The Nive river divides Bayonne into two distinct quarters. Grand Bayonne on the west bank is the older and more formal half, dominated by the cathedral and commercial streets. Petit Bayonne on the east bank is smaller, more bohemian, and notably livelier in the evenings — the streets around the Rue des Cordeliers are lined with bars, and the riverside quays fill up on warm evenings.
The five bridges crossing the Nive within the town offer good views of the colombage (half-timbered) houses that line the waterfront, their facades painted in the red and green of the Basque country. The Quai Galuperie and Quai Jaureguiberry on the Nive form a pleasant walking route. The confluence of the Nive and the larger Adour river to the north is where the medieval town grew up, and standing at the confluence point gives a good sense of why Bayonne developed here at all.