St. Jean Pied de Port: Gateway to a Getaway

This small Basque village gets its name for being at “the foot of” historic Roncesvalles Pass, the France-Spain gateway through the Pyrenees where Charlemagne met disaster in AD 778, losing the beloved Roland to either fanatic Moors or heroic Basques, depending upon whether you read “Chanson de Roland” or the Spanish epic poem.

What’s more important today is that St. Jean Pied de Port holds down the French end of a stretch of mountain road of almost fierce beauty that crests the Pyrenees before flattening out as it leads down into Spain’s Pamplona. It’s a torturous road, but the scenic majesty makes up for it.

St. Jean is capital of one of the three French Basque provinces (Spain has four) that huddle at the northwest end of the Pyrenees where they meet the Atlantic. Basque men on the Spanish side wear red berets, the French black. Both sides are hopeful of someday receiving autonomy from their governments.

The Nive River, alive with trout, flows from the mountains right through town. Indeed, the Basque provinces are heaven for fly fishermen: Hemingway characters had a go at trout near there in “The Sun Also Rises,” and trout in the Navarre style (stuffed with mountain-dried ham) is one of the world’s great dishes.

St. Jean, perhaps more than any other town along the border, captures the true feeling of a Basque mountain village, one that has been around since the 11th Century.

Here to there: Fly Air France nonstop to Paris, or American, TWA, Air Canada, Pan Am, Delta or Continental with changes. Air Inter will get you down to Biarritz, a bus or rental car the remaining 35 miles to St. Jean. Or use a France Vacances rail pass to visit this and most other French towns.

How long/how much? A day is all you really need for the town, but the gorgeous scenery and colorful Basque villages nearby almost demand another day. Lodging costs are inexpensive, dining moderate and up.

A few fast facts: The French franc was recently valued at .158, about 6.3 to the dollar. Late spring through fall is the best time for a visit, with midsummer rather crowded and mountain rains a possibility anytime. And don’t forget that now you need a visa for France.

Getting settled in: Hotel des Pyrenees (Place de Gaulle; $38 to $60 U.S. double) is right on the main square, a small hotel known throughout France for its Michelin two-star kitchen. Bedrooms are of moderate size, as most are in French countryside hotels, but this is the town’s best. Take your morning coffee and brioche outside under the plane trees and watch the village come alive. Des Pyrenees is a member of the Relaise et Chateaux association of family-owned hotels.

Le Central (Place de Gaulle; $44-$51 double) is at the other end of the old market square, its terrace dining room overlooking the River Nive. The original old wooden floors and handsome staircase give a certain charm to an otherwise undistinguished lobby. Bedrooms are decidedly old-fashioned but neat.

Etche-Ona (15 Place Floquet; $26 double) is noted more for its dining room than as a hotel. Its few bedrooms are of moderate size and amenities. Still, it is a good place to capture the feeling of a Basque mountain inn. It’s modest, but very acceptable.

Regional food and drink: Hams of the Basque region are superb, including the renowned Bayonne ham and one from St. Jean. Various meat and poultry dishes are served a la basquaise , which means accompanied by braised wild mushrooms, oven-cooked potatoes, finely chopped Bayonne ham and peppers. It’s delicious.

Fresh salmon and trout grace most menus, and the Basques shoot wood pigeons with all the dedication of Scots going after grouse, so look for palombe (pigeon) on local menus. Salmis de palombe is pigeon in a velvety sauce of wine, herbs, onions, ham and mushrooms. You’ll also see sweetbreads aplenty, usually served with cepes (wild mushrooms).

Every restaurant, dining room, cafe and patisserie will serve you gateau Basque, a shallow, almond-flavored cake with fruit. Basque wines are on the thin side, but the white Herrika-Arnoa is very good with seafood.

Good dining: Le Central’s dining room is a simply furnished room with views of the old market square and river. You’ll find fixed menus in several price ranges, plus an a la carte selection with emphasis on regional dishes. Piperade (an omelet or scrambled eggs with tomato, peppers and minced onion, a Basque specialty) is one of the entrees on an $11 menu, followed by chicken Basque and a dessert. Wine is extra. The $24 menu brings you such as steamed trout with a seafood sauce, sliced breast of duck ( magret de canard ) and a dessert of souffle Grand Marnier.

Jean-Claude Ibargaray, the owner/chef of Etche-Ona, is praised for his skill in the kitchen and attention to the old ways of treating classic dishes, using regional ingredients. Try his trout sauteed with almonds, or duck with wild mushrooms. Nothing fancy about Etche-Ona, just authentic Basque food prepared well. It’s a hangout for locals.

Des Pyrenees is the crowning glory of St. Jean’s cuisine scene, holding two Michelin stars and a like number of Gault Millau toques . It’s the prettiest dining room in town--small, done in delicate pastels, with fresh flowers here and there. Classic French dining melds beautifully with the Basque heritage. Plan on a fixed menu of from $22 to $51 per person, plus wine. And the wine selection is superior.

On your own: Just about everything worthy of your attention is in St. Jean’s ville haute (high town), an area that you can walk in little more than an hour. Start at the tourist office (for a town map) on Place Charles de Gaulle and walk up the narrow Rue de la Citadelle toward the 17th-Century fortress at the top. The old homes lining the street are mostly 16th and 17th century, and the views from the top are lovely.

Work your way back down to Place de Gaulle and Rue d’Espagne, the shopping street. There you can fill your bag with Basque rope-sole shoes for a pittance. And, as in most Basque villages, there is probably a late-afternoon game of pelote going on in the town fronton.

For more information: Call the French Government Tourist Office at (213) 271-6665 or 272-2661, or write (9454 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 303, Beverly Hills 90212) for a map of southwest France and the Basque regions, including a calendar of events, places of interest and a hotel list.