5 Reasons to Visit the Basque City of Bayonne, France

With so many destinations awaiting tourists in France, many simply get overlooked. The South of France is jam-packed with marvellous cities and landscapes that require multiple trips to work through. It must be for this reason that so many people miss out on visiting Bayonne on the Atlantic side of the South of France.

People often focus on the Mediterranean coast of the South of France, but Bayonne is an excellent alternative to the likes of Nimes, Marseille, and Avignon. Near the popular seaside city of Biarritz, Bayonne is full of old-fashioned appeal and regional character. If you’re looking for a compelling reason to visit Bayonne, I’m glad to share more than just one, including the many things to do there.

How to get to Bayonne

Bayonne is a surprisingly easy destination to reach despite being tucked away in France’s southwest corner.

This is even true when using public transport. Within France, there are direct intercity trains from major cities like Bordeaux and Toulouse. I came all the way from Carcassonne, and the train journey offered wonderful scenery.

Bus connections can also be found for many French destinations, as well as when coming over from Spain. The trip from San Sebastian to Bayonne, for example, is both quick and cheap with FlixBus.

Of course, if you plan on visiting more of the South of France, it’s always worth looking into renting a car for your time in Bayonne. Popping over to Biarritz becomes much easier, not to mention all the other destinations inland and towards the mountains.

Where to stay in Bayonne

While I can understand the thought of only doing a day trip to Bayonne, you can find enough to do here to spend two days in town.

And that means deciding on your accommodation in Bayonne. I happened upon one of the best Airbnb stays I think I’ve had, staying in a spare room right in the middle of the old town. But I know that this isn’t for everyone.

You’ll find a reasonable selection of mid-range hotels and apartments in Bayonne, with these places coming highly-rated:

• Hôtel Villa KOEGUI Bayonne
• Libertitu
• Hôtel des Basses Pyrénées – Bayonne
• Baionakoa Résidence

Why Bayonne is worth visiting

Hopefully, you can now see how easy it is to travel to Bayonne. But that doesn’t answer the question of what to do in Bayonne or why it’s worth your precious time.

For that, let me show you how the different elements of Bayonne and the things to do around the city make it so fun to explore. What’s great is that you can discover the city on your own or with a local guide on a walking tour, and these reasons apply all the same.

The French Basque Country

Anyone who spends a little time in France will realise that there are many different sides to France. Food, culture, language, and architecture — they all differ from one region to the next.

This most definitely applies to the southern region of the French Basque Country. Much like the Basque region of northern Spain, with cities like Bilbao, it genuinely feels like you’ve entered a separate country.

As you explore, there are plenty of clues to this otherness. For instance, street signs are shown in both French and Basque around the place.

Perhaps the strongest indicator is the ever-present Basque colours of green, red, and white shown throughout Bayonne. Walking about Bayonne, either alone or on a guided walking tour, the immense Basque pride of locals is immediately obvious thanks to these Basque flags, flown from flagpoles, windows, etc.

For those looking to get a feel for this culture, Basque Bayonne is a great place to ease yourself in. Whereas you might find fully Basque towns and villages in the countryside, Bayonne is more of a mix of Basque and general French culture.

This means that while Basque is only understood by about 10% of the population, people still very much identify as Basque. One element that has staunchly endured, though, is the region’s cuisine, including the delicious sweet Gâteau Basque.

For those looking to sample local Basque cuisine, I found Restaurant Le Chistera in Grand Bayonne to be a great little spot. Helpful staff, lots of interesting dishes to try, and it is quite affordable. Their piperade with sausage, a Basque dish of tomato and peppers, was quite tasty.

It’s quickly worth noting that Bayonne also has a notable Gascon influence. Another ethnic region of southern France, Gascony, borders Bayonne, so it makes sense that elements of Gascon culture are present there today.

Two riverfronts to admire

One of the main defining features of Bayonne has to be the city’s two rivers, the Adour and the Nive. The two meet in the very heart of Bayonne, making for quite the scenic city centre. They’re also very important in defining the layout of Bayonne, as they carve the city up into its three main central quarters. Don’t do the math.

Probably most important to visitors is the quarter of Grand Bayonne on the west bank of the Nive. Here you’ll find many of the key landmarks that we’ll touch on later.

Across the Nive, we find the quarter of Petit Bayonne, which has a more dense, residential feel to it. Lastly, on the northern bank of the Adour lies the Quartier Saint-Esprit, which has long been home to Bayonne’s Jewish community.

No matter which quarter you’re in, heading to the riverfront is quite a treat. Looking along and across the rivers, the views of these buildings, even in cloudy skies, are quite something.

Since the Nive is much smaller than the Adour, the views between Grand Bayonne and Petit Bayonne are much better. That being said, the view across to the Citadel in Quartier Saint-Esprit is quite striking too.

It’s worth noting that the Nive riverfront and bridges host a lively weekend market. Here you can get all sorts of regular produce, plus snacks and local delicacies.

The beauty of classic half-timbered houses

It doesn’t take long into your Bayonne trip to recognize one of Bayonne’s greatest features – its half-timbered houses. The painted wooden frames against white walls are an icon of so many French destinations, think Colmar and Strasbourg. Bayonne may have a mix of building styles from various centuries, but that just means these half-timbered houses just stand out even more.

With their tall and narrow frame and uncoordinated arrangement, they’ve kept to their form from the Middle Ages. If there’s one feature, though, that draws attention to all of Bayonne’s houses, it’s their shutters.

On practically every building, you’ll find boldly painted shutters that lend Bayonne its air of history and tradition. Even when a building seems to be a little generally rundown, you can trust that the shutters are well looked after.

If for nothing more, these houses and shutters make Bayonne an immensely pretty city to sightsee around. You feel the atmosphere they create as you wander between the high houses in the Old Town’s narrow pedestrian streets, that’s for sure.

Bayonne’s other historical landmarks

Bayonne, like much of the South of France, is not short on history. And of course, visiting the city’s historical sights is one of the best things to do in Bayonne.

A great place to start with historical sightseeing in Bayonne is the Grand Bayonne quarter. In the heart of the city here, you’ll find several major landmarks, including Château Vieux and Bayonne Cathedral. Château Vieux is a rather understated castle dating back to the late 11th century. It was here that local rulers resided, at the core of the city’s fortifications.

Bayonne Cathedral, on the other hand, is anything but understated. The spires of the Gothic Cathédrale Sainte-Marie can be seen across much of the city, even in the narrow streets of the city’s old town. The cathedral is home to quite a pleasant cloister courtyard as well.

Probably the most consistent historic remnant found in Bayonne is the old city fortifications. Major city walls encircled both Grand Bayonne and Petit Bayonne, parts of which you can still see today. Built by famed engineer Vauban, who also constructed the citadel of Lille, these 17th-century fortifications expanded on the city’s older walls.

Over in Grand Bayonne, below the fortifications, you’ll find the expansive Botanic Gardens. They’re quite pleasant in their own right and let you admire how well-defended the city must have been. Back up above, some of the towers from the older walls have melded with the houses and are now home to people.

Escape the crowds in the South of France

In this day and age of over-tourism, I think it’s important to continue highlighting less-visited destinations. It’s only by diversifying where we travel that we can better manage the impacts of tourism.

France is the most popular tourist destination in the world according to the World Tourism Organization, with more than 80 million tourists in 2016. Therefore, I think highlighting places like Bayonne is an important thing to do.

Now I know that visiting in March means I didn’t see Bayonne at its busiest. There certainly weren’t many other obvious tourists at the time, that’s for sure.

But given that Tripadvisor ranks Bayonne #84 on its top destinations in France, I don’t expect France’s peak season to change things too badly. So if you want to avoid crowds and enjoy a destination that many miss out on, visiting Bayonne is a pretty great idea.

Would you choose to visit Bayonne next time you travel to the South of France? If you’ve been, would you recommend visiting Bayonne, France? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

This article is now available as a mobile app. Go to GPSmyCity to download the app for GPS-assisted travel directions to the attractions featured in this article.