Baiona (+)

If you love architecture, history and chocolate you should really visit Baiona (Lapurdi, Basque Country). It is beautiful and vibrant, with lots of nice places to eat and an amazing ambience.

I'm not sure what I had been expecting initially but I was blown away by how beautiful Baiona is. It is a very old city and the districts, architecture and atmosphere reflect each era of history. We stayed at an AirBnB at the Jewish district of Saint-Esprit, near the synagogue. The centre and and Petit Bayonne are a short walk away across the Adour river but it has very good bus connections as well. The train station is also located here.

Farmer's market

One of the reasons we wanted to come on a Saturday was to visit the farmer's market! The vegetables, mushrooms and cheese sold here are out of this world. It may seem weird to drive two hours away to buy vegetables but seriously our next meals at home were superb because of this 😂

I didn't take many photos but the cathedral is also worth visiting because it is one of the few that maintains some of its original lush paint work. I actually had no idea cathedrals were originally painted in and out, so it was incredible to see an example in person.

Afterwards we just kept walking and exploring as much of the old town as we could.

I really love the bright coloured Basque style houses of Iparralde! I kept stopping to take photos because most of the city has kept its old style houses and paint work and its just so beautiful!

Lots of street art and detail in the streets of Baiona

Our merienda was of course "Chocolat mousseux, chantilly & toast" at Cazenave. Baiona is famous for its chocolate and its a must to try it at least once in my opinion. The chocolate served at Cazenave is hand whipped and so light and airy and the creme was just sublime.

Bayonne jambon, cheese & marmelade breakfast

On our way back home the next day we detoured a bit to visit Ezpeleta (Espelette) which is super pretty but honestly felt a bit like a window shop village for tourists. We decided to go elsewhere for lunch and had an amazing meal at La Nivelle in Senpere (Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle).

I had such a good time and loved Baiona so much that I need to visit again soon!