Image | Eusko Guide | Ainhoa
The French Basque Country is a space on the Atlantic coast that mixes tradition and sophistication. To this is added their great tourist interest because they have a great historical-cultural heritage that does not leave indifferent.
We enter some of the most charming villages in the French Basque Country, those that are hidden between valleys and the facades of their houses have the typical red, green or blue wooden sleepers that give them that picturesque appearance. Can you come with us?
Ainhoa
This small town in the south of France is considered one of the most beautiful in the country. It is a "bastide" municipality that was built in the XNUMXth century as a place of rest and supplies for pilgrims who followed the French Way on their route to Santiago de Compostela.
The main street of Ainhoa is a wide avenue lined by houses whose facades are adorned with wooden sleepers of different colors and apparent carved stones.
Ainhoa has an important religious heritage due to its role on the Camino de Santiago. On the slope of the Asulai mountain, the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Espino Blanco stands out, offering an example of Basque funerary art with its more than twenty discoidal stelae and enjoying beautiful views over the Xareta valley, the ocean and Larrún peak. Special mention should be made of the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, reminiscent of the typical religious architecture of the Lapurdi area.
The Heritage House offers the visitor an original approach to the Xareta valley, delving into its traditions, discovering its landscape and other information of interest.
Image | Eusko Guide
Espelette
Just 9 kilometers from Ainhoa is Espelette, a small white town with colored facades well known for its red peppers with designation of origin that can be purchased in multiple forms in any store.
In fact, the last weekend of October this town organizes its own pepper festival in which the streets are filled with people in a party full of cultural and gastronomic events.
Other very popular local foods are cheese and chocolate, so surely no one leaves empty-handed on a visit to Espelette.
From a cultural point of view, Espelette has many places of interest such as the church of San Esteban (from the XNUMXth century) located next to the cemetery, where you can see the traditional Basque tombstones. Another place to visit in Espelette is the Castle of the Men of Espelette, a beautiful building where the town hall of the municipality is currently located.
Lovers of outdoor sports will find Espelette the perfect place for hiking, mountain biking or horse riding. since its surroundings have many paths and space to carry out these types of activities.
Image | Editorial Buen Camino
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Like the previous ones, Saint Jean Pied de Port is another town in the French Basque Country that is on the Camino de Santiago and has been considered the capital of Lower Navarra since the XNUMXth century. It is located in the Roncesvalles pass, at the base of the Pyrenees, and only 8 kilometers from the border with Spain.
Within the historic center of this town in the French Basque Country there are many cobbled streets, full of old houses. One of the most famous sights of the municipality is the old Roman bridge over the river Nive, which delights visitors, as well as the church of Notre Dame du Bout du Pont, of which the bell tower stands out.
Saint Jean Pied de Port is surrounded by the walls of the castle of Mendiguren, the most famous gate being that of Saint Jacques, which in 1998 was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
To see the best views of this town in the French Basque Country and discover its vibrant green colors, you have to go to the entrance of the citadel. This was built on the site of the old castle-fortress of the kings of Navarra, on the hill of Mendiguren and is part of the Plazas Fuertes de los Pirineos Occidental.
Image | Les plus beaux villages de France
Salt
Considered one of the most beautiful villages in France, Sare is located near the Cantabrian Sea in the Aquitaine region a few kilometers from the Navarran town of Zugarramurdi.
Sare stands out for its architecture and shares with other municipalities the highlights of Basque rural architecture from the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, such as the Saint-Martin church. In addition to its architecture, Sare is also known for its prehistoric caves that can be entered with a guide and where ancient remains were found. These caves house a museum and a megalithic park with reconstitutions of monuments created by man during protohistory.
On the other hand, the Larrún cogwheel train allows us to contemplate a spectacular panorama from the top of the mountain of the entire coast from the Landes to Bizkaia, the Pyrenees, etc. The ascent presents us with a bucolic landscape and an unforgettable experience.