strut their stuff in the waves, and St-Étienne de oiled sun-seekers pack its beaches like glistening sardines. Baïgorry ...... 658 But the region off ers so much more than just the pleasures of sun and surf. Nearby Bayonne is a chocolate box of nar- row winding streets full of Basque culture, and St-Jean de Best Places to Eat Luz, further south, is a delightful seaside fi shing port. Inland, up in the lush hills, little one-street villages and » Ithurria (p 654 ) green valleys traversed by hiking trails fan out from the » Chez Arrambide (p658 ) walled town of St-Jean Pied de Port, an age-old stop for » Chiloa Gurmenta pilgrims heading over the Spanish border to Santiago de Restaurant (p637 ) Compostela. » Bar Bodega Xurasko (p 640 ) » Bar Jean (p648 ) W h e n t o G o Bayonne °C/°F Temp Rainfall Inches/mm Best Places to 40/104 6/150

Stay 30/86 5/125 4/100 » La Devinière (p 651 ) 20/68 3/75 » Zazpi (p 651 ) 10/50 2/50 » Hôtel Mirano (p644 ) 0/32 1/25

» Villa le Goëland (p644 ) -10/14 0 J FDNOSAJJMAM » Hôtel des Arceaux (p635 )

May It’s chocolate August The September to time in Bayonne beaches are alive October Autum- and the empty and kicking, and nal colours are beaches and spring flowers of the Fêtes de glorious in the the mountains are Bayonne is loud hills, and surf is as all yours. and messy. good as it gets. 020kmt Bayonne e# Courantche 633 010milesHu d' #\ POP 44,200 Surrounded by sturdy fortifi cations and ##\7 Léon splashed in red and white paint, Bayonne Moliets Lake de (Baiona in Basque), capital of the French Soustons Basque Country, is one of the most attrac- Soustons #\ tive towns in southwest France. Its perfectly Lake preserved old town (until 1907 it was actual- Blanc ly forbidden to build outside the town’s forti- #\ Hossegor##\7 Seignosse fi cations) and shoals of riverside restaurants #\ are an absolute delight to explore. Capbreton In addition to its chocolates, which you’ll see sold throughout France, Bayonne is famous for its prime cured ham and for r the baïonnette (bayonet), developed here Bayonne ou Ad

Anglet##\1 in 1640 on rue des Faures (‘Blacksmiths’ #\ #\ # ‚ Street’). Biarritz 3 The Rivers and split cen- Guéthary To Pau Socoa #\ (75km) tral Bayonne into three: St-Esprit, the area #\ #

Hendaye #\ #\4 St-Jean N #\ ‚ i north of the Adour; Grand Bayonne, the old- de Luz ve #\ Col de est and most attractive part of the city, on Ciboure St-Ignace the western bank of the Nive; and the very ‚ c #\ #\ #6 Ainhoa & To San R#6 Ainhoa Basque Petit Bayonne quarter on the east. Sebastián Espelette

La Rhune

To the west, Bayonne meets the subur- (10km) SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES ban sprawl of (famed for its beaches, p 641) and the glamorous seaside resort of Iparla # a St-Étienne Biarritz. 2 rl Ridge a de Baïgorry p #\ I #5#\ 1 Sights & Activities SPAIN St-Jean Pied Musée Basque et de l’Histoire de de Port Bayonne MUSEUM (www.musee-basque.com, in French; 37 quai des Corsaires; adult/child €5.50/free, with Musée Bonnat €9; h10am-6.30pm) The seafaring history, traditions and cultural identity of the Basque people are all explored at this French Basque Country BAYONNE SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES superb museum through exhibits including Highlights a reconstructed farm and the interior of a typical etxe (home). Labelling is in French, 1 Discover the local chocolate at a Spanish and Basque only but English in- factory tour in Bayonne (p 637 ) formation sheets are available. In July and 2 Tiptoe along the sheer Iparla Ridge August free ‘nocturnal’ visits are possible (p656 ) in the mist-soaked Pyrenees on Wednesday evenings from 6.30pm to 3 Treat yourself to tapas and watch 9.30pm. surfers tackle the waves of magisterial Biarritz (p641 ) Musée Bonnat MUSEUM 4 Taste traditional Basque seafood (www.museebonnat.bayonne.fr; 5 rue Jacques dishes at St-Jean de Luz (p653 ) Lafi tte; adult/child €5.50/free, with Musée Basque €9; h10am-6.30pm Wed-Mon) Unex- 5 Browse the farmers market in St-Jean pected treasures are crammed into the Mu- Pied de Port (p 655 ) sée Bonnat, including canvases by El Greco, 6 Explore picturesque villages Ainhoa Goya, Ingres and Degas, and a roomful of (p 654 ) and Espelette (p 654 ), and chug works by Rubens. Nearby is the Le Carré to the summit of La Rhune (p654 ) Musée Bonnat (9 rue Frédéric Bastiat; admis- 7 Soak up some sun on sands of sion free), which houses the Bonnat muse- Hossegor or Moliets in the region of Les um’s ever-changing collection of works by (p644 ) the Basque artists of today.