Bayonne Cathedral

Bayonne Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Bayonne Cathedral, the Cathedral of Saint Mary, stands in the Grand Bayonne quarter of Bayonne, in the French Basque Country, near the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, and entry is free, while the cloister, managed by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, is also free or has a small fee. It is a stop on the Way of Saint James to Santiago de Compostela and part of the UNESCO listing of the routes in France.

Walking tours of Bayonne combine the cathedral with the colourful houses along the Nive river, the Basque Museum, the Château-Vieux and the chocolate shops of the Rue du Port-Neuf, as Bayonne is famous for its chocolate and ham. Bayonne is close to Biarritz and the Spanish border, and trains connect it with Bordeaux and San Sebastián. The cathedral is active, and visiting pauses during services. Trains from Bordeaux to Bayonne take about two hours, and the station is across the Adour river from the old town.

Visiting Bayonne Cathedral: what to see

The cathedral was built between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries in the Gothic style, influenced by the cathedrals of northern France, on the site of a Romanesque cathedral destroyed by fire. The two tall spires on the west front were added in the nineteenth century during a restoration. Inside, the cathedral has a tall nave with Gothic vaults, and the windows hold stained glass from the sixteenth century, including a window of the Canaanite woman. The cathedral's cloister, built in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, is one of the largest in France, with Gothic arches and tombs, and it offers views of the cathedral's towers. The north portal is decorated with carvings, and a doorway holds a bronze knocker from the thirteenth century, which gave the right of sanctuary to anyone who touched it.

The keystones of the vaults are carved with coats of arms, including those of the English kings who ruled Bayonne in the Middle Ages. The cathedral's choir holds stained glass from the sixteenth century and a Gothic altar. The chapels around the choir are decorated with paintings from the nineteenth century. The cloister's arches are carved with delicate tracery, and its walls hold tombs of canons and bishops. The cathedral's towers rise about eighty-five metres. The sacristy's door is carved with Gothic decoration. The cathedral's organ was restored in recent years. The nave's keystones include the arms of Bayonne and the English kings. The north portal's tympanum shows the Last Judgement.

Bayonne Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, with shorter hours on Sundays, and the cloister has set hours. The Fêtes de Bayonne, held in late July and early August, are one of the largest festivals in France, with people dressed in white and red, bullfights and street parties, and the town is extremely busy. The Ham Fair at Easter celebrates Bayonne ham. The chocolate days in spring bring tastings. Summer is warm, and spring and autumn are pleasant. Allow about forty minutes for the cathedral and cloister, and walk along the Nive to the Basque Museum. Biarritz, a seaside resort with surfing beaches and a lighthouse, is about fifteen minutes by bus from Bayonne.