Travel

The 25 most beautiful villages in the Basque Country — on both sides of the border

Our pick of the 25 most beautiful Basque villages, in France (Iparralde) and Spain (Hegoalde): what makes each special, where to stay and when to go.

By Eztebe8 min

The Basque Country — Euskal Herria, on both sides of the Franco-Spanish border — is more than a coastline of beaches and casinos. Inland, in the Pyrenean valleys, on the rugged coast of Biscay or in Rioja Alavesa, many villages have held on to their heritage and a strong sense of identity. Here is our selection of 25 villages — 12 in Iparralde (France), 13 in Hegoalde (Spain).

Iparralde — the 12 French villages

1. Sare (Sara), Labourd

Listed as one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France (Les Plus Beaux Villages de France). The church of Saint-Martin, traditional Labourd houses, the Sare caves and the little train up La Rhune (Larrun).

  • Best time to go: May–September; avoid the crowds of July and August
  • Things to do: the caves, the Ortillopitz museum-park (a traditional Labourd house), the La Rhune train
  • Read our full guide to Sare

2. Ainhoa, Labourd

Another of the Most Beautiful Villages of France. A main street lined with 17th-century Labourd houses, and a fronton at the foot of the church.

  • A small village of around 660 inhabitants, on the border with Navarre
  • The chapel of Notre-Dame-d’Aranzazu (Notre-Dame-de-l’Aubépine, ‘Our Lady of the Hawthorn’) on the hillside above
  • Our guide to Ainhoa

3. La Bastide-Clairence, Lower Navarre

One of the Most Beautiful Villages of France. A bastide (planned town) founded at the end of the 13th century and recognised in 1312 as ‘la Bastida nueva de Clarenza’. The arcaded Place des Arceaux and half-timbered houses in Labourd and Navarrese styles.

  • Many skilled craftspeople have set up in the village
  • An old real-tennis court (jeu de paume), the Gartxot trinquet, listed as a historic monument (monument historique) in 2011
  • An old Jewish cemetery (graves dating from 1620 to 1785), a historic monument
  • Nearly 1,000 inhabitants (987 in 2022)

4. Espelette (Ezpeleta), Labourd

At the end of summer, the façades are hung with strings of peppers. The Pepper Festival (Fête du Piment) takes place at the end of October (on Sunday 25 October in 2026).

  • The castle of the barons of Espelette, now home to the town hall and the tourist office
  • Birthplace of the Espelette pepper, a PDO (AOP) product
  • Our guide to Espelette

5. Bidart, Labourd

A village perched above the ocean between Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The church of Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption and the chapel of La Madeleine, facing the sea.

  • Six beaches in the municipality, five of which held the Blue Flag (Pavillon Bleu) in 2025
  • Our guide to Bidart

6. Sainte-Engrâce (Santa Grazi), Soule

A village in Upper Soule, at the head of the Uhaitxa valley. A Romanesque church founded in 1085, with remarkable carved capitals. The Kakuetta gorges (closed to the public until further notice) and the Verna chamber (salle de la Verna) are both in the municipality.

7. Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry (Baigorri), Lower Navarre

The heart of the Irouléguy vineyards, the only wine PDO in the French Basque Country (Iparralde). A so-called ‘Roman’ bridge (built in 1661) and the Château d’Etxauz, former residence of the viscounts of Baïgorry.

  • The Col d’Ispéguy (672 m), leading over to the Baztan
  • Gateway to the Aldudes valley, home of Kintoa PDO Basque pork
  • Our guide to Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry

8. Ascain (Azkaine), Labourd

A fronton village where Pierre Loti wrote Ramuntcho. A so-called ‘Roman’ bridge over the Nivelle that actually dates from the 15th century. At the foot of La Rhune.

  • A base for hiking up La Rhune
  • Our guide to Ascain

9. Ustaritz (Uztaritze), Labourd

The former capital of Labourd (until 1790), where the Biltzar, the assembly of Labourd’s parishes, used to meet.

  • On the banks of the Nive
  • Our guide to Ustaritz

10. Tardets-Sorholus (Atharratze), Soule

The heart of Soule, a village of masquerades and pastorales. A deeply Basque atmosphere.

  • A triangular square lined with arcades and colourful façades
  • Our guide to Tardets

11. Iholdy (Iholdi), Lower Navarre

In the rural Arberoue area. Around 550 inhabitants. A 17th-century church, discoidal stelae and a fronton built against the church.

  • A taste of farming life
  • Our guide to Iholdy

12. Larrau (Larraine), Soule

A village in Upper Soule, gateway to the Irati forest and the Pic d’Orhy.

Hegoalde — the 13 Spanish villages

13. Getaria, Gipuzkoa

A fishing village perched on its ‘Ratón’. The Balenciaga Museum, the monument to Elcano and Getaria txakoli (a protected designation).

14. Hondarribia, Gipuzkoa

A fortified border town. A medieval old quarter (Casco Antiguo) + the Marina district with its colourful façades.

  • Facing Hendaye, on the other side of the Bidasoa
  • Our guide to Hondarribia

15. Zumaia, Gipuzkoa

A coastal village in the Basque Coast Geopark. Flysch cliffs where you can see the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary (66 million years ago), Itzurun beach and the San Telmo hermitage.

  • The Ignacio Zuloaga Museum
  • Our guide to Zumaia

16. Laguardia, Álava

A fortified medieval village in Rioja Alavesa. Cars stay outside the walls; beneath the houses lies a network of underground cellars (calados).

  • Bodegas Ysios (Calatrava) in Laguardia, and Marqués de Riscal (Gehry) in nearby Elciego
  • Our guide to Laguardia

17. Bermeo, Biscay

Biscay’s leading fishing port. San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, within the municipality, was made famous by Game of Thrones (access is limited by free tickets, which must be booked online).

18. Mundaka, Biscay

Bermeo’s neighbour, at the mouth of the estuary (ría), on the northern edge of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. Its left-hand wave, sometimes as long as 400 m, is considered one of the best in the world; it hosted a stop on the world surfing tour from 1998 to 2009.

  • The church of Santa María, rebuilt in the 16th century
  • The Santa Catalina hermitage on its peninsula
  • Around 1,800 inhabitants

19. Lekeitio, Biscay

A fishing village on the Biscay coast. San Nicolás island can be reached on foot at low tide.

  • The Flemish Gothic altarpiece (16th century) in the basilica of the Asunción, described by Turismo Euskadi as the third largest in Spain
  • Our guide to Lekeitio

20. Elorrio, Biscay

A small inland Biscay town founded in 1356, with more than 20 palaces and more than 69 coats of arms. Its centre was declared a historic-artistic ensemble (conjunto histórico-artístico) in 1964.

  • At the foot of Mount Udalaitz (1,117 m)
  • The Argiñeta necropolis: 23 sarcophagi from the 9th century

21. Balmaseda, Biscay

The first town (villa) founded in Biscay (1199). Its Living Passion during Holy Week, when more than 600 residents re-enact the Passion in the streets.

  • La Encartada museum, a former beret factory (1892–1992)
  • Our guide to Balmaseda

22. Elizondo, Navarre

Capital of the Baztan valley. Noble palaces, not far from Zugarramurdi and its witches.

  • The setting of Dolores Redondo’s Baztan trilogy, adapted for the cinema from 2017
  • Our guide to Elizondo

23. Olite, Navarre

A medieval royal town. A royal palace bristling with towers, residence of King Charles III the Noble (reigned 1387–1425).

  • DO Navarra wine country
  • Our guide to Olite

24. Ochagavía (Otsagabia), Navarre

A typical Pyrenean village in the Salazar valley. Traditional dances in honour of the Virgin of Muskilda on 8 September.

  • Access to the Irati forest
  • Our guide to Ochagavía

25. Zugarramurdi, Navarre

The witches' village. The cave of the akelarres (witches' sabbaths), the Witches' Museum (opened in 2007) and the Inquisition trials (the Logroño auto-da-fé, 7 and 8 November 1610).

  • A stone’s throw from Sare, just across the border
  • Our guide to Zugarramurdi

How to link these villages together

Iparralde road trip (3–4 days)

Biarritz → Sare → Ainhoa → Espelette → Cambo-les-Bains → Ustaritz → La Bastide-Clairence → Bayonne.

Hegoalde coast road trip (2–3 days)

Hondarribia → Zarautz → Getaria → Zumaia → Bermeo → Mundaka → Lekeitio → Bilbao.

Inland Navarre road trip (2 days)

Pamplona → Olite → Estella-Lizarra → Elizondo → Ochagavía.

The ideal combination (7 days)

See our complete 7-day Basque Country itinerary.

Sources

Ongi jin Euskal Herriko herrixketara — Welcome to the Basque villages.

#villages#road-trip#iparralde#hegoalde