The Pays Basque Maribel’s Guide to the French Basque Country © Maribel’s Guides

The Pays Basque Maribel’s Guide to the French Basque Country © Maribel’s Guides for the Sophisticated Traveler ™ March 2018 info@iberiantraveler.com Maribel’s Guides © Page !1 INDEX The French Basque Country - Page 3 • Must Sees, Farmers’ Markets, Spas & Golf- Page 4 • How to Arrive - Page 5 Staying in the Pays Basque - Page 6 Excursions on the Côte Basque - Page 7 • Saint-Jean-de-Luz - Page 8 • Biarritz- Page 15 • Bayonne- Page 27 Excursions in the Basque countryside - Page 37 • Ascain • Sare • Ainhoa • Espelette • Larressore • Itxassou • Bidarray • Ossès • Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port • Saint-Etienne-de-Bäigorry • Cambo-les-Bains • La Bastide-Clairence Web Resources - Page 56 Travel Planning Services - Page 57 info@iberiantraveler.com Maribel’s Guides © Page !2 The French Basque Country What the Pays Basque offers the visitor • A long coastline of cliffs and jagged rocks and wide, sandy beaches that have become a haven to surfers from around the globe attracted by some of Europe’s best waves. • Elegant seaside resort towns including a four-Flower Village, a Ville Fleurie. • Beautiful rolling hills and pastures dotted with lovely three-flower, highly picturesque mountain villages filled with handsome whitewashed farmhouses (etxe in Basque) with shutters painted red and green, the colors of the Basque flag, with many dating back beyond the 17th-century. • The unspoiled mountains of the majestic Pyrénées with spectacular vistas and bracing hikes. • The major staging area of the pilgrims’ route to Santiago de Compostela, in Saint-Jean- Pied-de-Port, which has welcomed pilgrims since the Middle Ages. info@iberiantraveler.com Maribel’s Guides © Page !3 Must Sees in the Pays Basque • Basque Culture Museum, Musée Basque, Bayonne • Bonnat Fine Arts Museum, Bayonne • Musee de la Mer Aquarium, Biarritz • Villa Arnaga - Edmond-Rostand Museum, Cambo-les-Bains • The Caves of Sare • Ortillopitz, the Basque House of Sare • The red pepper village of Espelette • Vintage 1924 rack railway to the summit of La Rhune mountain • The prehistoric caves of Isturitz Oxocelhaya • Kakuetta Canyon, Sainte Engrâce • 12th-century Romanesque Church of L’Hôpital-Saint-Blaise, • Château D’Arcangues, home of the Marquis d’Arcangues • The 600-year old Château d’Urtubie, St-Jean-de-Luz/Urrugne • Château Abbadia Observatory, Hendaye Farmers’ Market Days Opening around 7:00 am, closing at 1:00 pm • Bayonne - Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday • Biarritz - covered market open daily • Saint-Jean-de-Luz - Tuesday, Friday and Saturday in July and August • Ciboure - Sunday • Urrugne - Thursday • Ascain - Saturday • Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle - Saturday • Espelette - Wednesday and Saturday only in July and August • Cambo-les-Bains - Friday • Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - Monday • La Bastide-Clairence - night market every Friday in July and August Thalassotherapy (spa) Treatments • Loreamar Thalasso Spa in the Grand Hotel Luz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz • Hélianthal Spa in the Hélianthal hotel, Saint-Jean-de-Luz • Thalassa Miramar in the Sofitel Miramar hotel, Biarritz • Atlanthal in the Atlanthal Hotel, Anglet info@iberiantraveler.com Maribel’s Guides © Page !4 Local Golf Courses Open for fee to non-members, must reserve at least 24 hrs in advance. • Golf de Chantaco, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, 18 holes • Golf du Phare, Biarritz, 18 holes (the second oldest course in France opened in 1888) • Golf d’Ilbarritz, Bidart, 9 holes • Golf de Chiberta, Anglet, 18 holes (reserve 48 hrs. in advance) • Golf d’Arcangues, Arcangues, 18 holes • Golf de la Nivelle, Ciboure, 18 holes How to Arrive Flying The French Basque Country’s main airport is Aéroport Biarritz Pays Basque with direct flights to/from Châteauroux, Berlin, Brussels, Birmingham, Basel, Copenhagen, Dublin, Geneva, Helsinki, Lille, London, Lyon, Madrid, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Southampton, Stockholm, Luxembourg and Strasbourg. By Train or Bus You can reach the French Basque Coast by train or bus from Paris, or by train from Madrid through San Sebastián-Donostia. There is limited daily bus service on PESA between Bilbao and San Sebastián-Donostia in the País Vasco, and Irun, Hendaye, St-Jean-de-Luz, Biarritz and Bayonne in the Pays Basque. Hourly bus service is available between Hendaye, Irun, Urrugne, Ciboure, St-Jean-de-Luz, Guéthary, Bidart, Biarritz, Anglet and Bayonne on Autocars ATCAB. Local bus service on the Basque Coast is provided by ChronoPlus, with free shuttle service, Les Navettes, in Biarritz and Bayonne. By Car Day trips from San Sebastiá-Donostia, Hondarribia or Pamplona are easy for exploring the provinces of Laboure and Basse-Navarre, but if you are interested in experiencing the province of Soule’s capital of Oloron-Sainte-Marie and the Jurançon, Madiran, Béarn, Pacherenc du Vic Bilh, Tursan and Saint Mont wine regions around Pau (Béarn), and to the north, and possibility the fortified villages Larressingle and Bassouès (Gascony), then you should plan on spending a few days, using the Pays Basque as a base. info@iberiantraveler.com Maribel’s Guides © Page !5 Lodging in the Pays Basque You’ll find accommodations to fit all budgets in the French Basque Country, from the historic 5-star Hôtel du Palais, luxury boutique hotel Beaumanoir, or the Belle Époque Le Régina in Biarritz, to more moderately priced 3-star accommodations like Hôtel Edouard VII in Biarritz, 4-star Hôtel Ithurria in Ainhoa, the 3-star country inn, Hotel Arcé, in Saint- Etienne-de-Bäigorry, or the more exclusive Relais & Châteaux L'Auberge Basque in Saint- Pée-sur-Nivelle, the 17th-century 5-star Auberge Ostape, sitting in the countryside just outside of the small village of Bidarray, or Christine and Laurent Nederlof’s exquisite Château de Lamothe in the village of Moumour, perfect as a base for exploring the Pays Basque and Béarn countrysides. There are also self-catering apartments and Gîtes (rural homes), including excellent B&Bs like Quentin and Karen’s 2-room Maison Anderetea, in the interesting little village of Mendionde, not far from Hasparren, home of the famous Bob’s Beer. The historic 17th- century “labourdine” farmhouse Ihartze Artea is in the 3-flower village of Sare, and 3-room Maison Ohantzea, with its unique blue trim, located in the heart of Ainhoa, said to be one of the prettiest villages in all of France, where you can also find the traditional gâteaux Basques, the authentic Basque cake, and Xabier and Cristina’s 4-room Aire Berria, dating from 1880, in the beautiful little village of Irissarry. info@iberiantraveler.com Maribel’s Guides © Page !6 Excursions into the Pays Basque Along the Côte Basque Nestled in the southwest corner of France, the Pays Basque region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, is divided into three provinces, Laboure (Lapurdi), Basse-Navarre (Nafarroa Beherea) and Soule (Zuberoa), and extends south along the Atlantic coast and the Bay of Biscay from Bayonne to Hendaye and from the mouth of the Bidasoa River east along the deeply caved valleys and summits of the pastoral green hills of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, dotted with handsome blond cattle and sheep, to the Jurançon wine region of Béarn. If you’re without a car and just want to dip your toes into the French side of the Basque Country at a more expansive and warmer beach, take the little yellow Marie-Louise ferry (navette) from the pier in Hondarribia across the bay of Txinguidi to the town of Hendaye for a nice beach day. The ferry departs daily on the half hour. From June 15-September 15 it departs every 15 minutes from 10:00 am to 1:00 am. Across the border in France the town of Hondarribia is known as Fontarrabie. If you are staying in San Sebastián-Donostia, have a car, and want to venture into the Pays Basque for an outing or for lunch, it is about a 30-minute drive via the old border at Irún, but be prepared for congestion due to heavy truck traffic, especially during the summer months, especially during the ‘great exodus’, when Moroccans are heading south to catch the ferry to Tangiers. Once in the Pays Basque, for the most scenic drive, take the coastal route, the Corniche D912, from Hendaye north to Ciboure and St.-Jean-de-Luz. The inland route An alternative route we often use during the summer months, and staying in San Sebastián or Hondarribia, is to head to the small village of Bera/Vera in Navarra and follow the old smugglers route through the forest, the NA-4410/D406, to Sare. It’s a longer drive, but great if your first planned stop is in Sare, Ascain or Ainhoa. info@iberiantraveler.com Maribel’s Guides © Page !7 Saint-Jean-de-Luz Known as Donibane Lohizune in Basque, St-Jean de-Luz is a charming, lively, sophisticated, but extremely busy in summer, tuna, sardine and anchovy fishing port with 5 sandy beaches, turned tourist draw. Its fortune grew thanks to whaling; in the 16th-century it served as the point of departure for the cod fishing expeditions to Newfoundland and in the 17th-century, when cod fishing became more difficult, it became a “vipers nest”, a refuge of pirates. Take a walk atop the seawall on the Promenade Jacques Thibault. Survey the sardine boats moored in the small, protected harbor, or stroll along the soft sandy beach, la grande Plage, which is the very best way to appreciate the town’s fine architecture. The beach promenade runs from the end of Rue de la République to the elegantly restored Edwardian-style Grand Hôtel, which overlooks the beach and where you uploads/Religion/ mg-pays-basque.pdf

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• Publié le Mar 02, 2021
• Catégorie Religion
• Langue French
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