St Jean de Luz, Biarritz & Basque Country
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port
Hendaye (Biarritz), France
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activityLevel
Moderate Activity
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excursionType
Information Not Currently Available
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wheelchairAccessible
No
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startingAtPrice
$210
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minimumAge
Information Not Currently Available
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duration
Approximately 7½ Hours
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mealsIncluded
Meals included
Your adventure starts with a visit to St Jean de Luz, a port once famous for piracy. The Basque privateers sailed under the authority of the French King and were the scourge of English merchant ships. The town became a veritable pirates' nest, and many of the fine houses today were built from the treasures captured by the privateers.
The Golden Age of prosperity for St Jean de Luz was outdone only by the 1660 marriage of Louis XIV of France and Marie-Thérèse of Spain. Not a match made in heaven, the royal wedding was, in fact, engineered by the Treaty of the Pyrenees. You will see the two houses where the couple awaited the marriage on either side of the Town Square. The Basque Church of St John the Baptist is where they were married and is of particular interest today. See the location of the doorway by which the couple left after the ceremony -- it was immediately walled up so that no one else could use the royal threshold. The interior is one of the finest examples of Basque religious architecture remaining in the world, with the classic wooden balconies that are typical of Basque churches.
Next, a panoramic drive through the countryside reveals some lovely Basque villages. Sare, surrounded by superb Basque farmhouses, lies in the shadow of Rhune Mountain and in the heart of the old smuggling region. Ascain, built on the foothills of La Rhune and beside the Nivelle River, is a picturesque village and typifies the architectural harmony of the Labourd province with its beautiful 17th-century homes. Aïnhoa, which was almost totally destroyed by the Spaniards in 1629, features 17th- and 18th-century houses. Its main street is lined with some of the finest houses ever built in Labourd style, with the date of construction and name of the owner engraved on the lintel above each doorway. Espelette, with its unusual narrow, winding, main street, is famous for Basque mountain ponies and the red pimientos used in Basque cuisine. Itxassou grows magnificent Basque cherries, which traditionally are eaten with local cheese for a mind-popping taste sensation.
Lunch is served at a restaurant in or near Itxassou.
This afternoon, you'll drive to Biarritz -- the Queen of Resorts and the Resort of Kings. This was the resort of choive for Napoleon III and his lovely, if spendthrift, wife Eugenie. You will stop at the lighthouse, located on the northern tip of Biarritz, for a panoramic view of the city. The Grande Plage, the main beach in town, is where surfers from all over the world come to ride the waves. Don't miss a view of the Hotel du Palais, with its façade overhanging the golden beach of Biarritz -- it perfectly evokes the idle rich, frivolous days of the 1920s. Built in 1855, as a summerhouse for Napoleon III and Eugenie, the building owes its 'E' shape to the Empress' name.
En route back to Hendaye's pier, stop at the quaint fishing port nestled among the rocks and considered by many to be a tiny village within the city of Biarritz. Watch for the Virgin Rock -- a landmark of Biarritz accessible only by an imposing bridge constructed by Gustave Eiffel.
Please note: Wear comfortable walking shoes.