Port

Hendaye

3.7Hendaye, FranceBasque coast

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Maximum length: 49 ft
VHF channel: 9
Maximum draught: 6 ft

Marina of 890 berths on the Bidassoa estuary, last French harbour on the Atlantic before the Spanish border.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Entry from the Bay of Txingudi, shared with Hondarribia on the Spanish bank. The buoyed channel silts and often carries less water than charted, with almost nothing on the French side near low water, so enter on a rising tide and favour the Spanish dike side before picking up the marks. Strong ebb current on spring tides, and driftwood and branches often drift in the fairway. The entrance is narrow with shuttle-ferry traffic at times. Maximum draught 2 m at berth. Call on VHF 9.

Practical

Fuel pontoon with diesel and petrol at the entrance. Water, power, showers and laundry on the pontoons. Capitainerie staffed year-round with someone on duty around the clock. A ship chandler, sailmaker and boatyard stand right by the marina, and the town is close, though a full provisioning run to the larger supermarkets means a longer walk or the bus.

Ashore

Hendaye beach runs 3 km west of the marina, backed by the Domaine d'Abbadia nature reserve and its cliff path toward Sainte-Anne chapel. A cross-border shuttle reaches the old town and pintxos bars of Hondarribia in five minutes. Saturday morning market in Hendaye. GR 10 coastal trailhead starts at the beach promenade.

History

The Ile des Faisans, mid-river between Hendaye and Irun, hosted the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 ending the Franco-Spanish war. It remains a French-Spanish condominium, changing administration every six months.