The Windows of Basque Country, France

Nestled in French Basque Country, Saint-Jean-de-Luz is a fishing port and resort town just minutes away from France’s border with Spain.

We book-ended our two-week stay in Bilbao, Spain with day and weekend trips to Bordeaux and Rioja Alavesa wine country, elegant Biarritz, France, and seaside Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

When Shawn, his parents and I weren’t tempted by what was in Saint-Jean-de-Luz’s ground-level windows – most notably the tempting tarts of golden-brown known locally as Gâteaux Basques – we focused our attention upon the buildings’ upper-level windows, and their delightful flourishes.

Many of Saint-Jean-de-Luz’s buildings are unified by their crisp-white bases. From there, they’re adorned with shutters of all shapes, sizes, and hues, making them look like doll houses come to life.

Some of the homes’ balconies are fashioned out of twisted iron whereas others feature wooden balconies sporting linear designs. Half-timbered flourishes, grey stonework and red-clay rooftops also add finishing touches.

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

Are you headed to French or Spanish Basque Country, and need inspiration? Please peruse my posts featuring a walking tour of Bilbao, visits to the Guggenheim Museum, and Rioja Alavesa wine country.
Also see the Basque Country Tourism website.

About the author

Hi! My name is Tricia Mitchell. I delight in telling stories about my slow travels through more than 65 countries. Some of my highlights have included sharing meals with locals in Armenia, Cambodia, and Tunisia; sipping sparkling wine with French cousins in Alsace; milking goats in a sleepy Bulgarian village; and training with a Japanese mine-clearance team in Laos. My husband, Shawn, and I are based in France’s Loire Valley.

52 responses to “The Windows of Basque Country, France”

Darlene

March 15, 2015

I love these windows!! So colourful against the white.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 15, 2015
  
  The color palette does mesh quite nicely with the blue Atlantic, Darlene. :) I bet you’re spying some notable architecture in Spain right now?
  
freebutfun

March 15, 2015

Lovely!

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 15, 2015
  
  Freebutfun, glad you enjoyed the round-up of windows from France!
  
Robin S. Kent

March 15, 2015

Thanks for the quick tour. I was not familiar with this locale but now I know a little bit about it and where to find out more.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 15, 2015
  
  Greetings Robin, my knowledge about Basque Country was also pretty limited until we spent two weeks in the region. I was pleasantly surprised – Bilbao (where we based ourselves for 2 weeks) has wonderful museums and a great comeback story, and there are many picturesque spots along the coast (in both France and Spain) that I’d love to see more of someday.
  
travelerlynne

March 15, 2015

These are colorful and inviting; makes you want to peek inside…using a ladder, of course. 😌 Sounds like this was a lovely trip,Tricia.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 16, 2015
  
  Lynne, no binoculars? :) It was a wonderful trip last summer – Basque culture is really quite fascinating!
  
Monica Judge

March 16, 2015

Love these doors. They’re so light, colorful, and beautiful. My husband and I are thinking of going to France this summer. This looks like a beautiful part to explore. Thanks for sharing.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 16, 2015
  
  Hi Monica, exciting that you’re contemplating a jaunt to France in the coming months; have you pin-pointed a region to explore?
  
  Thank you also for stopping by – glad you enjoyed the peek at Saint-Jean-de-Luz’s unique architecture!
  
  1. Monica Judge
    
    March 16, 2015
    
    We have thought about spending a little time in Paris and then heading south to Provence. We’re traveling with our little baby, so we’re hoping to find some place beautiful and sleepy, where we can take long walks and long lunches!
  2. Tricia A. Mitchell
    
    March 17, 2015
    
    Monica, sounds like you’re giving the travel bug to your little one early on – that’s great! I haven’t yet been to Provence but I imagine you’ll find some quaint villages that are perfect for the type of delightful, slow travel that you described. I’d love to get to Provence some year to see the lavender fields in bloom; perhaps your visit might coincidence with that?
Jeff | Planet Bell

March 16, 2015

So colorful. I wish we had more interesting and colorful modern architecture.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 17, 2015
  
  Jeff, I too love the whimsical details and splashes of color that we’ve encountered – largely on the road. I haven’t been to Alaska, but I’m guessing there are some buildings with interesting flourishes that are unique to the state though?
  
Nurul Lubis

March 16, 2015

Those windows are beautiful. I found from books, blogs, tv program etc that many parts of France are really beautiful, especially in country sides. It was too bad, I just visited Paris during my short visit to France last year. I wish, I can see the other part of country sides someday..

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 17, 2015
  
  Nurul, it sounds as though Paris whet your appetite to explore more of France someday. I used to live in Germany for many years, and made frequent weekend trips to the French countryside – mostly in Alsace and Lorraine, where some of my ancestors came from. Provence and Burgundy are high on my list though! Here’s hoping you’ll get the opportunity to revisit France sometime soon. It is a beautiful and varied country.
  
Madhu

March 16, 2015

A marvelous collection Tricia! We are planning a visit to the Basque region later this year, but not to the French side.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 16, 2015
  
  Madhu, glad the post could get you in the mood for your upcoming Basque adventures. What Spanish spots are you planning on exploring? As you may remember, we greatly enjoyed our time exploring Bilbao’s art scene, and getting a feel for the wine culture in Rioja Alavesa. The pintxos (tapas) are also a treat!
  
the eternal traveller

March 16, 2015

Oh, I want one of those little balconies with the black wrought iron work. So gorgeous.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 17, 2015
  
  Carol, perhaps you can commission an artisan in Australia then? :) I can relate to appreciating architectural and home-design elements while on the road. When I was in Morocco some years ago, I became smitten with some of the brass door knockers on the colorful doors of the riads there. I went to a hardware store and found one of the traditional styles. We have yet to have a permanent home door on which to install it, but it’s waiting patiently inside a dresser drawer. A fellow traveler I met in Marrakech was so smitten with the copper sinks that she brought one home with her to the UK. I think she took on a Sahara Desert trek first, bringing to mind jokes about “traveling with everything – to include the kitchen sink.”
  
  1. the eternal traveller
    
    March 18, 2015
    
    That’s funny. The trouble is that our homes would look a little weird with a beautiful balcony like that. Oh well, I can always dream…
Bespoke Traveler

March 16, 2015

European windows are always so colorful! That third window seems like it is missing its vivid shutters?

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 17, 2015
  
  You have an eye for detail, Bespoke Traveler! I’m wondering if the salty sea air nibbles away at the paint more rapidly, necessitating regular repair of those shutters?
  
  1. Bespoke Traveler
    
    March 19, 2015
    
    Ah, no doubt that is the answer to the missing shutters.
corneliaweberphotography

March 17, 2015

Lovely window shoots, Tricia, I love windows and doors,, they stories who lives inside of the house.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 17, 2015
  
  Cornelia, having grown up in a setting like Bavaria (where there’s so much Lüftlmalerei), I can see why you appreciate refined architectural details. Hope your week is off to a good start!
  
  1. corneliaweberphotography
    
    March 18, 2015
    
    Thank you Tricia, that’s an interesting analysis of yours, never thought about that. Have a great week as well where ever you are.
100wordstowanderlust

March 17, 2015

Gorgeous pictures, I want to go now!

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 17, 2015
  
  Kristie, glad you enjoyed the compilation of windows from France’s Basque country. I see you’re also a fan of Paris’ passages?
  
  1. 100wordstowanderlust
    
    March 18, 2015
    
    Yes I love the passages! So nostalgic and still very ‘old paris’.
Gerard

March 18, 2015

You spent some time in regions that make excellent wine and cheese. I hope you enjoyed plenty of both.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 25, 2015
  
  Gerard, mais bien sûr – from tapas time (pintxos) to more elaborate lunches, we enjoyed a blend of both :) How has your honey wine (mead) production been going these past months?
  
  1. Gerard
    
    March 25, 2015
    
    I made a 5 gallon batch of cyser, that’s an apple juice / honey / water mixture that is fermented. I made it in November and it’s ready now. It’s good! I’m very pleased with the way it came out. I will post a blog about home winemaking soon. I’d love to share some with you.
  2. Tricia A. Mitchell
    
    March 28, 2015
    
    Gerard, I’ve never tried a fermented blend like that, but you’ve certainly piqued my curiosity. Perhaps at some point we’ll meet at the same latitude and longitude, and Shawn and I will be able to taste your cyser masterpiece. :) Wishing you a splendid Saturday!
  3. Gerard
    
    March 29, 2015
    
    Tricia, that would be fun.
u2shadow

March 18, 2015

Love the window pictures – I take a lot of door photos now – my husband thinks I’m crazy – but one of my more popular photos in my etsy store is a photo of a door in Murano!

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 20, 2015
  
  U2Shadow, thank you! I’m fortunate in that my husband now helps me ‘collect’ the interesting window candidates – perhaps that’s to speed along the photo-taking process! :) While I’ve been to Venice, we have yet to get to explore Murano to its fullest. I suspect that my camera would be working overtime, though! :)
  
  1. u2shadow
    
    March 20, 2015
    
    Oh – Burano is where you will go crazy with the photos – the colourful homes are amazing…
rigmover

March 18, 2015

Door and windows, great.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 20, 2015
  
  Mark – I know you’re more drawn to the vino and culinary posts, but glad you enjoyed the burst of architecture. :)
  
Dale

March 20, 2015

Really liked the doors and windows of Bilbao. There are so many lovely old houses and buildings scattered throughout the city to be loved and adored.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 25, 2015
  
  Hi Dale, it sounds like you and Franca also took a liking to the area. Shawn and I both concluded that we could see ourselves enjoying many sunny mornings in one of the miradors (enclosed glass sun porches) gracing the fronts of the buildings in the Old Town. A seaside view from one of these windows in Saint-Jean-de-Luz would be splendid too!
  
Sincerely, Jesseca

March 30, 2015

I will be living in france next year, so I loved this post! Definately visiting, thanks for sharing

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 30, 2015
  
  Jessica, you must be delighted to be moving to France next year – in what part of the country will you be living? Glad this post got you in the mood for your French life chapter!
  
emmagoingplaces

March 30, 2015

I love these photos– The windows are so quirky!

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 30, 2015
  
  Emma, the quirky windows of the world are precisely what inspired me to start this site’s Collage series. :) Glad you enjoyed this set from French Basque country, and thank you for the compliment.
  
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Veena S.

April 21, 2015

What a lovely idea to capture colourful and a variety of windows. I think all over Europe has all the ingredients for a great travel destination! I have one framed poster of ‘Thresholds of Prague’..we bought during our holiday there. These windows brought back those memories of admiring the doors in Prague.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  April 21, 2015
  
  Hi Veena, and thanks for stopping by. We’ve been lucky to have tiptoed through a lot of countries, and the Collage series seemed the perfect way to round up all the beauties that we discovered along the way.
  
  Prague, of course, has an abundance of stunning Old World buildings. Your ‘Thresholds’ poster must feature a beautiful sampling of the city’s architecture. When were you last there?