Other main towns:Bayonne, Anglet, Biarritz, Oloron-Sainte-Marie
The Pyrénées-Atlantiques is best known for the stretch of the Basque coast running from Anglet down to Hendaye on the Spanish border.
The maps will tell you that this stretch is made up of the towns of Anglet, Biarritz, Bidart, Guéthary, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Hendaye, but when you get there you realise it is all one large coastal conurbation built along some of the most spectacular surf, sand and rocky cliffs seascapes in France.
Towns just inland, especially Bayonne, are also part of the conurbation.
Not surprisingly, with the growth of more wealthy retirees in France, the department, especially near the coast, has become a very popular and expensive place to live.
The latest figures from state statistics agency Insee, based on data from 2021, put the population of the department at 693,027 people, a 0.6% increase on the last figure from 2015.
Housing pressure is a real issue: locals working in the coastal area complain of having to drive 45 minutes or more to get to work, as they move inland for cheaper accommodation.
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Inland, the mountains loom with their spas and winter ski resorts, but the foothills offer spectacular green countryside, with a mix of woods, pastures and rivers, plus cheaper properties.
The prefecture, Pau (pronounced to rhyme with l’eau and not ‘pow’) is 124km from Biarritz.
Historically, it is in a different part of the world, being the centre of the Béarn, which spoke a version of French and not Basque.
Pau is linked to the coast by the A64 autoroute, and with the Bordeaux region by the new A65, which ends at Langon.
The coastal cities are linked to Bordeaux via the A63, which runs through the pine forests of the Landes.
Off the autoroutes, the department has a wide selection of driving experiences, from busy dual carriageways, to deserted, narrow communal roads leading into the mountains.
A railway line, which includes the longest straight line of track in France, runs down the same transport corridor as the A63.
Both mainline and TER regional trains use it, and TER trains also run from Dax, in Landes, to Pau, and on to Toulouse.
From Pau it is also possible to take a TER to Oloron-Sainte-Marie, in the foothills, a town where most French berets used to be made.
Airports in the department, at Biarritz and Pau, escape the ban on internal flights to Paris, which applies if it is possible to get there in 2h30 by TGV, and remain busy with internal flights. There are also international services from low-cost carriers.
The following properties were available at the time of writing:
House in need of renovation in Moumour
€50,000 and under
Looking for properties under €50,000 in Pyrénées-Atlantiques is a pretty thankless task. This sad-looking house in the pretty commune of Moumour, not far from Oloron-Sainte-Marie, with an asking price of €50,000 (plus €4,000 in fees) looks as though it could come to life with love and attention.
The 93m² property has some interesting brick detailing in the lounge/kitchen and four bedrooms.
There is a terrace with a view of a neighbouring workshop, but on the other side is a 1,320m2 garden (jungle) which has what looks like a 20m-long swimming pool, presently a bright green colour but which could be made to sparkle.
A garage completes the description.
Roof and floors seem to be in good condition, but in need of cleaning.
House with land in Lacarry-Arhan-Charritte-de-Haut.
Under €200,000
Situated in the foothills at an altitude of 350m, this 122m² house in a small commune with the big name of Lacarry-Arhan-Charritte-de-Haut is on the market for €167,000.
The village is roughly halfway between Oloron-Sainte-Marie and the pilgrim settlement of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port as the crow flies.
It comes with up to 80,000m² of farmland and a sheep shed, with a note that the amount of land could be reduced if you do not wish to buy it all.
Views of green hills stretch into the distance.
Built in 1900, the five-bedroom, two-bathroom, two-storey house looks as though most of the original features from 1900, such as a wooden bench built into the wall near the fireplace, have been kept.
The property comes with an F rating for energy performance, which suggests that any renovation project will probably start with changing the boiler.
See: A La Lucarne, Mr Laurent Deffaux. Ref: 83401
Over €1million
Villa with sea views in Biarritz suburb of Labordotte-La-Colline.
It might look like an undistinguished, modern, ‘California-style’ villa from the street, but this split-level house, built in 1980 on a hill in the Biarritz suburb of Labordotte-La-Colline, was designed for sea views from every window – including from a 959m² balcony.
The asking price of €3,490,000 includes four bedrooms, three shower rooms and a bathroom.
There is gas central heating, although the DPE rating is not given.
Squeezed into a small plot, most of the exterior is concreted over, but along one side of the house is a narrow pool, equipped with counter -current training equipment.
For those preferring salt water, the beach of Milady is around a kilometre away, and the house is also close to the Ilbarritz international golf course.
