Where to Stay on the French Basque Coast: Best Towns and Hotels

The French Basque Coast is short: about 40 kilometres of shoreline between the Spanish border at Hendaye and the mouth of the Adour at Bayonne, with the Pyrenees in view from almost every beach. You do not need several bases here, because nearly everything is within half an hour of everything else. The real decisions are what kind of town you want to come back to in the evening, and whether you will have a car.

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We spent nine days on the coast in August 2025 with two kids, seven of those nights in a rented apartment in Urrugne, just behind Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

The Short Answer

Where we stayed: Appart entre océan et montagne, a two-bedroom Airbnb apartment in Urrugne, seven nights in August 2025.

How the French Basque Coast Is Laid Out

Picture a line running north-east from the border: Hendaye on the Bidassoa estuary facing Hondarribia, the cliffs of the Corniche, Socoa and Ciboure, Saint-Jean-de-Luz on its round bay, then the surf villages of Guéthary and Bidart, then Biarritz, and finally Bayonne, a river city a few kilometres inland. Behind the coast, Urrugne, Ascain and Sare climb towards La Rhune; Ainhoa, Espelette and Cambo-les-Bains lie further east.

One railway and one motorway tie it together. TER trains run from Hendaye to Bayonne, stopping at Les Deux Jumeaux, Saint-Jean-de-Luz–Ciboure, Guéthary, Bidart and Biarritz; Saint-Jean-de-Luz to Bayonne takes 20 to 25 minutes. Txik Txak bus line 3 follows the coast from Saint-Jean-de-Luz to Bayonne station via Biarritz airport, and lines 45 and 47 reach Sare, Ainhoa and Espelette. Biarritz Pays Basque airport is ten minutes from Biarritz or Bayonne; Bordeaux, about two hours north, has more flights.

The constraint most people miss is summer traffic. In July and August the coast road clogs and parking in Biarritz and central Saint-Jean-de-Luz is scarce and paid. Stay in town and use the train, or stay outside with a car and accept the queues.

Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Ciboure — The Best All-Round Base

Saint-Jean-de-Luz quickly became our favourite town on the coast. The fishing port still works, the pedestrian streets behind it are full of bakeries, chocolate makers and Basque linen shops, and the bay is closed by stone breakwaters that tame the Atlantic. That makes the town beach one of the few on this coast where small children can swim safely. Ciboure, across the harbour, is quieter and shares the station.

It is not cheap or calm in August: central hotels are small and book out early.

Best for: first-time visitors, families with young children, travellers without a car.

Pros

• Calm, sandy town beach
• Working harbour, pedestrian centre, seafront terraces
• Station on the coast line
• Central for La Rhune, Hondarribia and the hill villages

Cons

• Expensive and crowded in July and August
• Hard to park in the centre in summer

Getting around: Hendaye 10 to 15 minutes by train, Biarritz about 15, Bayonne 20 to 25. The La Rhune train is about 15 minutes' drive.

Where to stay in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Ciboure

• Budget — B&B HOTEL Saint Jean de Luz — chain hotel with family rooms and free parking, from about €62 a night in November and €120 in July. By the motorway, five minutes' drive from the beaches.
• Mid-range — Boutique Hôtel Txoko — three-star hotel beside Place Louis XIV, from about €125 a night. Beach, harbour and station are all on foot.
• Splurge — Grand Hôtel Spa & Thalasso — seafront hotel with indoor pool, spa and family rooms, from about €275 a night in July.

For what to do here, see our guide to the best things to do in the French Basque Country.

Urrugne and Socoa — Space and Views, Car Essential

Urrugne is the large commune south-west of Ciboure. The village sits inland on the old road to Spain, and its land climbs from the Corniche cliffs to the foothills of La Rhune. Socoa, with its fort at the western tip of the bay, belongs to Ciboure but is effectively the coastal end of the area.

This is where we stayed, and it suits families with a car. Accommodation is mostly houses and apartments, rooms are bigger for the money, and many have views of both ocean and mountains. Saint-Jean-de-Luz is ten minutes away, the Hendaye boat to Hondarribia about 15. It is not a base without a car: there is no evening stroll to dinner, and buses are thin away from the main roads.

Best for: families with a car, hikers, anyone wanting an apartment.

Pros

• More space and better value than the towns
• Ocean and mountain views
• Between Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye and La Rhune

Cons

• You drive for everything, including dinner
• Few hotels; summer rentals often go by the week

Getting around: Saint-Jean-de-Luz about 10 minutes by car, Hendaye about 15, Biarritz 25 to 30, the Col de Saint-Ignace 15 to 20.

Where to stay in Urrugne and Socoa

• Budget — Hotel Agur Deneri — hillside hotel in Ciboure with family rooms and free parking, from about €75 a night in June and €115 in July. Guests praise the views over the bay and warn that the walk up from the village is steep.
• Mid-range — Logis Hôtel Auberge Lukaïna — small hotel in Urrugne village with family rooms, from about €90 a night in July.
• Mid-range — Appart entre océan et montagne — the two-bedroom Airbnb apartment where we stayed, around €120 a night in August 2025.

Our stay: We booked this apartment for seven nights, 9 to 16 August 2025, and paid about €844 for the four of us, around €120 a night. It has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, a washing machine and free parking, with views towards the ocean and the mountains, and pets are accepted. On a week-long trip the kitchen and washing machine earn their keep. It worked as a hub: Saint-Jean-de-Luz for evenings, Bidart for sunsets, Biarritz for the 15 August fireworks, Hondarribia for an afternoon in Spain, and the Col de Saint-Ignace for our hike up La Rhune. The trade-off is the one every Urrugne base carries: each of those outings began with the car. The listing mentions a carpentry workshop next door, worth knowing if you sleep late.

Hendaye — Big Beach, Spain Next Door

Hendaye is the last town before Spain, split between the old town on the estuary and Hendaye-Plage, a resort strung along about three kilometres of gently shelving sand. It is the easiest family beach on the Basque coast, gentler than the surf beaches further north, with the Deux Jumeaux rocks off its northern end.

Spain is the other draw: the boat to Hondarribia leaves the marina about every 15 minutes and takes under seven, which makes an afternoon of pintxos in Hondarribia easy; we crossed into Spain for one. The Euskotren Topo leaves 50 metres from Hendaye SNCF station and reaches San Sebastián in about 37 minutes.

It is not pretty in the way Saint-Jean-de-Luz is: the seafront is mostly modern apartment blocks, and evenings are quiet.

Best for: families wanting an easy beach, day trips into Spain, tighter budgets.

Pros

• Long, gently shelving beach
• Boat to Hondarribia, train to San Sebastián
• Cheaper than Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Biarritz

Cons

• Plain seafront architecture
• At the far end of the coast for Biarritz and Bayonne

Getting around: Saint-Jean-de-Luz 10 to 15 minutes by train; Hondarribia seven minutes by boat; San Sebastián about 37 minutes by Topo.

Where to stay in Hendaye

• Budget — Hostel Demain c'est loin — hostel with private-bathroom rooms, garden and restaurant, eight minutes' walk from the station, from about €40 a night in June and €75 in July.
• Mid-range — Apartment 55 m2, sunny garden & pool in Villa 1905 — apartment with kitchen, garden and seasonal pool, about ten minutes' walk from the station, from about €230 a night in July.
• Splurge — Hôtel Ibaïa — a minute from the main beach and harbour, with balconies, a seasonal pool and family rooms, from about €180 a night in July.

Biarritz — Surf, Glamour and Higher Prices

Biarritz is the surf capital of Europe and the liveliest town on the coast, with belle époque villas, Les Halles market and the most restaurants and bars. Watching the surfers from the seawall above the Côte des Basques is a classic Basque morning. On 15 August we watched the fireworks from the Grande Plage, and the children still talk about them.

It is not the place for a cheap family week: rooms cost more, the main beaches take the full swell, and parking is tight.

Best for: surfers, couples, food and nightlife, a splurge.

Pros

• Surf schools for adults and children
• Best restaurants and nightlife on the coast
• Walkable centre, airport ten minutes away

Cons

• Most expensive area to stay
• Strong surf, less suited to small children
• Heavy summer traffic

Getting around: Bayonne about 20 minutes on bus line 5; Bidart about 10 minutes by car; Saint-Jean-de-Luz about 15 minutes by train.

Where to stay in Biarritz

• Budget — Surf Club Hôtel by Akena - Grande plage — simple hotel about 300 metres from the Grande Plage, with family rooms, from about €100 a night in November and €180 in July.
• Mid-range — Alfred Hotels Port-Vieux — renovated in 2024, by Port-Vieux beach and two minutes from Les Halles, from about €240 a night in July.
• Splurge — Hôtel du Palais — the Second Empire palace on the Grande Plage, with pool and spa, from about €770 a night in September and over €1,200 in July.

Bayonne — City Base, Not Beach Base

Bayonne is the cultural capital of the French Basque Country: tall half-timbered houses along the Nive in blues, greens and reds, a Gothic cathedral, chocolate makers working since the 17th century, and Les Halles, the covered market, best in the morning. It is a city, not a resort, and its hotels are the cheapest of the main towns.

As the transport hub, it is the best base without a car, if you do not mind commuting to the beach. The nearest sand is in Anglet, 15 to 20 minutes by bus. During the Fêtes de Bayonne, five days in July, rooms are scarce and dear.

Best for: travellers without a car, food lovers, city breaks.

Pros

• Cheapest hotels of the main towns
• Best rail and bus connections
• Old town, market and food

Cons

• No beach in town
• The Fêtes fill the city in July

Getting around: Biarritz about 20 minutes by bus; Saint-Jean-de-Luz 20 to 25 by train; Espelette about 30 by car.

Where to stay in Bayonne

• Budget — OKKO Hotels Bayonne Centre — air-conditioned rooms about 700 metres from the cathedral, paid parking, from about €85 a night in November and €115 in July.
• Mid-range — Hôtel Villa KOEGUI Bayonne — family rooms, sauna and restaurant, three minutes' walk from the town hall, from about €115 a night in November and €150 in July.
• Mid-range — Baionakoa Résidence — apartments with kitchens in a historic building a minute from the cathedral, rated 9.1, from about €185 a night in July.

Eat nearby: Les Halles de Bayonne in the morning, for cheese, charcuterie, peppers and Basque cider.

Bidart and Guéthary — Surf Villages, Few Hotels

Between Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Bidart and Guéthary sit above a string of surf beaches reached by grassy cliff paths. We spent several evenings on Bidart's beaches at sunset, when the sun drops straight into the ocean and the surfers stay out until the light goes. Guéthary is smaller and quieter, with a slipway harbour, a small art museum and a few good restaurants.

This is the area for surfers and couples who want a village rather than a town. It is not for families who need a gentle swimming beach, and hotels are few, so book early.

Best for: surfers, couples, a quiet base between the two main towns.

Pros

• Surf beaches on the doorstep
• Village feel, less built up
• Stations on the coast line

Cons

• Few hotels, high summer prices
• Little evening life

Getting around: Biarritz about 10 minutes by car or train; Saint-Jean-de-Luz 10 to 15; Bayonne 20 to 25.

Where to stay in Bidart and Guéthary

• Mid-range — Kaliko — Bidart hotel with outdoor pool, family rooms and balconies, ten minutes' walk from the central beach, from about €90 a night in November and €135 in July.
• Mid-range — Hotel Balea — in Guéthary's old school building, with sun terrace and free parking, rated 9.0, from about €200 a night in July.
• Splurge — Hotel du Fronton — designer rooms on Bidart's village square with sea and mountain views, five minutes' walk from the beach, from about €190 a night in June.

Sare, Ainhoa and Espelette — Mountain Villages, Drive Everywhere

Inland, Sare, Ainhoa and Espelette are the Basque Country of postcards: whitewashed houses with red or green timbers, a pelota wall in every square, hills rolling into Spain. Sare sits below La Rhune, whose rack railway leaves the Col de Saint-Ignace and runs daily from late March to early November. We hiked up instead, about two hours from the col, manageable for children of around eight and up, with a steep, rocky final stretch.

This is the base for hikers and anyone who finds the coast too busy in August, not for beach days: the ocean is 20 to 30 minutes' drive away.

Best for: hikers, quiet, a few nights away from the coast.

Pros

• La Rhune and walking trails on the doorstep
• Calm in high season
• Village hotels with restaurants, some with pools

Cons

• Car essential
• 20 to 30 minutes from the beaches

Getting around: Saint-Jean-de-Luz 20 to 25 minutes from Sare, about 30 from Ainhoa; Cambo-les-Bains, for the Villa Arnaga, about 15 minutes from Espelette.

Where to stay in Sare, Ainhoa and Espelette

• Budget — Hôtel Lastiry — hotel on Sare's square, from about €70 a night in October, more in summer.
• Mid-range — Logis Hôtel Restaurant Euzkadi — hotel and restaurant with family rooms on Espelette's main street, from about €85 a night in October.
• Splurge — Hotel Argi Eder — on the edge of Ainhoa with pool, tennis court and garden, rated 9.3, from about €170 a night in July.

What It Costs, and When to Book

July and August are high season, and the week around 15 August is the peak. For a July night, expect roughly €75 to €125 for budget hotels and hostels, €110 to €250 for mid-range, and €275 and up for the seafront hotels of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Biarritz. In November the same rooms often cost 25 to 50 per cent less. September is the sweet spot: warm sea, thinner crowds.

For a family of four, apartments are the better deal; ours in Urrugne cost around €120 a night in August 2025, less than most central family rooms. Many summer rentals take weekly bookings only, often Saturday to Saturday, with a cleaning fee on top.

Book family rooms and apartments three to six months ahead for July and August. Check the extras: hotel breakfast is usually charged separately, parking in the towns is often paid, and tourist tax is added per adult per night. Pools are rare in town centres.

Where This Fits in the Trip

A week from one base covers the coast, Bayonne, La Rhune, the hill villages and a crossing into Spain; with more time, add nights inland or in San Sebastián. Our guide to the best things to do in the French Basque Country covers what we did: Saint-Jean-de-Luz, surfing at the Côte des Basques, Bidart and Guéthary, Bayonne, La Rhune, Hondarribia and the Villa Arnaga.

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FAQ

What is the best town to stay in on the French Basque Coast? Saint-Jean-de-Luz. It has a sheltered beach that is safe for children, a working port, a station on the Hendaye–Bayonne line, and Biarritz, Hendaye and La Rhune within about 25 minutes.

Is Biarritz or Saint-Jean-de-Luz better for families? Saint-Jean-de-Luz, for its calm bay and walkable centre. Biarritz is better for surf lessons and evenings out, but its beaches take the full Atlantic swell and rooms cost more.

Do you need a car on the French Basque Coast? Not for the coastal towns, which are linked by TER trains and Txik Txak buses. A car makes the inland villages, La Rhune and apartments outside town much easier.

Can you stay on the French side and visit San Sebastián? Yes. From Hendaye, the Euskotren Topo leaves 50 metres from the SNCF station and reaches San Sebastián in about 37 minutes. Hondarribia is a seven-minute boat ride from Hendaye marina.

How far ahead should you book for July and August? Three to six months for family rooms and apartments, and earlier still for the Fêtes de Bayonne in July and the week around 15 August. In May, June and September a few weeks usually does.

Pierrick Jean stayed on the French Basque Coast in August 2025 with his family. Prices and availability checked October 2026. More about how we write our guides.