Arzacq-Arraziguet

Arzacq-Arraziguet is the largest settlement between Aire-sur-l'Adour and Arthez-de-Bearn, and it's a genuine bastide with character. The Place du Marcadieu retains its covered galleries with pillars and arcades -- the marketplace that once made Arzacq one of the most important markets in all of English Guyenne. The bastide grew as an extension of an 11th-century castle on a mound, which explains its atypical shape.

Look for the Tour de Peich with its distinctive humped roof, two horseshoe-shaped lavoirs, and the covered arenas where local festivals are held. The town sits within the IGP Bayonne Ham production zone, and the Maison du Jambon de Bayonne celebrates the connection.

Saturday morning brings the local producers' market. All basic services are available: shops, restaurants, accommodation. A solid stage town.