Top Reasons to Go

Bask in Biarritz: This former fishing village has been trumped by a glitzy Second Empire aura, but you won't find the bathing beauties and high rollers complaining.

Be charmed by Basque chic: The camera-ready villages of Ainhoa, Sare, and St-Jean-de-Luz show off quirky, colorful, and asymmetrical Basque architecture.

Indulge yourself in Michel Guérard's Les Prés d'Eugénie: The co-father (with Paul Bocuse) of nouvelle cuisine still creates glorious meals in tucked-away Eugénie-les-Bains.

Gasp at gorgeous Gavarnie: Victor Hugo called the 1,400-foot-high waterfall here "the greatest architect's greatest work."

Take in the view from pretty Pau: With views of the Pyrénées, Pau is the historic capital of Béarn—and regal monuments recall its royal past as the birthplace of King Henri IV.