SARE

Sare in the Basque Country

Walking down the streets of this village, you will enter the very soul of Basque culture. It has everything: architecture, gastronomy, traditional dancing, pelota, the Axuria and Rhune mountains, and all just 14 kilometres from the coast.


It’s a feel-good place where it’s pleasant to stroll. It boasts four frontons/pediments dedicated to Basque ball games. The main one is opposite the town hall, a stone’s throw from the church. Free-entry fosters great conviviality, it’s not unusual to see a match in full swing and players, with pala or wooden racket in hand, searching for angles with playful bounces.


During your stay, don’t miss the famous Gâteau Basque, a delicious cake with black cherry or custard filling, especially since, in Sare, there is a museum celebrating the cake. Whether you simply visit to discover or take part in a cookery workshop, you will no doubt go home with this delicacy in your bag.


A medieval thoroughfare crosses the village from North to South in the direction of Spain. The village also boasts 14 oratories, small sanctuaries celebrating the cult of a saint, they may entice you to take a bucolic, countryside walk.


The caves of Sare are located at the edge of the village, you will visit enormous cavities which haven’t changed for 2 million years thanks to an unusual geographical formation.

Don’t forget to look upwards to see huts built on towers in the surrounding forest’s tree canopy. They are used for hunting migrating wood pigeons.

You are bound to be charmed by this delightful, flower-bedecked village, rated as one of the “Most Beautiful Villages of France”. The white facades with red half-timbering are typical of traditional Basque architecture. The inhabitants will welcome you in all simplicity. Don’t miss the unique, disc-shaped headstones in the graveyard which are specific to the region.

This village, ranked as one of the “Most Beautiful Villages of France,” by itself offers numerous attractions which guarantee a memorable visit.
It’s an authentic fortified town, housing several arts and crafts workshops, a washing place, the oldest operating ‘Jeu de Paume’ court in France, as well as a church and its cloisters paved with tombstones.

When you visit this village located inland at the foot of the mountains, you will be totally immersed in the Basque culture and customs.
A friendly atmosphere prevails in this town which is the last French stop on the Road to Santiago de Compostela (the Way of Saint James), visited by pilgrims from all around the world.