·Ascain

Ascain

Ascain is a Basque village in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, tucked between the Nivelle river and the foothills of the Pyrenees about seven kilometres south of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Its southern boundary climbs to the summit of La Rhune, the iconic mountain of the French Basque country, reached from the village by a historic rack railway. With its whitewashed houses, traditional fronton and Labourdin dialect still in everyday use, Ascain has kept a strong rural Basque identity while remaining easily accessible from the coast.