Photo : Daniel Villafruela / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Bayonne
Bayonne, sub-prefecture of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, lies at the confluence of the Adour and the Nive, about 6 km from the ocean. The Nive separates Grand Bayonne, the cradle of the town built on the site of a Roman camp, from Petit Bayonne, a working-class district. The first houses the Château-Vieux and the cathedral of Sainte-Marie; the second, the Château-Neuf, the Basque Museum and the Bonnat-Helleu museum. The town was fortified in the seventeenth century by Vauban, who designed the citadel.
Bayonne is also known for two gourmet traditions: Bayonne ham and chocolate, linked to Jewish families of Portuguese origin who settled in the Saint-Esprit district after fleeing the Inquisition. It is also famous for the Fêtes de Bayonne, the town's great popular event. The lanes of the old town and the quays are easily explored on foot.
