Pyrenees-Atlantiques, France travel guide
The Pyrenees-Atlantiques department is found in Basque country, at the far south-west of France on the border with Spain.
The department has a different character in the east, where it runs into the mountains of the Pyrenees, and the west, which is essentially a coastal region.
The main coastal resorts are the trendy city of Biarritz and the bustling Saint Jean de Luz a little further south. (Another popular beach here is at Anglet, part of the group of towns Biarritz-Bayonne-Anglet).
The town of Bayonne, perhaps unfairly seen as 'second best' to neighbour Biarritz, also deserves a visit - it is more or less a part of the Biarritz conurbation. Likewise for Ciboure, which is the quiet southern neighbour to Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
The last town before the Spanish border is at Hendaye (visit also Hondarribia, just across the border so not in France but it has a lovely medieval centre)
Near the coast, in the first foothills of the Pyrenees, are a clusterof villages to explore with Ainhoa and Sare, nearby La Rhune, and also La Bastide-Clairence, all deserving a visit.
Two of the first town you will reach heading eastwards are those at Cambo-les-Bains and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
The two very traditional basque villages at Espelette and Itxassou are also very picturesque and interesting.
Start heading further inland to visit the towns of Orthez, Sauveterre-de-Bearn and Salies-de-Bearn
Much further inland again, in the east of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques department, is the town of Pau, best known for its view of the mountains, and for being one of the first towns to have a large English expat populaion (100 years ago). The village of Laruns and the town of Oloron-Sainte-Marie are also in this part of the department.
South-west from Oloron-Sainte-Marie, and close to the border with Spain, visit the Gorges de Kakuetta at Saint-Engrace - a 2km (each way) walk along the bottom of a verdant gorge, with cliffs high above the valley bottom, and a pretty waterfall.
Note - in many places in southern, Basque, Aquitaine you will notice a large flat wall centrally built in the town with a clear court in front for players of the traditional basque game of pelote.
Access to the region is often via Biarritz airport or Pau airport.
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