www.hendaye-tourisme.fr. This unexceptional border town and resort 14 km south-west of Saint-Jean-de-Luz has few charms, but a useful stretch of sandy beach. The reason to make the trek is the Corniche Basque, a wild and windswept stretch of road (the D912) which runs along the cliff-tops to Pointe Sainte-Anne (approximately 7 km). For walkers there is a coastal footpath from Socoa, or you can rent bikes from Peugeot, 5-7 avenue Labrouche in Saint-Jean.

Hendaye-Plage is the starting point for the two trans-Pyrenean walking trails, GR10 and the HRP (Haute Randonnée Pyrénéenne) while Hendaye-Ville has a couple of quiet cafés in the main square. The area’s other claim to fame is the lle des Faisans in the River Bidossoa. Neither French nor Spanish, it was a convenient meeting place in wartime, and the Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed here in 1659.