Hendaye in 30 seconds
Around 18,100 inhabitants (18,102 in 2023, according to Insee, France’s national statistics institute), separated from Hondarribia by the Bidasoa. The most south-westerly municipality in mainland France. A border station: in the forecourt of the SNCF (French railways) station is the Euskotren station, whose line runs to San Sebastián (Donostia).
A little history
1618: the fort of Hendaye is built; Vauban visits Hendaye in 1685.
1659: the Treaty of the Pyrenees is negotiated on Pheasant Island (île des Faisans), in the middle of the Bidasoa: Cardinal Mazarin and Luis de Haro hold 24 conferences there between 17 August and 7 November.
1660: as a result of the treaty, Louis XIV meets the Infanta Maria Theresa for the first time on Pheasant Island on 7 June, before their wedding in Saint-Jean-de-Luz on 9 June.
1940: the Hitler–Franco meeting at Hendaye station, on 23 October.
What to see
The Grande Plage
Around 3.5 km of sand, the longest beach on the Basque coast. The town’s emblems are two large twin rocks sculpted by erosion: the Deux Jumeaux (‘Two Twins’; Dunbarriak in Basque). Lifeguarded in summer.
The Château-Observatoire Abbadia
A neo-Gothic castle built from 1864 for Antoine d’Abbadie (1810–1897), scientist, geographer and astronomer, to a design by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (with his pupil Edmond Duthoit), and completed in 1884. Its decoration draws on Orientalist and African influences, and it has an astronomical observatory where astronomers worked until 1975. Owned by the French Academy of Sciences (Académie des sciences), it is a listed historic monument (classé monument historique) and bears the ‘House of Illustrious People’ label (Maison des Illustres). All the rooms (library, chapel, bedrooms, drawing rooms) are furnished and open to visitors, as are the observatory and its meridian telescope; booking is essential. Reached by buses 14, 15 and 26, or a 15-minute walk from the beach.
Pheasant Island
A Franco-Spanish condominium in the middle of the Bidasoa: it is administered alternately by France and Spain, changing hands every six months (France from 1 January to 30 June, Spain from 1 July to 31 December, under the 1902 convention). A narrow strip of land about 210 metres by 40, also known as ‘Conference Island’ (île de la Conférence). Scene of the negotiations for the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659). Closed to the public.
The fort of Hendaye
Built in 1618 and strengthened by Vauban in 1685, the fort was destroyed during the Revolutionary Wars.
Txingudi Bay (Chingoudy)
The estuary of the Bidasoa, which separates Hendaye from Spain (Hondarribia and Irun).
The Basque Corniche
A cliff-lined stretch of coast (Corniche basque) between Hendaye and Ciboure, followed by a road and a coastal footpath.
Getting there
- Car: A63 motorway
- Train: TGV and TER (regional) trains to Hendaye; connection with the Euskotren to San Sebastián
- Boat: river shuttle to Hondarribia across Txingudi Bay
1-day itinerary
- Morning: the beach and the Deux Jumeaux rocks
- Midday: shuttle across to Hondarribia, lunch in Spain
- Afternoon: back to Hendaye, the Château-Observatoire Abbadia, then the Basque Corniche
My favourite photo
The Deux Jumeaux rocks at sunset, the beach at low tide, the ocean glowing orange. Or the Château d’Abbadia at sunset, its neo-Gothic silhouette above the ocean.
Sources
- Insee — territorial comparison tool, Hendaye (2023 population, in French)
- Hendaye tourist office — Château-Observatoire Abbadia (in French)
- Wikipedia: Hendaye (in French), Pheasant Island (in French), Maria Theresa of Spain
Ongi jin Hendaian — Welcome to Hendaye.