Sare

15 km southeast of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and the Atlantic coast, Sare is located at the foot of the mythical Rhune mountain, which can be climbed from the village, on foot or by a cogwheel train at the Saint-Ignace pass. For a long time considered as a capital of smuggling in the Basque Country, Sare was also a great meeting place for illustrious people: Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie, Orson Wells, Winston Churchill or even General de Gaulle.
Classified among the most beautiful villages of France, Sare displays one of the most beautiful churches of Labourd, the church of Saint-Martin, presenting three floors of galleries in carved oak and their balusters in turned wood. Equipped with a carved bell, its 5-story bell tower can be visited. Basque pelota court, numerous oratories, farmhouse with frescos by Gaspar Montes Iturrioz complete the visit of the streets with half-timbered houses.