Bayonne - capital of French Basque

Located between the Rivers Ardour and Nive, with its half-timbered buildings, riverside restaurants and old ramparts all bursting with history, Bayonne is one of France's prettiest cities.

A strategic stronghold since medieval times, the city is split into three; St. Esprit to the north, Grand Bayonne, the oldest and prettiest part to the west and Petit Bayonne to the east. Visiting places by motorbike is a great way to travel as there are always lots of free spaces to park right in the centre of town. We left the bike under the 11th century Chateau Vieux (Old castle) and wandered around Grand and Petit Bayonne on foot.

The narrow, rounded streets of half-timbered buildings were a delightful surprise. Being so close to Spain, we were expecting more of a Spanish influence and yet the city could have been plucked straight out of Alsace or Normandy. By contrast, the arches of the Town Hall, opened in 1842, were reminiscent of the Rue de Rivoli in Paris.

A visit to the shop of Bayonne ham producer Pierre Ibaialde, gave us an insight into how this famous cured ham is produced. During a free guided tour we learnt the craft of salting, curing, de-boning and tasting too! Interestingly, Bayonne ham was never originally made in Bayonne! It got its name simply because the city was a major trading centre long ago and merchants would buy ham produced in the region from there. King Louis XVI greatly enjoyed the ham and promoted it further. Today, there are tight rules on its production in order to call it Bayonne ham. The next time you eat some in a matter of minutes, think about the 12 months it took to produce.

Having bought some ham, we then paid a visit to one of the town's premium chocolatiers, Cazenave. It was the Spanish inquisition that led to Jewish chocolate-makers fleeing their Spanish homeland to settle in Bayonne. By 1870 the city boasted more chocolatiers than Switzerland, although now only a dozen remain.

During a final wander around, we came upon a shop selling local beers and came out with a bottle of dark beer with a hint of the famous Espelette chilli pepper with the unlikely name of Bob's beer!

We had a great day visiting this beautiful city and came away with lots of goodies to remind us of it too.Read more