Bayonne

The regional capital, Bayonne, has played an important role in history as a strategic commercial port city located at the junction of two rivers, the Nive and the Adour, on the constantly challenged border between France and Spain. It is a relatively easy city to navigate in and out of and is most definitely well worth the effort. Travel to the heart of this captivating port city, which was once a Roman garrison and was ruled at different times by both the French and English crowns. Shaded by old, leaning timbered buildings, cobbled streets wind up from the river that cuts a path through its center. Bayonne flourished during the 300-year English reign of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry Plantagenet. Their son Richard the Lionheart found his bride here—a Basque princess from Navarre. The town was penetrated by canals until the 17th century and you can still see the unusual arcades that once housed merchants serving the seamen. To walk the streets of this river town, still protected behind its old stone walls, is to discover a lovely city of pedestrian passages, quaysides, and wonderful stone and halftimbered houses. To walk the streets of this river town, still protected behind its old stone walls, is to discover a lovely city of pedestrian passages, quaysides, and wonderful stone and half-timbered houses. Visit St. Mary’s Cathedral, built in the 13th and 14th centuries, and the medieval cellars—in fact, medieval shops—that are found under the upper and older part of the town surrounding the cathedral. Bayonne is home to the Bonnat Museum, which houses a fine collection of art, considered one of the most prestigious collections outside Paris, including works by Goya, Raphael, Delacroix, Michelangelo, and Constable. For an in-depth study and presentation of the history of Bayonne as well as Basque culture, you might also want to visit the Basque Museum.