7 villages in the French Basque Country with lots of charm

Get to know the villages of the French Basque Country, get to know one of the most beautiful environments of the Basque Country.

The French Basque Country and its villages represent the beauty of our territory on French soil, and, as we have mentioned repeatedly, the French Basque Country is one of the most charming places of all those in which the Basque culture and history is present. The villages of the Basque Country and its people is what makes different, unique and special to all Euskadi, an importance that we have captured in each of the articles about our villages that we have published so far in TurismoVasco.com:

Nature, classic Basque architecture, fishing ports and our culture make these small villages dotted throughout our territory great. On this occasion, we will focus on the French Basque Country, a region where we have some of the most beautiful villages of the Basque Country, villages that annually attract a large number of tourists from all over the world. The French Basque Country is composed of 3 provinces, all of them administratively speaking integrated in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques:

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Next, we are going to break down our experiences in the French Basque Country into 2 sections: the coastal villages and the inland villages. Although all of them are worth seeing and enjoying, the profile of each of them is totally different: mountains, pastures and orchards or cliffs, beaches and sea? Which one do you choose?

As we have already said, the French Basque Country has many charms to discover, among them, its villages or municipalities, welcoming places that await your arrival to let you know in more detail our culture and history, know the villages of the French Basque Country and all its corners. Do you dare to discover them?

Hendaye / Hendaye / Hendaye / Hendaye : The first seaside village of the French Basque Country is also on our list. Hendaye, its large beach, the colorful houses, the casino, the twin rocks (Bizkiak), the Abaddia castle, Domaine d’Abbadia and the coastal path are some of the many reasons to visit this beautiful village of the French Basque Country.

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Saint Jean de Luz / Donibane Lohizune / Saint Jean de Luz : Perhaps one of the most interesting villages of the French Basque Country. This small Basque town offers us to stroll through its colorful streets, its large beach, its harbor or its cliffs, 4 magnificent places to enjoy the atmosphere that permeates it. It is common to find Parisians visiting the charms of this French Basque town, attracted by its charm and its prices (lower than in the French capital).

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We have the option of sailing through its waters until we reach the lighthouse of Higer, a crossing that allows us to contemplate the municipalities of Hondarribia and Hendaye while we contemplate the cliffs that separate the municipalities of the coast of Iparralde. (The boat departs from the port, in front of Ziburu)

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The historic center of the town and its streets create a unique atmosphere that runs throughout the municipality. We recommend visiting the shopping streets, streets where we can buy all kinds of products of the typical gastronomy of the Basque Country or a souvenir of our stay.

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We must keep in mind that the most important thing is the walk between streets and the beach of the town along with enjoying the gastronomy of the region and shopping in some charming stores that can be found in the shopping area.

Biarritz / Biarritz: A town with a lot of glamour and beauty due to the time lived at the hands of European royalty,you can imagine the buildings that were built at that time. Any corner of this town is worth to be known, a trip to the past that awaits you in the present.

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We recommend enjoying all its projections towards the sea, places shaped by the waves and the wind that offer us spaces to rest the mind and enjoy the views.

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We must take into account that in the past it was the city that housed the royalty of half of Europe, so we recommend enjoying the history of its streets and corners. We must not forget the beach, the promenade, the casino and of course its gastronomy.

We move from the coast of the French Basque Country to the interior, a territory of incredible beauty in which we find large expanses of mountains, cornfields, marshes, rivers…and a long list of corners that make these urban centers so special.

The hinterland of the French Basque Country is a place full of villages for all tastes. If you find the villages on the coast beautiful, wait to discover the inland ones, get ready!

Sara/Sare: Sara is for many the first inland village they visit, and its location, just 20 minutes from San Juan de Luz, make all those who visit the coast of the French Basque Country can enjoy what for many is one of the most beautiful villages of Euskal Herria. We must highlight the Larrun rack railway and the caves of Sara, 2 tourist attractions that together with the tranquility, beauty and authenticity of this town makes every traveler want to know its streets. Its streets, its fronton and the slopes of Mount Larrun have been visited by great men of our people, it is worth mentioning Axular (priest and Basque writer) and José Miguel Barandiarán (ethnographer, scholar and Basque writer), two figures who marked a before and after in the Basque culture, 2 characters who came to Sara attracted by its tranquility.

Ainhoa: The charm of this Basque village lies in the Laborta architecture, its gastronomy and its environment. Another of those villages that you will hardly forget. Taking the fronton and the church as strong points of the urban nucleus, we recommend to get lost among its streets, enjoy and breathe its tranquility.

Ezpeleta / Espelette / Espeleta: One of the best known villages in the French Basque Country, a fame given largely for its gastronomy, for its red peppers, “Ezpeletako Biperrak”. But not only for this, its beauty, captained once again by the popular architecture style of the French Basque Country, make Ezpeleta a destination marked in red on the map, a must visit village. Red peppers have always been present in all the balconies of Euskal Herria, one more step in the drying process of this great Basque product. In the case of Ezpeleta, the fact of having peppers drying on the facade has gone from being a mere drying process to an emblem of the municipality. Ezpeleta is perhaps the village of the interior with more life of all those we have mentioned so far, its trade, make its streets are full of life.

Donibane Garazi / Saint Jean Pied de Port / San Juan Pie de Puerto: Capital of Behe-Nafarroa and important locality in the course of the road to Santiago in the French Basque Country. Its historical urban center, surrounded by walls, is undoubtedly one of the most important architectural sites. Walls, streets and bridges lead us to the citadel Mendiguren, a building from which we are fortunate to be able to observe everything that rises under our feet, a wonder.

Bayonne / Baiona: Capital of Lapurdi, one of the 3 provinces of the region known as the French Basque Country. In this municipality we want to recommend the cathedral Ste Marie, surrounded by walls and narrow streets, all a charm for our eyes, no doubt, a quiet walk through this area is mandatory. If you have time do not hesitate to visit the two castles of the town: the old and the new.

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