My husband and I have chosen this Basque area (4 days) next May as part of our 28-day trip to France.
Which of these 2 towns would you prefer to stay in? Which town has more to offer?
We'll be coming in from Bordeaux and next stop will be Toulouse.
Thank you for your thoughts!
Posted by
Washington DC
28082 posts
They are both nice places to visit. I opted to base myself in Bayonne and visit St-Jean-de-Luz on a day-trip. I was happy I went that way because Bayonne has a large historic district I enjoyed wandering around more than once, the Basque Museum, an art museum and a chocolate museum (Atelier du Chocolat--generous tasting opportunity). St-Jean-de-Luz is cute but smaller; it felt a bit more overtly touristy during my late-May visit in 2019. There is both rail and bus service between the two, so it's not hard to make a day-trip.
I didn't like Biarritz as much as the others, but that may have been partly attributable to the rain I ran into. It does have a nice, privately-run museum of south Asian decorative arts. I mention Biarritz because it's quite a bit closer to Bayonne than to St-Jean-de-Luz, making for a quicker day-trip if you decide you want to see it. Bayonne is also a bit closer to Bordeaux, cutting 25 or 30 minutes off the train trip.
I don't see anything wrong with choosing St-Jean-de-Luz instead, especially if you have a preference for smaller towns (14,000 pop. vs. 49,000).
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
2662 posts
I agree with acraven's assessment.
We stayed in Bayonne on the RS Basque trip, and spent an afternoon in DJdL.
Posted by
Paris
7303 posts
Do you have a car?
Bayonne is more convenient if you do not, there is surprisingly good public transportation (to Biarritz, Saint Jean de Luz, Saint Jean Pied de Port is all very easy).
Otherwise, Saint Jean de Luz is a coastal small town whereas Bayonne is larger, and feels inland even though the ocean is perhaps 5 km away. It is really a matter of taste... Can't go wrong with either.
And I agree that they are both preferable to Biarritz, which has some beautiful coastal scenery, but marred by some uninspired architecture in places, and few actual sights. Still worth a quick visit from Bayonne or Saint Jean.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
We too stayed in Bayonne. We had a rental car and Bayonne was our stop between Hondarrbia and Saint Jean Pied du Port. We did stop and walk around Saint Jean de Luz but had been there on a previous trip. In Bayonne we had hoped to visit a few chocolate shops, but it turns out we were there on a holiday and most shops were closed. In Bayonne we stayed at the Ibis Styles Bayonne Centre Gare. It was.a basic hotel located near the train station and at the bridge leading to the historic center. Our room overlooked the bridge and we could watch the tide going in and out. Parking was very limited, but additional parking is at the train station.