Aquitaine, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France

Stylishly renovated in 2017, this superb 17th-century Basque townhouse with commercial premises is in an excellent location in the centre of St-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle.

The property is currently furnished and equipped as a "Gîte d’Étape" to accommodate up to 15 guests. Gîtes d'Étape provide relatively cheap accommodation - and often meals - to pilgrims who are en route for the famous town of Santiago-de-Compostela in Spain. St-Jean-Pied-de-Port is the most famous departure point for pilgrims in France.

The property could, of course, be transformed into a boutique Bed and Breakfast business, a wonderful family home or a spacious holiday home... and the adjacent ground-floor commercial premises can be rented out as a shop, an art gallery, an office...

From the pedestrianised street, the front door of the townhouse opens into an entrance hall on the ground floor with a traditional wooden staircase leading up to the three floors above. Behind the staircase is a door into a storage area, which is also accessible from the property's commercial premises.

The first floor comprises an open-plan sitting room/dining room and a separate kitchen with a dining area and floor-to-ceiling French doors out to an internal courtyard/terrace for dining outside.

The second floor comprises two bedrooms. The smaller of the two bedrooms has a double bed, an en suite shower room and French doors opening out to a balcony/terrace overlooking the internal courtyard. The larger bedroom is currently used as a dormitory-style bedroom and has enough room for six single beds. This bedroom also has an en suite bathroom.

The third floor also has two bedrooms, along with a shared shower room accessible from the landing at the top of the stairs. The larger of the two bedrooms is currently furnished with twin beds and has French doors opening out to a balcony/terrace overlooking the internal courtyard. The other bedroom is a loft-style dormitory bedroom furnished with four single beds. Please note that this room has sloping ceilings.

On the ground floor, the property's adjacent commercial premises could be rented out as a shop, an art gallery, an office... or reincorporated back into the townhouse to create more living space. Currently empty, the open-plan space of 35m² has a shopfront, which is accessible from the pedestrianised shopping street. There is a WC with a washbasin at the far end of the room, along with access to a large storage area, which is also accessible from the ground floor of the townhouse.

The property is located in the historic centre of St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, which is in the Basse-Navarre province of the French Basque Country. The coastal resorts of Biarritz and St-Jean-de-Luz are about 60 minutes away to the west; Pyrenean ski resorts are about 45 - 70 minutes away to the south-east; Spain is 10 minutes away, where you can buy Spanish delicacies and cheap petrol at several ventas on the border.

The inland Basque-Country is a true delight... rolling hills dotted with pretty white farmhouses with red or green shutters. The fields are often grazed by sheep, which are milked twice a day and the milk is then used to make cheese called "brebis". Other famous local delicacies are Bayonne ham, red piments (chilli peppers), Gâteau Basque and dark cherry jam to eat with the brebis cheese!

THE TOWNHOUSE

Ground floor:
- an entrance hall
- a WC
- access to a storage area (shared with the property's commercial premises)

First floor:
- a reception area
- an internal courtyard/terrace for outdoor dining
- a large kitchen with a dining area and access to the courtyard/terrace
- an open-plan sitting room/dining room

Second floor:
- a balcony overlooking the internal courtyard
- a bedroom with an en suite shower room and access to the balcony
- a bedroom with an en suite bathroom

Third floor:
- a balcony overlooking the internal courtyard
- a bedroom with access to the balcony
- a loft-style bedroom with sloping ceilings
- a shower room


THE COMMERCIAL PREMISES

- direct access from the town's main pedestrianised shopping street
- an open-plan space of 35m² to rent out as a shop, gallery, office...
- a WC with handbasin
- a storage area (also accessible from the ground floor of the house)


THE POTENTIAL!

This lovely Basque townhouse has huge potential! It is an ideal size for using as a spacious family home or a holiday home. The property would also be suitable to rent out to groups of up to 15 holidaymakers as a "Gîte de Groupe".

The ground-floor shop/gallery space can be rented out as commercial premises to generate a regular income, or it could be reincorporated back into the house to provide additional living space.

To be sold FULLY FURNISHED, you can move into the property immediately and open as a "Gîte d'Étape" for pilgrims following the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle into Spain. Pilgrims hope to find good-value overnight accommodation, so would be happy to share dormitory-style bedrooms in the property.

If, however, you would prefer to offer more upmarket accommodation, it would be easy to transform the property into a boutique Bed & Breakfast. Two of the four bedrooms already have an en suite bathroom/shower room; the bedroom with the en suite bathroom is large enough for a family to stay in. As well as attracting bookings from year-round tourists and holidaymakers who are visiting St-Jean-Pied-de-Port and the surrounding area, you may also attract any pilgrims who would like to stay in a private bedroom rather than a shared dormitory.

If you would like to generate additional income, you might like to provide meals to your guests, especially during the out-of-season months when bars and restaurants in the town are often closed for annual leave. As well as offering delicious breakfasts, you could also offer hearty suppers, pub lunches, afternoon teas... You might even like to provide delicious packed lunches or luxurious picnic hampers for departing pilgrims or guests who are going out on day trips, especially if they are packed full of delicious Basque delicacies!


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Telephone + Cable internet available
Partially double-glazed
Electricity (three-phase in the commercial premises)
Air conditioning
Heating: pulsed hot air
Mains water
Mains drains


THE LOCAL AREA

Located in the historic centre of St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, this excellent four-storey property is close to the church, the river and numerous restaurants and bars. This popular tourist town is 45 minutes away from the nearest Pyrénées ski resort, 60 minutes away from Atlantic beach resorts and just 10 minutes away from Spain.

St-Jean-Pied-de-Port has many amenities, including a swimming pool, a cinema, excellent schools, regular trains to Bayonne and a bus link to St-Palais. As well as food and craft fairs throughout the high season, the town has a large outdoor market every Monday, along with a smaller market for local crafts and food producers every Thursday.

In addition, St-Jean-Pied-de-Port is famous as the main departure point for pilgrims walking the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle. For most pilgrims, the town is the final resting place before they start to climb the steep hills and mountains of the Pyrénées... and the "Pied-de-Port" part of the town’s name means the "foot of the pass", which refers to the "Roncevaux Pass", where pilgrims can finally cross over into Spain.

Airports: Biarritz, Pau, Tarbes-Lourdes
Train: St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Bayonne
Coach: Biarritz, Bayonne, Pau
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

Beaches: Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...
Ski: Iraty, Issarbe, La-Pierre-St-Martin, Artouste, Gourette, Val-d’Azun, Somport, Candanchú (Spain)...

Attractions: Le Train de La Rhune, Grottes de Sare, Grottes d'Isturitz et d'Oxocelhaya, Gorges de Kakuetta, Passerelle d’Holzarte, Aqua Béarn, Le Petit Train d’Artouste, Parc'Ours, Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle, Route d'Artagnan...