Your stay — Hôtel Amatcho
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The Property — Hôtel Amatcho
A compact, three-star townhouse hotel on a quiet pedestrian street just off the main shopping drag. The lobby feels like a clean, modern French living room: pale wood, a small sofa, a rack of local magazines and a receptionist who actually knows the best pintxos bars. No frills, no fuss, but honest value for a one-night stay when you want to be steps from the cathedral and the river.
Chronicles of Bayonne
Bayonne started as a Roman castrum called Lapurdum, but its real story is as a medieval Basque port. For centuries it controlled the Adour River trade and built its distinctive half-timbered houses, painted in green and red. The city walls, cathedral cloisters and narrow cobbled streets tell of English, French and Spanish rulers, while today Bayonne is the quiet, authentic Basque capital—famous for chocolate, ham, and its summer Fêtes, not for mass tourism.
Best Time to Visit
Full Bayonne guide →Best months
May and June for long sunny days, fewer crowds and Fêtes prices haven't spiked yet. September also offers warm weather plus harvest festivals.
Peak / festival surge
July, especially 27 July to 2 August 2026 for the Fêtes de Bayonne—four days of non-stop drinking, bull-running and street parties. Hotel prices triple; book six months ahead or stay in Biarritz. Smaller spikes happen during Easter and the August ferias.
Budget shoulder season
April and October. Average highs 16–20°C, light rain, rooms 30-40% cheaper than July, and you'll have the citadel and pintxos bars almost to yourself.
Weather & packing
Bayonne's climate is mild Atlantic maritime—rain can blow in from the sea without warning even in July. Pack a lightweight waterproof jacket and a long-sleeved layer for evenings, regardless of the forecast.
Live City Briefing — Bayonne
- The new Chronoplus electric bus line C3 started running in May 2025 from the station to the centre every 10 minutes; the old shuttle 2 has been withdrawn.
- A major restoration of the Cathédrale Sainte-Marie's south facade is due to finish in September 2026, so expect scaffolding and some closed cloister sections during your stay.
- The summer market along the Nive has moved to Quai de la Nive (instead of Quai des Corsaires) due to ongoing riverbank works—fine for buzzing evening pintxos but stalls are tighter.
Your Perfect Room
✨ AI-generated · Jul 2026Before you check in to Hôtel Amatcho, here's what to know about choosing the right room.
Best rooms to request
Request a room on the 3rd or 4th floor facing the inner courtyard. These are quieter and get good natural light without street noise.
Rooms to avoid
Avoid ground-floor rooms or those overlooking Rue du Port Neuf. Street-facing rooms on floors 1-2 are exposed to bar and foot traffic noise.
Best views
Rooms facing the inner courtyard offer the best view – a calm, private outlook onto typical stone and timber buildings.
Quietest floors
Floors 3 and 4 (top) are quietest due to distance from street and lack of lift machinery (lift stops at 4).
🔊 Noise notes
Street noise from Rue du Port Neuf (pedestrians, delivery vans, bar chatter) is the main issue. The lift can also be audible from adjacent rooms.
Insider tips
1) Request a courtyard room at booking – essential for quiet sleep. 2) The hotel has no parking; use the free street parking on nearby Place de la Liberté after 6pm or pay for the garage two blocks away.
- Call the hotel directly 24–48 hours before arrival and ask for a specific room type
- Add a note in your booking comments field
- Ask at check-in — front desk staff can often accommodate if a room is available
Hotel Facilities — Hôtel Amatcho
Free WiFi throughout with speeds averaging 10 Mbps down; no login required (open network).
Single lift serves all three floors; no stairs-only sections.
Complimentary digital access to local newspapers via Wi-Fi; no physical papers delivered. The building is a converted 18th-century townhouse with original Basque timber framing visible in the lobby.
Check-in from 14:00, check-out by 11:00. Early bag drop available from 08:00 at no charge. Late check-out until 14:00 costs €25 (subject to availability on Sunday).
Free for same-day arrivals and departures; overnight storage available only in coordination with reception.
No step-free entry (two steps at main entrance); lift fits standard wheelchairs. No adapted rooms or accessible bathroom rails. Ground-floor room available on request.
No on-site parking; nearest public garage is Parking des Remparts (150m, 16 Rue des Cordeliers) at €12 per night (24h). No EV charging on-site or in nearby garage.
Fees, Taxes & Deposits
City / tourist tax: €1.10 per person per night (mandatory, applies to all guests aged 18+)
Deposit & card hold: No advance deposit required for standard booking; a €50 incidental hold per stay is taken on a credit card at check-in
Faith & Dietary Nearby
- Church: Église Saint-Amand (848 m · ~11 min walk)
- Church: Chapelle des Capucins (914 m · ~11 min walk)
- Church: Église des Arènes (925 m · ~12 min walk)
- Church: Église Saint-Léon (1.1 km · ~13 min walk)
Local Lifestyle & Recreation
Centre commercial BAB2 — 1.3 km · ~16 min walk
Square Paul Gadenne — 700 m · ~9 min walk
CIAP Lapurdum — 1.2 km · ~15 min walk
Luna Negra — 1.2 km · ~15 min walk
Le village des Laminak — 1.1 km · ~13 min walk
5-Minute Radius Essentials
Nearest — 551 m · ~7 min walk
Pharmacie Mautalen — 553 m · ~7 min walk
L'épicier Bio — 847 m · ~11 min walk
Pesa — 1.2 km · ~16 min walk
Money & Currency
Get a travel card →Euro, EUR
Use ATMs inside banks for best rates; avoid the Euronews currency exchange at Bayonne station and airport kiosks — they give poor rates and high fees.
Visa and Mastercard accepted almost everywhere, including bakeries and market stalls. Contactless and Apple/Google Pay widely used. Bring a bit of cash for small purchases under 5 €.
Not expected; round up the bill or leave a euro or two for good service. Taxis: round up to the next euro. Hotel porters: 1-2 € per bag.
Eat, Shop & Travel on a Budget
Cheap car hire →Espresso at a bar counter: about 1.20 €. Takeaway from a boulangerie: 1.50 €.
Formule déjeuner (starter + main or main + dessert) at a café or brasserie: 12-15 €.
Pintxos (Basque-style small plates) at a bar: 2-3 € each; 4-5 pintxos with a drink = around 12-15 €.
Head to the main market (Les Halles) on a Saturday morning for cheap, fresh seafood and pintxos at the counters. Little to no permanent street-food stalls.
Carrefour City (by the cathedral), Lidl (rue Denis Etcheverry), and Intermarché (boulevard Alsace-Lorraine) are the main budget supermarkets.
Rue Port-Neuf and Rue Orbe have a handful of mid-range chain stores (H&M, C&A). For cheap basics, head to the Géant Casino hypermarket on the outskirts.
One-way bus ticket within Bayonne: 1.20 €. Day pass for the whole Chronoplus network (Bayonne + Biarritz + Anglet): 3.50 €. From Biarritz airport: bus line 14 (1.20 €, runs every 30 mins) — not the shuttle.
Eat pintxos at lunch when they're half the price of dinner. Always takeaway from a boulangerie for a cheap breakfast. Walk or use the free electric bike scheme (Bil Ta Garbi) within the city centre.
Good to know — Bayonne
Type C/E · 230V
safe
$1 ≈ €0.88 · EUR
Where to Eat
Book a table →💡 Booking tip: For popular restaurants in Bayonne, book at least a week ahead — especially for weekend evenings and during festival season.
Your arrival at Hôtel Amatcho
🕒 Check-in is from . Arriving earlier? Most hotels store luggage free — just ask at reception.
🧭 First things nearby: cash · Nearest — 551 m · ~7 min walk — pharmacy · Pharmacie Mautalen — 553 m · ~7 min walk
🚐 Pre-book an airport transfer →Getting Around
Find train tickets →Biarritz Airport stop 'Aéroport' → Bayonne city centre (stop 'Place des Basques')
💡 Buy a rechargeable 'Txik Txak' card from the airport ticket machine (1 EUR) and top up; single tickets are cheaper than paper ones. Get off at 'Baiona' stop, then walk 5 mins to the hotel.
Ibis Styles Bayonne (stop 'Bastide') → Bayonne city centre (stop 'Place des Basques')
💡 The hotel is a 3-min walk from Bastide stop. This tram is the best way to reach the old town (Grand Bayonne) without walking 20 mins. Validate your ticket in the machine on the platform or face a 50 EUR fine.
Biarritz Pays Basque Airport (BIQ) → Ibis Styles Bayonne
💡 Pre-book with a local company like Taxis de la Nive to avoid surge pricing; airport rank taxis can cost 5-10 EUR more.
Bayonne Gare SNCF → Biarritz Gare SNCF (for airport shuttle)
💡 Useful only if you're coming from elsewhere in France; from Bayonne station, the airport is a 15-min bus ride on line 14. Don't take this for direct Bayonne-airport travel—the bus is simpler.
About Bayonne
Wikipedia ↗
Bayonne (French: [bajɔn] ; Basque and Gascon: Baiona) is a city in southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, in the area known as the French Basque Country. Bayonne is located a...
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best rooms at Hôtel Amatcho?
Request a room on the 3rd or 4th floor facing the inner courtyard. These are quieter and get good natural light without street noise.
Which rooms should I avoid at Hôtel Amatcho?
Avoid ground-floor rooms or those overlooking Rue du Port Neuf. Street-facing rooms on floors 1-2 are exposed to bar and foot traffic noise.
Is Hôtel Amatcho noisy?
Street noise from Rue du Port Neuf (pedestrians, delivery vans, bar chatter) is the main issue. The lift can also be audible from adjacent rooms.
Which rooms have the best views at Hôtel Amatcho?
Rooms facing the inner courtyard offer the best view – a calm, private outlook onto typical stone and timber buildings.
What are insider tips for staying at Hôtel Amatcho?
1) Request a courtyard room at booking – essential for quiet sleep. 2) The hotel has no parking; use the free street parking on nearby Place de la Liberté after 6pm or pay for the garage two blocks away.
What time is check-in at Hôtel Amatcho?
Check-in at Hôtel Amatcho is from null. Check-out is by null.
Does Hôtel Amatcho have Wi-Fi?
Free WiFi throughout with speeds averaging 10 Mbps down; no login required (open network).
Is there a city or tourist tax at Hôtel Amatcho?
€1.10 per person per night (mandatory, applies to all guests aged 18+)
Where can I eat cheaply near Hôtel Amatcho?
Formule déjeuner (starter + main or main + dessert) at a café or brasserie: 12-15 €.
What is the cheapest way to get around from Hôtel Amatcho?
One-way bus ticket within Bayonne: 1.20 €. Day pass for the whole Chronoplus network (Bayonne + Biarritz + Anglet): 3.50 €. From Biarritz airport: bus line 14 (1.20 €, runs every 30 mins) — not the shuttle.
When is the best time to visit Bayonne?
May and June for long sunny days, fewer crowds and Fêtes prices haven't spiked yet. September also offers warm weather plus harvest festivals.
Top Attractions in Bayonne
💡 Come just before noon on Saturday for the free tastings at the charcuterie stalls. Go upstairs to the gallery for a bird's-eye view.
💡 Visit in the late afternoon when the light hits the rose window. The cloister is usually quieter before lunch.
💡 Don't try to enter the gate – it's still an active base. The best photo spot is from the footbridge across the Nive.
💡 Free guided meditation sessions happen occasionally on Saturday mornings in summer – check the town noticeboard at the main gate.
💡 First Sunday of each month is free for all visitors. The top floor has the best view over the river Nive.