Driving in Bayonne — Crit'Air in the Basque City of Chocolate and Ham
Bayonne, France · ZFE
Bayonne — the lively capital of the French Basque Country, set where the rivers Nive and Adour meet, with a colourful old town of tall shuttered houses in red and green (the Basque colours), a Gothic cathedral, and a deep food culture famous for its chocolate (introduced by Jewish refugees centuries ago) and its Bayonne ham — runs a Crit'Air ZFE (foreign cars included) with fines from around EUR 68 for cars. The compact old town is largely walkable. Park in a garage and walk; the riverside old town, the chocolate and the Basque coast are the draws.
Can your car enter Bayonne?
Bayonne — the lively capital of the French Basque Country, where two rivers meet, with a colourful old town in Basque red and green, and a food culture famous for chocolate and Bayonne ham — runs a Crit’Air ZFE (foreign cars included) with fines from around EUR 68 for cars.
This page covers driving around Bayonne. For the emission classes and zone boundary, see the Bayonne ZFE details.
Crit’Air, park and walk the riverside old town
Order the Crit’Air sticker ahead (certificat-air.gouv.fr); without it the ZFE fine is from EUR 68. Park in a garage and walk the colourful old town along the Nive, the cathedral, and the chocolate shops. France’s limits: 50 km/h urban, 0.05% alcohol.
When the car helps
Keep it for the Basque coast — Biarritz and the surf beaches — the hill villages (Espelette), the Pyrenees, and the Spanish Basque Country, driven from a central garage.
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Winter tyres in France — 2026–27 season
Winter tyres are required in France whenever conditions are wintry — 1 Nov - 31 Mar (mountain law, designated departments).
- Tread minimum: 1.6 mm — France sets no separate winter figure.
- Accepted marking: M+S or 3PMSF
- Studded tyres: restricted
- Penalty: Not published by the French authorities. Note: the obligation is only enforceable where the B58/B59 signs have actually been installed (Code de la route art. D. 314-8).
In French the rule is pneus hiver, and snow chains are chaînes à neige — that is the wording on signs, in hire-car paperwork and on any penalty notice.
Verified against national legislation, August 2026 · Full France tyre law · Compare all countries
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Bayonne's ZFE requires a Crit'Air windscreen sticker for all cars, including foreign-registered ones, with the most polluting classes restricted. Order it ahead from the official site (certificat-air.gouv.fr), as it arrives by post. Driving in the zone without a valid sticker risks a fine from around EUR 68 for cars. The compact, walkable old town means most visitors park on the edge and walk in.
Bayonne is the cultural heart of the French Basque Country, known for its colourful half-timbered old town along the river Nive (with the riverside houses painted in Basque red and green), its Gothic cathedral and cloister, and above all its food: Bayonne has been a centre of chocolate-making since the 17th century (when Jewish chocolatiers fleeing Spain and Portugal settled here), and gives its name to the famous cured Bayonne ham. Its summer festival (the Fêtes de Bayonne) is one of the largest in France.
Use an underground garage near the centre or a car park on the edge of the old town, then walk in. The historic centre, split by the river Nive into the Grand Bayonne and Petit Bayonne quarters, is compact and largely walkable. Parking once and walking the riverside lanes avoids the ZFE and the narrow streets. Keep the car for the Basque coast and the Pyrenees.
Bayonne forms a conurbation with the elegant seaside resort of Biarritz and the smart town of Anglet, on the Basque coast just to the west, with their beaches and surf. Inland and south lie the Basque hill villages (like Espelette, of the famous peppers), the Pyrenees, and the Spanish Basque Country across the border (San Sebastián is close). A car is useful for these, parked centrally when in the city.
Not for the old town, which is walkable, and Bayonne is on the rail line and linked to Biarritz and Anglet by tram-bus. A car helps for the Basque coast (Biarritz, the surf beaches), the Basque hill villages and the Pyrenees, and the hop across into the Spanish Basque Country, driven from a central garage rather than used in the ZFE-bound centre.
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