Bayonne

Chocolate reached France through Bayonne: Jewish families expelled from Spain and Portugal settled in the Saint-Esprit quarter across the river in the sixteenth century, bringing the craft with them, and the city became the country's first chocolate-making centre; a row of makers still works along the arcaded Rue Port-Neuf. Bayonne ham, salted and air-dried on the Adour, carries the other name. The old town is tall Basque houses in white with red and green shutters along two rivers, and the Musee Basque covers the culture in depth. The summer fetes in late July fill the city with crowds dressed in white and red.

What you actually see

• The chocolate makers - the arcaded street of France's oldest chocolate trade.
• The Basque museum - a thorough collection on Basque culture.
• The white and red houses - tall Basque facades along the Nive.
• The July fetes - five days of crowds dressed in white and red.

When to go

April to June and September to October; the fetes in late July or early August are the biggest event and fill everything. The Saturday market on the Nive is good.

Honest expectations

Fete week is loud, packed and not to everyone's taste, with accommodation booked months ahead. Chocolate shops are small and busy. Parking in the old town is essentially impossible.

Nearby

Biarritz lies west; Espelette is south inland.