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Ascend to the summit of Mount Larrun aboard its great jewel, the cog railway.
The Larrun train, La Rhune in French, is one of those pleasant surprises that hides the interior of the French Basque Country, a train that takes us back to another era, a train collection. The Larrun summit is located in the town of Sara, Sare in French, a town known for its tranquility, its Basque cake, its houses of popular architecture and its caves, a must visit town.
Larrun is known in Euskal Herria as the Basque mountain, a very special peak that gives us incredible views from its highest point.the top of Larrun, its wooden train, its natural environment and the views we get from the summit transform this enclave into a place of pilgrimage, a space, which over time has become one of the most visited tourist attractions throughout the French Basque Country.
9 frequently asked questions about the Larrun rack railway and its surroundings.
- What does Larrun mean? Larrun means “good fields” in our language, Basque. If we divide the word Larrun we find the words “larreak”, which means fields and “onak”, which means good. 2 words, which together and with the passage of time have derived in Larrun.
- Where is Larrun? Sara, Western Pyrenees, French Basque Country.
- How does the Larrun rack railway work? To the common rails that we can find in the railroads of any city in the world is added a third one, a toothed rail, which, located between the 2 mentioned above, is in charge of moving this very special transport.
- Is it possible to walk up to the top of Larrun? The same route as the cog railway is accessible on foot. There are several routes to climb to the top. The most common are the ones that start from Azkaine, Bera, St. Ignace, Ibardin or Sara.
- How long does it take to walk to the top of Larrun? Depending on the physical condition of each person and the selected route, the ascent time varies between 2 and 3 hours.
- How long does it take to walk down from the top of Larrun? Between 2 hours and 2 hours and a half. As we have said, it all depends on the chosen route.
- What is the altitude of Mount Larrun? 905 meters.
- Where to park in Larrun? You can choose to park in the parking lots found on the road between Azkaine and Sara or in the parking lot next to the station. Due to the large number of people visiting the Larrun rack railway, the parking lots are overflowing, making it impossible to park your vehicle properly. That is why it is common to see vehicles on the shoulders of the road that leads to the town center of Sara, a space that visitors use regularly.
- What will we find at the top of Larrun? The summit of Larrun, the balcony of the French Basque Country, gives us a 360 degree view to enjoy. At the top, we find a space to get strength that has a bar-restaurant, store and toilets.
The French Basque Country is one of those corners of Euskal Herria that enchants, engages and seduces our readers and friends. A place where popular architecture, nature and culture make enjoy all those who decide to travel to one of its villages. In this case, today, we recommend the Larrun rack railway, an attractive collection train located between the towns of Azkaine and Sara.
7 tips for visiting the Larrun train.
1.-Bathrooms: We recommend visiting the bathrooms located next to the lower station because the bathrooms located in the complex at the top are paid, but they cost 0.20 €, a very affordable price.
2.-Hamaiketako: This word, so used in the Basque Country, means “11 o’clock snack” in Basque, an action that we recommend you to do once you are at the top. It does not cost anything to climb with us a backpack packed with sandwiches, water or any snack that comes to mind. The grass, the stones and the landscape will serve to make the top of Larrun a luxury restaurant.
3.-The return: Before starting to enjoy the charms of the summit, we recommend planning the descent, the return. Keep in mind that you must be at the station at least 30 minutes before the selected time. The long queues that are created can make us miss the train we plan to get off.
4.- Where to sit on the train? The sides of the train, the windows, are undoubtedly the best location to enjoy our trip. Although the right side (left when descending) offers a beautiful view of the Basque coast, the slope, the ravines, the mountains and the griffon vultures that we saw on our ascent make us opt for the left side of the carriage as the best location to enjoy our adventure.
Clothing: Although in the lower part of Larrun the temperature is pleasant, it is always advisable to take with us some warm clothes, the 905 meters of altitude takes its toll on the temperature. We recommend asking about weather conditions at the departure station.
Camera: Potxokas, griffon vultures and 360-degree views make it essential to carry a camera to capture the moment.
7.-Comfortable footwear: The summit, is perfect for walks, walks in which we find small slopes and a lot of stones that are easily overcome with proper footwear.
We leave you a small video that we took during our trip, unfortunately the hustle and bustle of the train did not allow us to take a good video.
Practical information about Larrun and its rack railway.
- Timetable: The Larrun train schedule varies according to the season in which we are. Thus, we divide the year into low season (from its annual opening until July 10 and from September 1 to November 2) and high season (from July 11 to August 31). The Larrun train will be open every day from March 17 to November 4, 2018.
Low season: 09:30 / 10:00 / 10:40 / 1120 / 12:00 / 14:00 / 14:40 / 15:20 / 16:00
High season: 08:20 / 08:50 / 09:30 / 10:10 / 10:50 / 11:30 / 12:10 / 12:50 / 13:30 / 14:10 / 14:50 / 15:30 / 16:10 / 16:50 / 17:30
- Transportation: Although private transportation is the best option to follow our route through the rest of the French Basque Country, there is a bus line, “Hegobus”, that connects the rack railway station with St. Jean de Luz. The bus stop in St. Jean de Luz is located at the local bus station, next to the train station.
- Travel time: 35 minutes (from the lower station to the top).
- The return: At the lower station we have the option to choose the departure time but not the return time, a choice we must make once we reach the summit. The minimum time at the summit is 35 minutes.
- Prices: Adults 18€, children 11€ (round trip prices).
- Location: Port of Saint-Ignace, Sara, French Basque Country. Most of you ask us how to get there from Saint-Jean de Luz, simple, direction Azkaine (D918 road), cross the town and follow direction Sara, you can’t get lost. The Saint Ignace pass is the departure point of the Larrun rack railway.
- Contact telephone number: + 33 559 542 026
- Contact email: train.rhune@epsa.fr
The information offered so far is enough to enjoy everything that Larrun offers us, but if you are one of those who like to have everything well planned and know the history of the places you visit, do not miss everything we have to tell you, the most charming train in the Basque Country is waiting for you, do not miss it!
Petit train de La Rhune (little train of Larrun), a charming rack railway located in the port of Saint Ignace.
History of the Larrun rack railway: The section of the Larrun railway that we know today was inaugurated on June 30, 1924, but not before overcoming a large number of problems that arose since the idea of building the railway in 1908. From 1924 to the present day the Larrun train has had several important milestones, among them, we highlight:
- 1930: More than 39,000 vegetables are planted.
- 1958: The first parking lot is built.
- 1998: The number of 350,000 passengers is reached.
Larrun train materials: Although new trains have been added since it was inaugurated until today, all of them are prior to 1924, since they were not new. Two local companies are in charge of the mechanics and wood, Barland and Telletchea, respectively. It is curious how in the same wagon we find pine from the Pyrenees, pine from the Landes, chestnut from Ariège and iroko from Africa.
Safety: Annually, after the tourist season (from November to February), all Larrun trains are checked piece by piece in Barland. Exhaustive but necessary controls to ensure the safety of the more than 350,000 users that the Larrun train has during the year.
In case of doing the route on foot, we must emphasize that the route has a slope of more than 700 meters on a path in the open sky where the heat is hellish and the rain makes the path a very slippery route, caution.
What to see in Larrun and surroundings: The top of Larrun, keeps a great variety of local fauna such as potxokas, manech sheep and griffon vultures, although its greatest charms are its natural value and its views. The villages of Sara, Ainhoa, Ezpeleta or Donibane Garazi are some of the most beautiful villages ever seen, visit them!
This rack railway is one of the great attractions of Sara, a town that we already recommended in our article on the most beautiful villages of the French Basque Country and that we recommend to visit with eyes closed, are you coming?
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