Villas in Basque Country

Biarritz and Anglet suit surf and city life, Saint-Jean-de-Luz suits families, and Sare and Ascain suit walkers near La Rhune. This is the Atlantic, so the sea is lively and rain falls in every month. Biarritz airport is within about half an hour of almost every house here, and San Sebastián is an easy day trip.

Where

Villas: 116
From, per week: £343
Cheapest month: December
Nearest airports: Biarritz Pays Basque airport is in Anglet, with direct flights from London of around an hour and three quarters, some of them seasonal. Bordeaux is about two hours' drive north and Bilbao around an hour and a half south-west. High-speed trains run from Paris to Biarritz and Hendaye.

Where to stay in Basque Country

Biarritz, Anglet and Bayonne

This is where most of our homes in the Basque Country are. Biarritz has the Grande Plage below its old casino, the Côte des Basques surf beach and the Rocher de la Vierge on its rock. Anglet, next door, has a long run of surf beaches backed by pine woods. Bayonne, a few minutes inland, is the old Basque capital, known for ham, chocolate and its summer fêtes. The airport sits between the three, five to 15 minutes away.

Best for: Surfers, food lovers and anyone who wants a town on foot

Not for you if: You want calm water for small children: most beaches here face open Atlantic surf.

Bidart and Guéthary

Bidart is a Basque village on the cliffs south of Biarritz, with a pelota court on the square and several beaches below, including Erretegia and Uhabia. Guéthary, next along, is smaller, with a fishing harbour, a station on the line between Hendaye and Bayonne, and the Parlementia reef, where big winter waves draw experienced surfers. Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz are each around 10 to 15 minutes away by car, and the airport about 15.

Best for: Couples and surfers who want a village base between two towns

Not for you if: You want sandy beaches without steps: many beaches here sit below cliffs.

Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Urrugne and Hendaye

Saint-Jean-de-Luz has the calmest beach on this coast, a curved sandy bay protected by sea walls, plus a fishing port and the church where Louis XIV married. Ciboure faces it across the harbour. Urrugne takes in Socoa and its fort, and the Corniche road runs along the cliffs to Hendaye, which has a long family beach and boats across the river to Hondarribia in Spain. San Sebastián is about 30 to 40 minutes away, the airport around 20 to 30.

Best for: Families who want a sheltered sandy bay and Spain close by

Not for you if: You want somewhere quiet in August: Saint-Jean-de-Luz is very busy at the height of summer.

The villages below La Rhune (Sare, Ascain, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, Arcangues)

Sare and Ascain sit at the foot of La Rhune, the mountain on the Spanish border, and an old rack railway climbs it from the Col de Saint-Ignace between spring and autumn. Sare also has caves you can visit. Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle has a lake with a summer swimming beach, and Arcangues is a small hilltop village with a golf course just outside Biarritz. The airport is 15 to 30 minutes away.

Best for: Walkers and families who want green hills and a pool

Not for you if: You want to walk to the beach: the sea is 15 to 30 minutes away by car.

Cambo-les-Bains and La Bastide-Clairence (inland)

Cambo-les-Bains is an old spa town on the Nive, and Villa Arnaga, Edmond Rostand's house, is open to visit with its formal gardens. Espelette, the village known for its red peppers, is about 10 minutes away. La Bastide-Clairence is a small walled town of half-timbered Basque houses, one of the official Plus Beaux Villages de France. Both are around 25 to 35 minutes from Biarritz airport.

Best for: A rural week with markets, pepper villages and walks

Not for you if: You want the beach every day: the coast is around half an hour away.

When to go to Basque Country

June and September are the best months: warm, with long evenings, fewer people and the full summer programme of pelota matches and village fêtes. July and August are busy with French families, traffic builds on the coast road and parking in Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz gets hard. The Fêtes de Bayonne in late July fill the town for five days. It rains here in every month, which keeps the hills green; autumn brings big swells for surfers, and Espelette's pepper festival in late October. Biarritz stays open all winter.