Travel Guide Bayonne Baiona

Bayonne's motto Nunquam Polluta, which means "never dirty", recalls the role of the fortifications in the city's defense and shows, more than ever, that the capital of the Basque Country, with its exceptional heritage, remains authentic in its traditions and open to the future. Situated close to the Atlantic Ocean and at the crossroads of maritime influences, on the northern borders of the Basque Country and southern Gascony, on the border with the Landes department, at the foot of the foothills of the Pyrenees, with the Spanish border some 30 km away, Bayonne was first Roman, then under English rule under Henry II Plantagenet, King of England, then French, at the end of the Hundred Years' War in the mid-15th century. Bayonne is also the economic capital of the Basque Country, thanks to its land/sea activities and its openness to the ocean, which ranks its port as the ninth largest in France. Bayonne is also characterized by its dynamism, its quality of life, its unique architectural heritage - the town was awarded the "Ville d'Art et d'Histoire" label in 2011 - its local shops, both on the right bank of the Nive with Petit Bayonne, and on the left bank with its Halles, and its crafts. And let's not forget its high-quality gastronomy, which honors the region's producers, and its wide range of hotels. And let's not forget sport, with of course the Aviron Bayonnais, promoted to the top 14 at the end of the 2022-2023 season.