A Day in Bayonne: From Le Ham to Les Halles
- Maria DiCicco
- 22 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Bayonne, France is the center of French Basque Country boasting riverside dining, colorful marketplaces, half-timbered buildings and a decadent array of culinary delights from chocolate to Bayonne ham.
If you've just got one day in Bayonne, enjoy an easy-going tour of the town on foot with my first hand recommendations.
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Short on Time?The ideal day in Bayonne starts early for the 11am Ham Tour and Tasting at Pierre Ibaialde. The 5 euro tour includes an inside look at the process of salting the world-famous Bayonne ham, and it includes a tasting too! By noon you're browsing the shelves for your own cured meats to take home and then settling in for a cider house lunch next door at Ciderie Ttipia! After lunch, browse the Les Halles Market before they close at 2:30pm. Wander the stalls, sample local products from cheese to wine, or sit down to people watch at one of the terrace tables. Optionally, enjoy a relaxing riverfront dining experience in Bayonne's central historic heart, then walk off the calories wandering the lanes full of shops and historic buildings. If you stay the night, consider the affordable ibis Styles Bayonne. |
Bayonne Ham Tasting
Jambon de Bayonne - not to be confused with the Spanish words jabon (soap) and jamón (ham), Bayonne ham has its own reputation as one of the world's top cured meats.
Having seen the process of salting and curing ham in Parma, Italy, I found that the salting process in Bayonne was unique with its spice mixture, which included pepper, chili, salt (of course) and even vinegar.
When comparing Bayonne ham to Italian prosciutto or Spanish jamón, they also have a unique source for their salt - which comes from nearby thermal waters. Our lecturer explained that this salt is saltier than even the Dead Sea!
Lastly, the humidity plays a factor in Bayonne's distinct ham flavors - the Southwest versus eastern France, where smoking the meat is a more common practice than drying it with humidity.
Prepare yourself to use Google Translate's conversation feature, because the tour we had was completely in French. Also expect about 40 minutes of lecture time, 5-10 minutes gawking at the meat rooms, and then a brief tasting at the end.
The tour at Pierre Ibaialde is an easy sell - one we jumped at taking, primarily due to it's central location in Bayonne and it's inexpensive price tag at around 5 euros per person, including a tasting! For five bucks it was definitely worth it. Take home some cured duck while you're at it!
Les Halles Market
Explore the market early - it closes at 2:30pm. Foodies may want to even sign up for a Bayonne food tour, which of course tours this classic French market.
We toured after lunch, when most stalls were shutting down for the day, but we still got to experience the general vibe of the place.
Quayside Dining
What is a quay, you ask? Essentially it's a a wharf - built parallel to the shore - with fill instead of pilings. Piers and jetties jut out from the shore, and a quay is alongside the shore.
So for a fantastic French experience in Bayonne, enjoy the quayside dining along the shorefront and gaze across the river toward other outside diners. A plate of mussels or an apertivo serves perfectly for this occasion.
Don't Forget You Are in Basque Country
French Basque Country, at least to me, is not all that dissimilar from Spanish Basque country when it comes to the dining style consisting of tapas called 'pintxos' (peen-chose). You'll find Basque cheese and cider, wines from Bordeaux and the Southern Landes region, and plenty of seafoody one-bite snacks.
For a centralized cider house experience in Bayonne, try Ciderie Ttipia, often a focal point of the food tours in town. If you haven't experienced a Basque cider house, this is a must! Reservations are required.
The architecture of the buildings is also decidedly Basque, with the colorful facades and half-timbered charm known to most towns in the Spanish Basque Country, like Bilbao's Puerto Viejo in Getxo, for example.
In fact, Bayonne is widely heralded as the Capital of French Basque Country for its abundance of art, gastronomy and architecture.
Strolling in Bayonne
Those who enjoy a good stroll through nature and history will love walking alongside the remparts, the Jardin botanique, and the Château-Vieux - Gaztelu Zaharra.
Including the Cathedrale Sainte-Marie, many city walking tours will walk past these sites, and maybe even enjoy a stop for chocolate tasting, too.
Don't forget to simply stroll the lanes of shops and restaurants to really soak in the history and architecture of the beautiful Basque city. We were there on a Friday morning and caught a nice antiques market.
Spending the Night in Bayonne
In peak season you'll struggle to find an overnight stay under $150, especially if a requirement is air conditioning and parking. And trust me, in the summer months you'll need air conditioning.
I found the ibis Styles Bayonne to fit the bill for my family. It's also very close to the Bayonne train station!
Bonus - it's only a 20 minute walk from there to the L'Atelier du Chocolat - Musée du Chocolat if you're after the famous Bayonne chocolate. Tours and tickets can be found on their website above.
What's Nearby
Although Bayonne is a perfectly suitable overnight stop, we opted to stay further north in Seignosse, famed for being the surfer's capital of Europe, among other gastronomic fame. We camped 3 nights in an awesome ecoresort called Natureo, where we had a cabin in a safari-like setting with pools and easy access to the beach.
From there we explored Capbreton, a cute little fishing town with a daily fish market, and Armagnac country - a brandy made from white wine grapes. The whole shoreline is full of cute towns and picturesque oyster shacks. It's definitely worth a visit.
Optionally, moving towards Spanish Basque country, I suggest exploring Hondaribbia and Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
Read more about border towns between France and Spain here!
Before You GoHere's your Bayonne to do list:
Learn more about French adventures here: |
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