Citadelle de Saint Jean Pied de Port

In the Basque Country, 55 km south-west of Biarritz, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port owes its name to its location at the foot of the Cize passes, including the famous Roncesvalles pass, "ports" meaning "pass". The town is part of the ancient ridge road used by the Romans, Napoleon's armies and, still today, the pilgrims to Compostela (the Saint-Jacques Gate is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for this reason).
At the top of the Mendiguren hill, the citadel built around 1625 stands proudly, dominating the Nive by almost 80m. The visit of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port continues with the castle of the Kings of Navarre, the Prison known as the Bishops' Prison, the church of Notre Dame du Bout du Pont with its 13th century foundations, the Rue d'Espagne which goes up towards Roncesvalles whose houses of merchants and craftsmen have lintels carved in the pink sandstone of Arradoy.