The city of Saint Jean de Luz
Both fishing port and Royal Resort, Saint-Jean-de-Luz retains from its past a mixed ambiance of traditional Basque village open to the ocean and seaside town of charm. King Louis XIV stayed in Saint-Jean-de-Luz on the occasion of his marriage to Maria Theresa of Austria, Infante of Spain. The “Maison Louis XIV”, which hosted the monarch for 40 days, and the “Maison de la Infante” where Marie-Thérèse lodged, are open for the visit. The Church of St. John the Baptist hosted the Royal Wedding ceremony in 1660: typically Basque with its carved wood galleries, the building has a rich furnishings and a remarkable interior decoration, including a gilded wooden altarpiece especially Exceptional. The city centre of Saint-Jean-de-Luz has benefited from the influence of this historic event for several centuries: it is possible to admire the varied architectures of beautiful mansions built in the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as the special hotels of the 19th Century and the neo-Basque style villas built from the beginning of the 20th century.