The Basque Coast

Travel along the coast and into the interior of this picturesque area of France. Glide through Biarritz from the 1831 lighthouse overlooking the stunning coast and through the Belle Époque villas and the bustling center with its glamourous shops and curious churches. Try your luck at the casino, stroll through the gardens and well lit gardens and squares. Explore Bayonne, with its splendid Gothic Cathedral, narrow colonnaded streets lined with boutiques and chocolate shops, 16th and 17th century mansions and its citadel designed by Vauban. Petit Bayonne on the other side of the Nive River is a picturesque quarter built on a grid pattern in the 12th century. It is an old neighbourhood where Basque traditions are very much in evidence. Nearby is the Bonnet Museum, which houses some fine Early Masters as well as paintings by Goya, Rubens, El Greco, Murillo, Tiepolo and Ingres. Have a leisurely lunch and shop along Rue Gambetta in the lovely fishing village of St. Jean de Luz where Louis XIV married the Spanish princess Maria Teresa in what was certainly the wedding of that century! In the interior visit the Pilgrimage city of St. Jean Pie de Port with it’s lovely Roman bridge, cobblestone streets and 14th century church.