The Basque Country

In the 19th century, the crowned heads, the aristocracy and the European bourgeoisie made Biarritz a tourist destination that becomes "Queen of beaches and beaches of Kings". At the end of the 50s, the arrival of the first surfboards on the Basque coast boost Biarritz to the rank of "cradle of surfing in Europe".

Since then, the beautiful Basque seaside resort confirms its welcoming spirit. On the program of your visit: the Cité de l'Océan and the Museum of the Sea (one of the largest aquarium pools in France), the Chocolate Museum, the Imperial Chapel, the Fishermen's Port and its crampottes (small houses fishing with colorful shutters), the Rock of the Virgin, the Biarritz Lighthouse ...

Gateway to the Basque Country and city of art and history, Bayonne invites you to stroll through the pedestrian streets of the historic center, on the side of the ramparts and bastions of the citadel. You can go shopping before visiting the Basque Museum, the Gothic Sainte Marie cathedral - a World Heritage Site by UNESCO - not to mention the neo-Moorish style bullring of Bayonne (from late 19th century) .. If you are in a festive mood, go to Le Petit Bayonne! This lively neighborhood and very attached to Basque culture is the meeting point for night owls. Bars, restaurants and clubs are there to make you live Bayonne by Night!

The favorites of the campsite: do not leave Bayonne before having a bite of chocolate. It is in the Basque Country that the first French cocoa workshops settled in the 17th century. Since then, chocolates are everywhere in all the city corners!

Green lung of the Basque coast, Anglet is a sample of the whole Basque Country. To you the pleasures of the ocean and the beach, the emotions of international renown surf spots, the beauty of typical architecture from the 19th and 20th centuries, the euphoria of basque and gascon cultural summer events. To find more calm, take a few steps from the beach and discover the forest of Pignada, a forest in the heart of the city, very popular among walkers and sportsmen.

Further south, stop at Saint Jean de Luz and discover the fishing port, the remarkable monuments of the 17th century, such as the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church where Louis XIV married the Infanta of Spain, the Louis XIV house in which the monarch stayed on the occasion of the wedding, the Haraneder home, the former home of Anne of Austria... Notice to campers passionate about history!

Facing the bay of Saint Jean de Luz, Ciboure is a small Basque seaside resort with a remarkable historical heritage: the convent, the cloister and the Récollets chapel, the Maison Ravel (the only Dutch-style house in the region) which today hosts the Tourist Office, the lighthouse Amont of neo labourdin style, the fort of Socoa (17th century), the Art Déco villa Leïhorra and its gardens, the fishermen's district...

Then go along the Basque Corniche to Hendaye, a step that the campsite recommends you before arriving to Spain. After walking through the historic center, considered as the cradle of neo-Basque architecture, continue your visit towards the beach and discover the pediment of Hendaye where we practice the cesta punta and the ball with bare hands. Before leaving, do not miss out the impressive Abbadia Castle, located at the north of the city.

Now, nothing prevents you from going to Spain in a few minutes. A short getaway to San Sebastian perhaps and the opportunity to swim on the beach La Concha, the favorite of Queen María Cristina!

Ainhoa is one of those charming stages that were already expected from the time of the great pilgrimages on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Today, the Basque village, built in the 13th century following the model of bastides, still seduces as much as before. You will be able to admire the splendid half-timbered houses of the Labourdin style of the bastide-street, the facades with the white and red colors, the church Notre-Dame of the Assumption (13th century). A little curiosity? The laundry where Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie stopped in 1858.

Ranked among the "most beautiful villages in France", Sare is placed at the foot of the legendary Axuria mountains, on the Spanish border. Here we usually say "Saran Astia" (In Sare, we have time), it is inevitably a good idea to linger. A visit of the church, the pediment, the Roman road and the oratories before exploring the prehistoric caves of Sare (2 million years), take a hike on the Rhune mountain or climb the Lizarrieta pass.

The favorite of the campsite: the Train Rhune, you board a rack railway collection dating from 1924 for an unusual journey that begins in Sare and ends at the mythical summit of the Rhune (905 meters above sea level) !

Renowned for its famous pepper, Espelette has it all: a typical Basque architecture with beautiful labourdines houses, a castle built in the year 1000A.D. donkey rides in the middle of the peppers fields and magnificent landscapes of the Labourd, colorful summer events (strength and Basque dances, Basque songs, Basque ball...), gastronomic specialties to enjoy without moderation such as chocolate, traditional Basque cake with cream or black cherry and sheep's cheese ...

The favorite of the camping: if you stay in the campsite at the end of the summer you can take beautiful pictures of Espelette with its white facades decorated with garlands of red chillies!