Outdoor space in the Basque Country and Landes

The Basque Country and the Landes at a glance

Wikipedia describes the French Basque Country as the whole of Labourd, Basse-Navarre and Soule, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département, whose prefecture is Pau and of which Bayonne is a sub-prefecture. La Rhune, at 900 metres, stands about ten kilometres from the coast, and the Nive and the Adour are among the département's rivers. The Pays Basque agglomeration community covers the Basque territory.

The Landes, whose prefecture is Mont-de-Marsan, has 106 kilometres of sandy coast. Forest covered about 67% of the département before storm Klaus, and the Adour separates the Chalosse, to the south, from the rest of the département. The Landes is the second-largest département in metropolitan France, after the Gironde.

Parks, gardens and views

Anglet covers 26.93 km² and has 4.5 kilometres of Atlantic beaches, eleven in all, from La Barre to Chambre d'Amour. About 10% of the commune is pine woodland, including Pignada, Lazaret and Chiberta, with about 300 hectares of pines, and the Chiberta golf course made its name in the 1930s. The Adour forms its eastern boundary with Boucau and Bayonne, and its mouth lies between Anglet and Boucau.

Bayonne covers 2,168 hectares, at the meeting of the Adour and the Nive. The town hall distinguishes seven districts, including Grand Bayonne, with the Sainte-Marie cathedral, Petit Bayonne and Saint-Esprit, on the right bank. Vauban fortified the town in the 17th century. In Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the large sandy beach lies at the back of a semi-enclosed bay, reachable on foot from the centre, and three 19th-century breakwaters protect the bay.

In Guiche, the Bidouze joins the Adour within the commune, and the château of the Dukes of Gramont is under restoration. In Hastingues, the bastide founded in 1304 is a registered natural site of 6.5 hectares, near the Arthous abbey and the confluence of the Gaves réunis.

Here, outdoor space is judged on site. A terrace near the coast should be visited at several times of day, and a stated view of the ocean, La Rhune or the valley should be checked at the viewing. For a country house, ask for the plot plan, the nature of the soil and the drainage arrangements.

Towns worth knowing

Four groups give an idea of the area. The prices quoted come from PAP (DVF and PAP, 1 October 2026) and from Efficity, for each whole commune, all districts together.

• Anglet and Bayonne
• Saint-Jean-de-Luz, with Biarritz, Bidart and Hendaye for comparison
• Guiche
• Hastingues, with the Landes coast for comparison

Anglet and Bayonne

Anglet is at €5,282 per m² at PAP for flats and €7,006 for houses, with +2.4% over one year for all property types. Efficity gives €5,380 for flats, from €3,700 to €7,910, with +1.8%, and €6,500 for houses, from €4,840 to €10,500, with +0.5%. Wikipedia gives no 2022 population figure and quotes a mayor speaking of nearly 40,000 inhabitants in 2021.

Bayonne is at €4,060 at PAP for flats and €4,661 for houses, with −1.4% over one year. Efficity gives €4,070 for flats, from €3,100 to €5,240, with −0.1%, and €4,360 for houses, from €3,110 to €5,840, with −0.5%. Bayonne station is served by TGV, Intercités and TER trains, on the Bordeaux-Irun and Toulouse-Bayonne lines.

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Saint-Jean-de-Luz is at €5,998 per m² at PAP for flats and €6,698 for houses, with +0.8% over one year. Efficity gives €5,850 for flats, from €4,500 to €8,490, with −3.4%, and €5,850 for houses, from €3,670 to €8,440, with +3.9%. The commune has 14,690 inhabitants in 2022 and forms an agglomeration of about 20,000 with Ciboure.

The Saint-Jean-de-Luz-Ciboure station, on the Bordeaux-Irun line, is served by TGV, TER and Intercités trains, with a terminus at Paris-Montparnasse. For comparison along the neighbouring coast, PAP gives Biarritz €7,155 for flats and €8,411 for houses, Bidart €6,244 and €7,488, Hendaye €4,782 and €5,179.

Guiche

Guiche is at €2,581 per m² at PAP for houses, with −7.5% over one year for all property types, and €3,126 for flats, which make up only 14% of the commune's dwellings: that figure rests on a small sample. Efficity gives €2,600 for houses, from €1,720 to €3,750, with −1.2%.

The commune has 1,054 inhabitants in 2022, 31 kilometres from Bayonne by road, in the Bayonne attraction area. The Bidouze, 82.2 kilometres long, joins the Adour within its territory. The Château de Guiche, seat of the Dukes of Gramont, is under restoration, and the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste dates from the 13th century.

Hastingues

Hastingues is in the Landes, at €2,488 per m² at PAP for houses, with +7.9% over one year for all property types, against €2,474 for houses in the Landes. PAP gives no flat price for the commune. Efficity gives €2,010 for houses, from €1,260 to €2,790, with −1%.

The commune is part of the Peyrehorade attraction area. Its bastide was founded in 1304 for Edward I of England, and the 12th-century Arthous abbey protected the Camino de Santiago. Further north on the Landes coast, PAP gives Capbreton €6,197 for flats and €7,066 for houses, Soorts-Hossegor €7,624 and €10,617, and Dax €2,588 and €2,548.

Transport and daily life

The Basque coast is served by the Bordeaux-Irun railway line, with TGV trains at Bayonne and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Guiche and Hastingues are away from the coast: Guiche is 31 kilometres from Bayonne by road, and Hastingues is in the Peyrehorade attraction area. For these two communes, allow for the drive to the station or the coast, at different times of day, before viewing.

How prices vary

Between the coast and the interior, the gaps are wide. For flats, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques average is €3,538 at PAP: Saint-Jean-de-Luz is 70% above it, Anglet 49% and Bayonne 15%. Biarritz, at €7,155, is more than twice that average.

Houses show an even larger gap: the département is at €2,426 at PAP, Anglet at €7,006 and Saint-Jean-de-Luz at €6,698, almost three times as much, while Guiche, at €2,581, is 6% above. In the Landes, Hastingues, at €2,488, is barely above the département's house average, while Soorts-Hossegor, at €10,617, exceeds it more than fourfold.

Buying in the Basque Country and the Landes

The properties on this page are nearly all houses: coastal villas, town houses, manor houses and country estates. Before buying, check the plot, the easements, the drainage and the local urban plan rules, and near the Adour or the Gaves, ask at the town hall about flood risk. For a flat with outdoor space, read the co-ownership rules, the minutes of the last three general meetings and the maintenance logbook. Include notary fees in the budget too.

Selling in the Basque Country and the Landes

Comparables vary a great deal between the coast and the interior, and from one district to another. Your buyer has seen them, and will ask why your price sits above the average. A garden, a terrace or a view must be shown in photos and measured, with a plan of the plot. The form at the foot of the page lets you request an estimate.