Pyrenees Atlantiques encompasses the Pays Basque and the Béarn. Many attempts have been made over the years to obtain independence for the Pays Basque from France and Spain, but in spite of local (French) efforts to obtain departmental status for the Basque region, the department was renamed Pyrenees Atlantiques in the last national departmental reshuffle of 1970.
Pyrenees Atlantiques combines some particularly beautiful landscapes with a deeply rooted and vivacious culture.
You'll find Catalonian spoken as well as Basque as you near the borders with Spain and the French and Spanish cultures blend together to form a unique experience.
