St. Jean de Luz, what to see and do.

Saint Jean de Luz, a jewel on the coast of Iparralde (French Basque Country).

San Juan de Luz, Donibane Lohizune in Basque, is one of the most visited towns in Iparralde. No wonder. Its enormous beach, the promenade, its urban center and its port enchant all those people who decide to escape to this idyllic location on the Basque coast. An old corsair city that encourages us to enjoy its colorful facades and its great promenade just walking through its streets.The town of San Juan de Luz is located between the sea and the mountains. A small and idyllic corner of the Basque coast that protected by the beach and the fishing port encourages us to enjoy the same spaces that Louis XIV and the Infanta Maria Teresa enjoyed during their wedding. Ready to discover what to see in San Juan de Luz?

Its tourist profile is very similar to that of Hendaye. Especially in its characteristic coastal section. And it is that the great beach and cliffs that we find in its right side are very similar to those of its neighboring locality. A picturesque place that invites us to walk and enjoy the strength and beauty of the sea.

What to see in San Juan de Luz.

We leave you with what for us are some of the most emblematic places of the town. We hope it will help you when planning your getaway. In case you have any questions about what to see in San Juan de Luz we encourage you to use the comment system that you will find at the end of this article. We will try to respond as soon as possible.

Grande Plage: The immense sandy beach that we find next to the urban center of San Juan de Luz is one of its most precious treasures. A sandy beach, which in summer becomes one of the most demanded spaces of the town. Of course, we must not forget that it is not the only beach in San Juan de Luz. Along the entire coastline there are up to 5 beaches: Grande Plage, Erromardie, Lafitenia, Mayarco and Senix.

Promenade: Parallel to the beach we find the incredible promenade of Saint Jean de Luz. Also known as the Jacques Thibaud promenade (famous French violinist). A space, which encourages us to walk between the fishing port and Santa Barbara. Undoubtedly one of the places of obliged visit. A route that allows us to contemplate the popular architecture and the charms of the coast at the same time. A marvel.

Church of Saint Jean Baptista: The church of Saint Jean Baptista, Saint Jean Baptista, is internationally famous for hosting the wedding between the Infanta Maria Theresa and Louis XIV in 1660. A historical monument, which enchants everyone who visits it. We recommend you to walk through the 3 floors of galleries that we find inside while enjoying its altarpiece and its organ. If you want more details of this temple, we encourage you to enjoy the video we published on our YouTube channel.

Urban center: Many times we forget that San Juan de Luz has more than 19 square kilometers of extension. And although most of the tourist attractions are located in the center, there are many other places worth visiting on the outskirts. A clear example of this are the beaches and natural viewpoints that we find outside the urban center.

Trinquete Bordatxo: One of the most peculiar places in San Juan de Luz. A small trinquete (closed fronton) with a lot of charm, located on the road linking the town with Bidart, encourages us to enjoy a nice game of pelota.

House of Louis XIV: This building named Lohobiague-Enea, better known as Maison Louis XIV, is located in the square of the same name, next to the town hall. This house built in 1643 by one of the most successful shipowners of St. Jean de Luz, became the home of Louis XIV during his stay in the town.

Fishing port: The fishing port of San Juan de Luz is one of the most important of Iparralde. A space, located between the beach and the town center, gives us a nice coming and going of fishing boats. Next to the port we find the fish market, also the market, the ideal place to buy fresh fish in San Juan de Luz.

The Infanta’s house: The Infanta Maria Theresa visited Saint-Jean-de-Luz in 1660 to marry Louis XIV. During her stay, the Infanta stayed in the house of Joannes Haraneder, a famous clergyman and translator of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. From that moment on, the building was baptized Joanoenia, the house of the Infanta (Joanoenia, la Maison de I’Infante). Located next to the fishing port, this pink building still has the Infanta’s bedroom and an incredible 17th century salon.

Rue Gambetta: The rue Gambetta (Gambetta street), is one of the arteries of St. Jean de Luz. A street, which is crowded with stores, markets and boutiques. It is also here that we find one of the jewels of the town, the church of St. John the Baptist.

Les Halles: The market. One of the liveliest places in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. A place where you can buy quality local products at competitive prices. Remember that the market is only open in the mornings.

Santa Barbara: Located in one of the sides of the urban nucleus, in a high place, we find a hill full of paths. A space that invites us to enjoy one of the best views of San Juan de Luz. A perfect natural vantage point to enjoy the sunsets.

Although these are some of the most important spaces, they are not the only ones. If you want to get to know this urban center in depth, we recommend visiting other tourist attractions such as the botanical garden.

Video of San Juan de Luz.

As usual in all our publications, we wanted to create a video to show you more realistically what awaits you at your destination. We hope it will be helpful. In case you like our videos we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to discover all the places and experiences that we recommend you in Euskal Herria. If you like our project and want to support it so that we continue creating content about Euskadi, you can share our publications on social networks(Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube).

Typical products.

Although this town has several typical products, sweets are one of its star products. Especially 2 products. The famous macarons and the Basque paste. Of course, we prefer the latter. The Basque cake that they elaborate in the localities of Iparralde are finger-licking good. If you are planning to buy some of these local products to take them to your relatives, we recommend the Pariès store. Of course, they are not cheap. Prepare your wallet.

Where to park.

This is one of the great dilemmas of Saint Jean de Luz. It is necessary to pay for parking in almost all the city. Forget about parking in the center, the most important streets are pedestrian. In each area there are parking meters that indicate the rates and times when they are active. In principle, except Sundays and holidays, the schedule is from 9:00 to 12:30 and from 14:30 to 19:30 (maximum of 3 hours of parking).

What to see near Saint Jean de Luz.

If you want to complement your trip to San Juan de Luz visiting other nearby towns, we recommend you to visit some of the following ones. We are sure you will like them.

History.

In the 11th century, Saint Jean de Luz was a fishing village. A small urban center located between dunes and marshes. In the 15th century, the fishing of cod and whales relaunched the prosperity of Saint Jean de Luz. The inhabitants of this small coastal village were famous for their innate talent in the use of harpoons. But in the 17th century, fishing declined and the hardened sailors were forced to change their lives and became privateers. In the same century (1660) Saint Jean de Luz witnessed the “Peace of the Pyrenees” for the celebration of the royal wedding between Louis XIV and the Infanta Maria Theresa, where the purpose of the marriage was none other than to end more than 20 years of war between Spain and France. With the arrival of the railroad, the city began to become what it is today, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area.

Experiences in the Basque Country.

If you are planning to extend your trip and visit the provinces of Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, we encourage you to take a look at our reservation center. In it you will find experiences and accommodations that will help you to enjoy our land. We leave you some of the most demanded experiences, we hope you like them.

As you have been able to see this town on the coast of Iparralde has a nice range of spaces and experiences to enjoy. If you have any questions about what to see in San Juan de Luz we encourage you to use the comment system that you will find below these lines to let us know. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!