On June 25, 2016, “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France” welcomed the town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, succeeding Navarrenx, another town in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department.
Located between the Basque Coast and the Spanish border, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a renowned stopover on one of the main pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela.
On the right bank of the Nive and at the foot of the Cize passes, better known as the "col de Roncevaux", Saint-Jean - Pied de Port has been a commercial and strategic crossroads for centuries.
A rich and eventful history that can still be found today in the heritage and urban structure of the village.
In Saint-Jean - Pied de Port, you must see the church of Notre-Dame du Bout du Pont, the most important Gothic building in the French Basque Country, whose foundations date back to the 13th century, the Saint-Jacques Gate, listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the citadel and the fortifications, whose design prefigures the techniques used by Vauban, the enigmatic prison known as the "Bishops' Prison"? and its enigma
Typical of traditional Basque architecture, the houses and shops of this town of around 1,500 inhabitants offer their white facades with red or sometimes green shutters and are decorated here and there with wood panelling or carved lintels, particularly in the rue de la Citadelle.
Rue d'Espagne going up towards the Roncesvalles pass, you can discover the architecture of the houses of the shopkeepers and craftsmen, and the lintels carved in the pink sandstone of Arradoy while the covered way will enable you to go along the ramparts of the City.
Saint-Jean-Pied de Port Tourist Office
14 Place Charles de Gaulle,
64220 Saint-Jean-Pied de Port
Phone : 05 59 37 03 57
http://www.saintjeanpieddeport-paysbasque-tourisme.com/
saint.jean.pied.de.port@wanadoo.fr
