Vauban Ramparts

The star-shaped earthwork ramparts that surround Bayonne's old town were designed by the great French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban in the late 17th century and remain remarkably intact. Walking the ramparts takes about an hour and gives elevated views over the city and the surrounding countryside.

The most dramatic section is the Citadelle to the northwest, which contains the main bastions and was the heart of the defensive system. The walls are now parkland — grassed over and accessible to walkers. The Jardin Botanique de Bayonne is set against the southern section of the ramparts. In 2008, Bayonne's Vauban fortifications were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of a group of Vauban sites across France.

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A story
The military engineer Vauban, who redesigned the defences of dozens of French frontier towns under Louis XIV, came to Bayonne twice — in 1680 and 1698. His system of angled bastions, ditches, and earthworks was designed to deflect cannon fire rather than merely resist it, and it worked: no enemy force successfully stormed Bayonne's defences after Vauban's upgrades. The ramparts were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Fortifications of Vauban in 2008.

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