Saint-Jean-de-Luz is a former fishing village, a commune in the Atlantic Pyrenees department (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) in southwestern France. Saint-Jean-de-Luz is part of the Labourd (Lapurdi) Basque province.
Saint-Jean-de-Luz is known for its architecture, sandy bay, a large number of sunny days per year, and excellent cuisine. The town is located south of Biarritz, on the Nivelle river’s right bank.
It is a mistake to assume that the town name comes from “Luz”, which means “light” in Spanish. “Luz” is a mutation of “Lohitz” in this case, which means “dirty place, marsh”. And this name corresponds to those times when the settlement was flooded and was nothing more than a marsh for centuries.
The Gulf of Saint-Jean-de-Luz is a natural harbour in the Bay of Biscay southeast between Arcachon and Spain. It has become a favorite destination for tourists on the Basque coast due to its location and strong “walls” protecting the town from the Atlantic Ocean. The sea resort itself appears relatively new, however, the town port is several centuries old.
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