Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Opposite the port on the far side of the square is...
Rue de la République:
This historic lane leads from Place Louis XIV to the beach.
Once the home of fishermen, today it's lined with mostly edible temptations. Facing the
square,
Maison Adam
still uses the family recipe to bake the macaroons Louis XIV en-
joyed during his visit (at #6; look for the gigantic display of plastic red peppers, and then
go next door for their sweets). You can buy one (€1), or sample a less historic but just as
tasty
gâteau basque,
a baked tart with a cream or cherry filling. Don't eat your dessert just
yet,though,becausefartherdownRuedelaRépubliqueyou'llfind
Pierre Oteiza,
stacked
with rustic Basque cheeses and meats from mountain villages (with a few samples gener-
ally out for the tasting, and handy €3.50 paper cones of salami or cheese slices—perfect
for munching during this walk; closed 13:00-14:00).
You'll likely eat on this lane tonight. The recommended
Le Kaiku,
the town's top
restaurant, fills the oldest building in St-Jean-de-Luz (with its characteristic stone lookout
tower),datingfromthe1500s.Thiswastheonlybuildingonthestreettosurviveavicious
1558 Spanish attack. Each end of the street is flanked by a cannon, which may be from
Basque pirate ships. At the upper end of the street, notice the photo of fisherwomen with
baskets on their heads, who would literally run to Bayonne to sell their fresh fish.
• Continue to the...
Beach:
A high embankment protects the town from storm waters, but generally the
Grande Plage—which is lovingly groomed daily—is the peaceful haunt of sun-seekers,
soccer players, and happy children. Walk the elevated promenade (to the right). Various
tableaux tell history in French. Storms (including a particularly disastrous one in 1749)
routinely knocked down buildings. Repeated flooding around 1800 drove the population
down by two-thirds. Finally, in 1854, Napoleon III—who had visited here and appreciated
the town—began building the three breakwaters you see today. Decades were spent piling
8,000 fifty-ton blocks, and by 1895 the town was protected. To develop their tourist trade,
they built a casino and a fine hotel, and even organized a special getaway train from Paris.
During those days there were as many visitors as residents (3,000).
• Stroll through the seaside shopping mall fronting the late-Art-Deco-style La Pergola,
which houses a casino and the Hélianthal spa center (entrance around back) and over-
looks the beach. Anyone in a white robe strolling the beach is from the spa. Beyond La
Pergola is the pink, Neo-Romantic Grand Hôtel (c. 1900), with an inviting terrace for an
expensive coffee break(€7cappuccino). Fromherecircle backintotownalongBoulevard
Thiers until you reach the bustling...
Rue Gambetta:
Turn right at the green cross and circle back to your starting point,
following the town's lively pedestrian shopping street. You'll notice many stores selling
the renowned
linge Basque
—cotton linens such as tablecloths, napkins, and dishcloths, in
