Ainhoa
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Ainhoa ('most beautiful villages of France') is deep in Basque country on the Spanish border, 20km south-east of St Jean de Luz.
Tourist Information and places to visit
Ainhoa, like Sare, is a lovely Basque village, in the Labourd province, with loads of charm and examples of the local architecture. Little more than a main street and a large church, but perfectly charming and in a lovely setting in the shadow of the Rhune.
Perhaps the most curious feature of Ainhoa is that the buildings on one side of the street appear to be more decorative, and have more balconies, than those on the other side of the street. In fact this is because local tradition is to build houses with their backs to the sea, for protection against the wind and rain. So on one side of Ainhoa main street you are seeing the backs of the houses. Personally I found the slightly more austere backs as attractive as the more decorative fronts.
Ainhoa was an important stop on the pilgrim path to Santiago de Compostella, where many of the routes from France converged. The original village was destroyed by the Spanish in 1629 and the village you now see was built in the 17/18th centuries.
Ainhoa church
Interesting to see, Ainhoa church features the usual 'rows of balconies' found in Basque churches. And of course, being a Basque village, it has a "fronton" wall where old and young play Pelota, the local sport.
The village also contains a couple of expensive 'art' shops (we found the village to be expensive, for things like postcards, even compared with nearby Sare) and cafes.
It is the starting point for several walks in the region.
Nearby
The neighbouring village of Sare, also a 'most beautiful villages of France' is also very pretty and well worth a visit.
Visit Ainhoa, France: travel, tourism, gites and hotels
 House in Ainhoa, one of 'most beautiful villages in France' |
Or visit Aquitaine gites Other holiday / vacation options Holiday villages in Aquitaine France camping holidays See Visit Ainhoa for places to visit near Ainhoa including: - a detailed map - villages in bloom - most beautiful villages Ainhoa property for sale See Aquitaine property for sale for available properties for sale and a property search |
Tourist Classifications for Ainhoa
- Most beautiful villages in France
Places to visit near Ainhoa
Explore places of interest within about 70 kilometres on a map at places near Ainhoa.
Some places to visit within 30 km of Ainhoa are shown below (if found).
Anglet town at 20 km Bayonne Important town at 21 km Biarritz Atlantic resort and surf capital at 20 km Cambo-les-Bains attractive town and gardens at 12 km Ciboure Atlantic town and resort at 21 km Espelette chilli village at 7 km Itxassou pretty village at 11 km La Bastide-Clairence Most beautiful village at 30 km La Rhune Basque mountain at 15 km Saint Jean de Luz Coastal town and resort at 20 km Sare Most beautiful village at 9 km
See also Ainhoa (version Francais)
Airports near Ainhoa
Biarritz airport at 18 km Pau airport at 119 km
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Map of Ainhoa, France |