Saint Jean de Luz & Hondarribia

Get ready to explore two of the coolest spots along the luckiest 40 kilometers of coastline in Spain and France: Hondarribia and Saint Jean de Luz. A tour filled with border stories, pirates, ocean and mountains... Need I say more? REALLY?

The straightest and fastest route isn't the best way to reach Hondarribia. We'll depart from San Sebastián and take a slightly longer one: driving along the mountain and coastal road of Jaizkibel, the third highest coastal mountain in Spain. And so, after a climb and a descent with spectacular views, we'll arrive at the last town located next to the (natural) border with France, the Bidasoa River,.

New York Times was here

The advantage Hondarribia has is that it seems like two towns in one: one is a fortified medieval borough located at the highest point (with walls, cobblestone streets, slopes, wooden balconies full of flowers, a palace of Emperor Charles V’s hiding tapestries based on Rubens paintings...), and the other is a typically Basque fishing village (white houses, colorful windows, a large tree-lined esplanade where fish used to be sold, tiny bars with dreamy pintxos...) now turned into a gastronomic attraction. Because of the former (being fortified), Hondarribia has witnessed dozens of battles; because of the latter (its fishing port), Hondarribia has witnessed something much better: how its bars and restaurants became a world-renowned gastronomic reference praised even by the New York Times.

Corsairs & Macarons

Just when you think you won't see anything more beautiful for the rest of the day, we'll travel to Saint Jean de Luz, a peaceful summer fishing village protected by yet another beautiful bay. We'll visit Maison Adam pastry shop where, in 1660(!)! they created the famous 'macarons'. Around the same time, a certain Johannes de Suhigaraychipi sailed through the area, a French corsair who captured over 100 British, Dutch, and Spanish ships. We'll learn about this while strolling through the town, visiting the Church of Saint John the Baptist, a temple with spectacular polychrome woodwork and ship miniatures that remind us of how miracles at sea were appreciated in the past.