2 full days in Bayonne, what to do?
 

Next week my wife and I will have 2 full days (3 nights) in Bayonne. Besides some light shopping, cafe time, restaurants, and just walking around to look at old buildings what do you suggest to do? Any museums, historic sights, or special activities?

We will have a car so any nearby towns to visit or things to do or see is also okay.

Any special patisserie we should go to?

Thanks for any advice.

We recently spent 3 nights in Bayonne. It is a lovely town to walk around and they have a covered market. We had a delicious meal at O'Jura Mendia. On our two full days we went to St Jean de Luz and to Biarritz. St Jean de Luz is a really stunning town. We ate at Restaurant Pluviose: it was fantastic

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If you are open to visits to nearby towns, shall we assume that you will just spend 2 days in the whole area?
if it is the case, I would strongly recommend that you spend half day in Bayonne and explore nearby countryside/ Biarritz/ St Jean the rest of your time.
Saturday morning would be ideal for Bayonne as it is market day.
There is a good pâtisserie near the Halles (Raux).

Unfortunately the Musée Bonnat-Helleu fine arts museum, is still undergoing renovation and its reopening has been delayed and delayed and delayed.

But I certainly wouldn't miss the Musée Basque, arguably one of the finest ethnographic museums around. It´s fascinating and a wonderful insight into Basque history and culture. It´s across the river in Petit Bayonne. I would make it a priority as well as the Cathedral of Sainte Marie and its cloisters, one of the staging areas for the Road to St James to Santiago de Compostela.

As to patisseries, we like Mokofin at 27 Rue Thiers, or for places for brunch or lunch, we like Janine at 12 Rue Port de Castets.

The Bayonne indoor market is also a visual treat but not as impressive, imo, as the indoor market in Biarritz, a city now extremely easy to reach on the Tram Bus TI.
From Bayonne we also go quickly and easily to St-Jean-de-Luz for the Tuesday, Friday outdoor markets (Saturday as well in high season) via the Ter train. Only a 24-minute ride..

Our best dinner ever in Bayonne has been at La Table de Sébastien Gravés at 21 quai Amiral-Dubourdieu facing the river. Just wonderful.

Thank you Maribel. Your advised is always appreciated. The patisserie and lunch place you mentioned are within a 3 minute walk of where we are staying, so they are very convenient recommendations for us. Much appreciated!

For your 2 days in Bayonne, begin at the Basque Museum to get a taste of local culture. After that, take a walk along the Nive river and see Bayonne Cathedral. For lunch go to Les Halles market and for something sweet try the Chocolate Workshop. At night, have dinner at Le Bistrot Sainte-Cluque where they serve Basque cuisine. On day two, have a trip to Biarritz for seeing coastline and the Aquarium. Then, for lunch go to Chez Albert. For other towns close by, you can visit Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Espelette to experience more Basque magic. At last, drop in at Maison Adam for their famous macarons and Basque cakes. Enjoy!