Grande Plage de Hendaye

Three kilometres of sheltered Atlantic beach at the mouth of the Bidasoa

The Grande Plage is Hendaye's reason for being: a three-kilometre crescent of fine sand that sweeps along the bay between the town and the Spanish border. It is one of the longest beaches on the French Basque coast, and one of the most sheltered — the estuary geography and the headland to the south keep the waves calm enough for swimming even when the Atlantic is rough further north.

The beach is backed by a wide promenade lined with palm trees and low buildings. It feels deliberately unfussy — there is nothing flashy about Hendaye, which is part of the appeal. Sunbeds and pedal boats are available from the lido operators in summer, but a large stretch of free beach remains accessible. The water is clean and the sand is wide enough that even in August you can find space.

things to do beach
A story
The beach at Hendaye is consistently rated among the best family beaches on the French Atlantic coast — not because it's glamorous, but because the shallow, gently shelving sand and the shelter provided by the Bidasoa estuary mean that the waves almost never get dangerous. While the beaches further north at Biarritz attract serious surfers, Hendaye remains the domain of families and swimmers, a character it has maintained since the first Parisian tourists arrived by train in the 1880s.