Subprefecture of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
Photo: Dvillafruela, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Bayonne (Baiona in Basque and in Occitan language) is a town in Pyrénées-Atlantiques in the southwest corner of France, part of the Basque region straddling the border with Spain. It's part of the triple township of BAB, Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne, which in 2021 had a population of 309,392, and as a tourist destination it's been overshadowed by the more famous Biarritz. But it has more to offer the visitor, with its charming half-timbered buildings and range of interesting sights. It's also the transport hub for the area.
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This is mostly Gothic, with additions at all points from Norman to 19th century. On the nave ceiling, note the English coat of arms along with French fleur-de-lys. The cloister has a separate entrance on Place Louis Pasteur.
Pleasant gardens just west of the Old Castle.
Baionako Euskal Museoan
Excellent introduction to traditional Basque culture and the town of Bayonne. It's housed in the 16th century Maison Dagourette.
Musee Bonnat-Helleu is a renowned fine-arts museum known for its outstanding collection of Old Master paintings, drawings, and sculptures, featuring works by artists such as Goya, El Greco, Degas, Ingres, and Bonnat himself.
Almost as grand as the cathedral, this was completed in 1869 in neo-Gothic style.
Gaztelu Zaharra
Château-Vieux is a fortress on Allee de Poterne 100 m north of the cathedral. Parts date back to the 12th century; Napoleon considered it of no value and ordered it to be demolished, but this was never acted on. It's nowadays a military base and you can't visit. La Poterne was its west postern gate, nowadays facing the Botanic Gardens.
Small museum of local Jewish history.
Contemporary art museum with changing exhibitions.
Museum of the town's chocolate history, with demonstrations of chocolate-making.
Child-oriented museum of natural history. It's set in Plaine d'Ansot, a large riverside parkland.
Replica sailing ship built in 2014. The original frigate of 1779 was involved in the wars against England and carried General La Fayette to America to take part in the US revolution; in 1793 it ran aground and was wrecked near Saint-Nazaire. Visit by guided tour.
Tapas restaurant with Basque and Spanish cuisine.
Great cuisine and atmosphere on the riverbank.
Great reviews for their local cuisine.
Excellent little bar and bistro.
Grand little Basque restaurant near the rugby stadium.
Traditional Basque cooking.
Bar-restaurant with local cuisine.
Cook d'Asie
Chinese, Japanese and Thai specialties. Decent food, service erratic.
Small brasserie with local specialties.
Spacious central hotel in a former convent.
Basic but central, small rooms, can be noisy.
Very central, ancient building with contemporary decor and charming host.
Excellent budget choice near the station, overlooking river.
Friendly clean hostel by the station.
Clean comfy chain hotel 500 m east of station.
Reliable Accor chain hotel, small but comfy rooms. Handy for ring-road, free parking, but still within walking distance of old town centre.
Unclean, uncomfortable, and overpriced even at this room rate.
Value-for-money central chain hotel with restaurant and bar.
Comfy value place convenient for motorists.
Smart modern place with swimming pool and sauna.
Charming elegant small hotel south of city.
By train
Trains run every two hours from Paris Montparnasse, taking 4 hours via Bordeaux and Dax.
By bus
Flixbus runs four times a day from Paris Bercy Seine, taking 10-11 hours via Bordeaux. Four buses run from Toulouse, taking four hours via Tarbes and Pau.
By ridepooling
Blablacar share rides also pick up and drop off at the intercity bus stop "Quai de Lesseps", but you may be able to negotiate a spot downtown.
By road
Principal autoroutes are A64 from Pau, Tarbes and Toulouse, and A63 from to Bordeaux and continuing south to the border at Irun, where it becomes AP8 towards San Sebastian
Txik Txak is the public transport network for the three BAB townships including Hendaye at the Spanish border. N1, N2 and N6 are free navettes in town centre.40, valid for 90 min including interchange between buses.
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Biarritz · Regional · BIQ
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