The "Chateau d'Abbadia": Situated high on the cliff top of the Corniche on the road from Hendaye to Ciboure, in a natural protected setting of a 60 hectare park (150 acres), which has splendid Flower & Tropical Gardens and Geological sites & history.
Abbadia Castle was built in the nineteenth century by Viollet le Duc for Antoine
d'Abbadia d'Arrast, a scientist born in Dublin in 1810 to a Basque father
and died in Paris in 1897.
This impressive neo-Gothic castle reflects his many interests, the Gothic, Celtic culture and his passion
for the orient and especially the memories of his
explorations in Ethiopia.
The castle is divided into three wings: the east wing with a chapel where Antoine d'Abbadia is buried, the North West wing with an astronomical observatory and a superb library, the south wing with the reception rooms.
Very attached to the Basque Country, Antoine d'Abbadie was a strong advocate of the language and Basque culture. He bequeathed his magnificent property to the Academy of Sciences.
The Pheasant Island, or Island of the Conference, is a small island in the middle of the Bidasoa river, border between France and Spain, which has seen many kings queens and diplomats over the centuries.
In 1660 Louis XIV and Philip IV met there to confirm the Treaty of the Pyrenees, signed by Cardinal Mazarin and Don Luis de Haro and conclude the marriage of Louis XIV with the Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain.
A memorial of the conference was raised in 1861 on the Island of Pheasants.
Since the Treaty of the Pyrenees, the island is a condominium under the authority of France and Spain, changing every six months.
If the island is no longer visited it can be easily seen from the Joncaux shore on the bay road.
Pierre Loti, author, a great traveler and naval officer (elected to the French Academy in 1891) was born Louis Marie Julien Viaud on January 14, 1850 at Rochefort and died june 10, 1923 in Hendaye. After a state funeral he was buried in the garden of his ancestors on the island of Oléron.
Captain of the ship the Javelot, anchored on the Bidasoa, he lived at the Bakhar Etchea house (house of solitude) rue des pêcheurs in Hendaye and his famous novel "Ramuntcho" is located in the Basque Country.
Village of Biriatou: 5 kms into the mountains from Hendaye along the Frontier with Spain, standing against the mountains is the small listed French picturesque village of Biriatou with fabulous views down the river Bidassoa.
The forests adjacent to the village are planted with oak trees from America, which provide good protection in the many areas for picnics. The village is a good departure point for numerous designated walking routes in the valley and the mountains such to the Rhune or the col d'Ibardin
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