Pet-Friendly Attractions in Bayonne

The Gothic cathedral, listed UNESCO World Heritage in 1998 as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France, dominates the old town skyline with its twin spires. The nave is closed to dogs as a place of worship, but the elegant 14th-century cloister and the surrounding parvis are fully accessible with a leashed dog and free of charge.

The covered Halles on the Nive quay is the gastronomic heart of Bayonne, piled with jambon de Bayonne IGP, Espelette pepper, axoa, Pyrenees cheeses, Cazenave chocolate and Atlantic-coast fish. Dogs are not permitted inside the hall itself, but the surrounding terrace cafés on the quay are dog-welcoming and let you eat market produce outside.

The Musée Basque, in the 16th-century Maison Dagourette on the Nive quay, is the reference museum on Basque civilization and culture. Like nearly all French museums it bars pets from the indoor galleries (assistance dogs excepted), but the riverside quay outside is one of the prettiest places in Petit Bayonne to walk a dog and admire the painted half-timbered facades across the water.