Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From Biarritz by Bus to: St-Jean-de-Luz
(nearly hourly, fewer on Sundays, 45 minutes,
ATCRB line #816) and
Bayonne
(2-3/hour, fewer on Sundays, 30 minutes, Chronoplus
lines #A1 and #A2).
Traditional villages among the green hills, with buildings colored like the Basque flag,
offer the best glimpse of Basque culture. Cheese, hard cider, and
pelota
players are the
primary products of these villages, which attract few foreigners but many French summer
visitors.MostofthesevillageshavewelcomedpilgrimsboundforSantiagodeCompostela
since the Middle Ages. Today's hikers trek between local villages or head into the Pyren-
ees. The most appealing villages lie in the foothills of the Pyrenees, spared from beach-
scene development.
Use St-Jean-de-Luz as your base to visit the Basque sights described below. You can
reach some of these places by public transportation, but the hassle outweighs the rewards.
Do a circuit of these towns in the order they're listed here. Assuming you're driving, I've
included route instructions as well.
• Only 15 minutes from St-Jean-de-Luz, follow signs for
Ascain,
then
Sare.
On the twisty-
turny road toward Sare, you'll pass the station for the train up to...
La Rhune / Larrun
Between the villages of Ascain and Sare, near the border with Spain, a small cogwheel
train takes tourists to the top of La Rhune, the region's highest peak (2,969 feet). You'll
putt-putt up the hillside for 35 minutes in a wooden, open-air train car to reach panoramic
views of land and sea (adults-€15 round-trip, kids-€8, all pay €2-3 more in summer, runs
March-mid-Nov daily, closed mid-Nov-Feb, departures weather-dependent—the trip is
worthless if it's not clear, goes every 35 minutes when busiest July-Aug, tel. 05 59 54
20 26,
www.rhune.com
). For those traveling without a car,
La Basque Bondissant
runs a
shuttle for peak-season tourists from St-Jean-de-Luz (€17, kids-€10, train ticket included,
• Continue along the same road, and look out for pull-offs with room for a couple of cars,
typically placed at the most scenic spots. Stop to smell the grass before the next stop...
