St Jean de Luz - out and about
St Jean de Luz offers a variety of activities and attractions
for the holiday visitor.
Beaches
The main beach is that rarest of things – a glorious,
sandy, clean and safe town beach. What’s more, it’s
protected by a huge breakwater which means that the surf which
pounds this coastline never reaches the bay’s shoreline.
As a result, this beach is superb for young families.
For more active beaches where surfing and
watersports are popular, head up the coast a few kms to Lafitenia
and Erromardie or south to Hendaye Plage.
Activities
There are several golf courses in and around
St Jean de Luz – take a look at our Golf in Aquitaine
page for more details and also the Directory.
Whilst a relatively new pastime in France, golf has been around
in the Basque Country since the 19th century and you won’t
find the course snobbery here that you can experience on the
Côte d’Azur.
Outside of the main beach in the bay, there is good surfing
at Plages Lafitenia and Erromardie. Take a look at our Surfing
in Aquitaine page for more details and also the Directory.
You’ll also find the opportunity for other watersports
– the protected bay is excellent for windsurfing and
just by the breakwater at the Socoa side of the bay, near
the fort, is a diving and windsurfing school.
From Quai du Marechal Leclerc, there are deep-sea
fishing excursions and sea cruises aboard Le Mairie Rose
to Hendaye and San Sebastian.
Popular in these parts is sea-water treatments
and cures, known as thalassotherapy. There
are a couple of centres in St Jean de Luz where you can be
assaulted with sea-weed (they probably don’t do that
really) and other marine life. We are told that it’s
a very relaxing way to spend the day and it’s a popular
option for the mums on holiday when the Dads and sons are
off surfing or playing golf!
There are several opportunities for tennis
including a mini-complex at both Chantaco and Nivelle golf
clubs. Or try something a little more adventurous –
Basque Pelote or Cesta Punta.
The latter is the fastest ball game in the world and there’s
a centre in town (Ja? Ala? Campos Berri, Av André Ithurralde)
where you can watch the Basques risk life and limb to compete.
This is a way of life in the Pays Basque and you’ll
see outdoor courts – frontons – all over the area.
A few kms outside of town there’s a handful of horse-riding
centres many of which will offer day or overnight treks in
the Pyrénéan foothills.
Children’s
Tourist Attractions
Children (and their parents) will appreciate the abundance
of activities on offer and great beaches at hand to keep kids
occupied and happy. In terms of conventional ‘tourist
attractions’ this is not really what the region is about.
However, there are some visits worth considering:
La Petite Train de la Rhune – funicular
train to the peak of La Rhune (starts at Ascain).
Les Grottes de Betharram – guided tours
of the caves under the Pyrénées.
There’s also Biarritz Musée
de la Mer and San
Sebastian Aquarium
Shopping
St Jean de Luz has excellent boutiques and
is a favourite for clothes and shoes. There’s also a
liberal sprinkling of speciality food shops – chocolates,
almond biscuits and gâteau Basque will tempt you! Maison
du Kanouga (9 Rue Gambetta), Maison Adam (49 Rue Gambetta)
and Pariès (9 Rue Gambetta) are three excellent sweet
shops to try.
If you enjoy visiting markets in France, then St Jean
de Luz will be a treat for food lovers especially. They’re
held every Tuesday and Friday plus Saturday in the summer.
There’s also a covered market in Les Halles all year
round Monday-to-Saturday plus Sundays in the summer. Ciboure
(the other side of the port) has a market on Sunday.
Eating Out
The chefs of St Jean de Luz are noted for their creativity
and the town is the capital of Basque cuisine with seafood
being a particular speciality – the town did after all
thrive as a whaling and fishing community and these sea-faring
roots are much evident today – St Jean de Luz remains
France’s largest tuna port.
There’s a good choice of eateries and Rue de la République
is lined with seafood restaurants displaying their wares.
These are some of the better-known restaurants
and pintxos (Basque tapas) bars*:
| Auberge
Kaiku, 17 Rue de la République |
Muscade,
20 Rue Garat |
| Au
Chipiron, 4 Rue Etchegaray |
Pasaka,
11 Rue de la République |
| Bakea,
9 Place Camille Julian (Ciboure) |
Ramuntcho,
24 Rue Garat |
| Chez
Martin, 51 Rue Evariste Baignol (Ciboure) |
Taverne
Basque, 5 Rue de la République |
| Chez
Maya, 4 Rue St Jacques |
Vieille
Auberge, 22 Rue Tourasse |
| Chez
Pablo, 5 Rue Mademoiselle-Etcheto |
*Bar
Le Brouillarta, 48 Promenade Jacques Thibaud |
| Chez
Pantxua, Port de Socoa |
*Bar
Xaia, Rue de la Fontaine |
| Chez
Théo, 25 Rue de l’Abbé-Onaïndia |
*Chez
Kako, Les Halles |
| Ibaïa,
39 Rue Tourasse |
*La
Taverna du Nesle, 5 Av Labrouche |
| La
Diva, 7 Rue de la République |
*Le
Majestic, Place Louis XIV |
La
Grillerie du Port, Quai du Marechal Leclerc - "after
reading about it in the Lonely Planet. You need a
weeny bit of French, but the food was really the best
thing we ate all week, and a meal for 2 and drinks
came in at less than 20 euros. It's quite basic, but
really fresh and tasty, the kind of real food you
don't often get, and has a great view of the harbour
and you can watch the fishing boats going out in the
evening, sunset over the harbour, all very romantic.
And their Basque beer was fab". (thanks
to Clair Doran for this contribution)
|
| Le
Kayola, 18 Rue de la République |
*Le
Duke, Place Maurice Ravel |
| Le
Patio, Rue de l’Abbé-Onandia |
*Pantxua,
7 Rue Tourasse |
| Le
Peita, Rue Tourasse |
*Pub
du Corsaire, 16 Rue de la République |
La
Table des Freres Ibarbooure Maricharenia, chemin de
Ttaliena, Guéthary |
The above list has been compiled with the help of the Lonely
Planet Guide (South West France), The Green Guide
(Atlantic Coast) and the Cadogan Guides –
always an excellent and informative read. “Bilbao
& The Basque Lands” is the one to buy.
Nightlife
For nocturnal fun, there’s a casino plus a disco (El
Paseo on Av André Ithurralde). This being continental
Europe, many bars are open until 2am too.
Arts
& Culture
Whilst the town is of course dominated by its Basque heritage,
there are some art-deco influences too – the resort
flourished in the 1920s and 1930s (as did it’s neighbour,
Biarritz). The splendid casino is firmly from the art-deco
era and one of the town’s art deco villas – Le?horra
– is open for tours (Ciboure, 1 Impasse Muskoa).
To further explore the town’s architecture,
at the port, the elegant Maison de l’Infante is one
of the town’s most impressive residences. La Maison
Louis XIV (Place Louis XIV) is another beautiful, historic
property. The nearby Rue Mazarin is where the ship owners
of the 17th century used to live and a few imposing houses
remain, notably Maison St Martin at no. 13.
Further afield, Château d’Utrtubie
just off the RN10 on the way to Urrugne, is a 14th century
château. On the Basque Coast Road – La Corniche
Basque – between St-Jean-de-Luz and Hendaye-Plage, is
Domaine
d’Abbadia, the Second Empire home of French scholar
Antione Abbadie (1810-97). Both are open to the public
St-Jean Baptiste is rated the best of all Basque churches.
It is also where Louis XIV and Maria Teresa – the Spanish
infanta - were married in 1660. The church is found on the
main street, Rue Gambetta. Church lovers should also take
in the Notre Dame de Socorri pilgrimage chapel at Urrugne.
The views from here are stunning and encompass the three big
western Pyrénées peaks – La Rhune, Jaozkibel
and Les Trois Couronnes.
To further your knowledge of Basque traditions, try the Ecomusée
de la Tradition Basque which is situated on the edge of town
just off the RN10.
A number of festivals and special events
take place in St-Jean-de-Luz throughout the year and these
include:
»Danses
des Sept Provinces Basque – dancing from the French
and Spanish Basque Country, held in late May or early June.
»Fêtes
de la St Jean – choral concert, bonfires, music and
dancing, held the weekend preceding or following St John the
Baptist’s day (Jun 24).
»La
Féte du Thon – tuna festival with a mix of music
and fireworks, held the first Saturday after 1 July.
»Féte
du Ttoro – competition to see who can cook the best
fish soup (ttoro is a classic Basque dish)! Held the first
Saturday in September.
Nature
There are some pleasant coastal walks to enjoy either side
of the bay. On the Socoa side of the bay
you can walk out to the fort and breakwater to the lighthouse,
then out along Rue du Sémaphore for excellent sea views
– the view down the cliffs to the shore is not for the
faint-hearted! On the north side of the bay is Pointe Ste-Barbe
where there is a fine botanical garden on the cliff top.
Parc Florenia (between St-Jean-de-Luz and
Urrugne) is a delightful floral park and woodland, recommended
to visitors who would appreciate botanical gardens.
Excursions
For day trips to explore the region, there’s
a number of other resorts, towns and villages worth visiting.
In the French Basque Country, there's Biarritz,
Bayonne, Bidart & Guethary
and the pretty villages of Sare, Ainhoa,
Ascain and Espelette.
The proximity of Spain is a real bonus. A
day in San Sebastian sampling its beaches, shopping and superb
cuisine is a must. We recommend going by sea – avoid
the traffic and take a boat excursion all the way. There’s
the Guggenheim museum in the up-and-coming
Bilbao, plus the infamous streets of Pamplona
to explore.
For further tourist information about the area beyond St-Jean-de-Luz,
please browse our region guides for La Côte Basque
and Pyrénées.
Travel
advice
Lastly, here’s a few words of travel advice when you’re
holidaying in St Jean de Luz…
Parking is very difficult in July and August especially. There
is a shuttle bus service to reach the town, or hire a bike
instead. There’s a train station in the town served
by SNCF with regular connections to Biarritz/Bayonne and beyond,
as well as south to Spain.
The main route north-south through St Jean de Luz (RN10) is
best avoided in the summer, particularly on Saturdays. You’ll
soon discover the back roads and miss the worst of the traffic.
Also, make the most of being by the sea – there are
many excursions up and down the coast (including to San Sebastian
in Spain) disembarking from the port.
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