Signature experience — Saint-Jean-de-Luz
La Rhune and the Labourd villages
Duration
Full day
Price
From €650
Mercedes
Dedicated vehicle & chauffeur
Back in 1924, the La Rhune rack railway—built with SLM Swiss technology and still running its original electric locomotives—began carrying passengers to the 905‑meter summit. Up top, orientation tables point toward the Atlantic and the Bidassoa estuary, and it’s common to spot pottoks, the hardy Basque ponies, and griffon vultures riding thermals. From Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the drive to the Col de Saint-Ignace in Ascain takes about 25 minutes, shadowing the Nivelle River along the foothills.
Your dedicated driver collects you from your hotel in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and keeps the car on standby all day: an unhurried ascent by train, a gourmet pause in Sare for Basque cake at Maison Haranéa and cider at Egiategia, then onward via the D306 to Ainhoa with its classic Labourd façades and the Chapel of the Hawthorn. With a private chauffeur in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, you taste and tour while they handle parking and the short hops between villages, typically 8 to 15 km apart.
Your itinerary
- I
09:00 — Pick-up at your Saint-Jean-de-Luz hotel and 25‑minute drive to Col de Saint-Ignace in Ascain.
- II
10:00 — Board the La Rhune rack railway (35 min) and enjoy the 905 m summit panorama.
- III
12:30 — Lunch and Basque cake in Sare, followed by a local cider tasting (1h30).
- IV
15:00 — Short drive to Ainhoa (15 min), stroll by the fronton, church and Hawthorn Chapel; return late afternoon.
What’s included
- ✓ Dedicated Amani driver
- ✓ Premium Mercedes vehicle
- ✓ Hotel pick-up
- ✓ On-site waiting and transfers
Your chauffeur’s tip
Aim for the first morning train (around 9 am) and sit on the right-hand side going up for early views over the Bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz just beyond the tree line.
Book this experience
Confirmed within 30 minutes · Fixed price quoted in advance