Château d'Abbadia

About the museum

The Château d'Abbadia in Hendaye was designed by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and built between 1864 and 1884 for Antoine d'Abbadie. Born in Dublin in 1810 to an Irish mother and a Basque father, the scholar was a geodesist, astronomer and explorer. He spent eleven years in Ethiopia, where he made the first map of the country; he also championed the Basque language and culture.

The building combines neo-Gothic and Orientalist elements. It housed an astronomical observatory, which operated until 1975. Elected to the Académie des sciences in 1867, and its president in 1892, Antoine d'Abbadie left the château to the Académie on his death at the end of the 19th century; the Académie still owns it.

The visit includes a vestibule with a stained-glass window and a staircase decorated with fantastic animals, a library that originally held more than 10,000 volumes, including Ethiopian manuscripts, the salon d'honneur, the chambre d'honneur with painted walls and Arabic calligraphy, and a chapel housing the crypt of the d'Abbadie couple.

The landscaped park surrounds the château. It includes information panels, a scenographic space and a view of the Basque coast.

Highlights

• Neo-Gothic and Orientalist château by Viollet-le-Duc, completed in 1884
• Astronomical observatory, in operation until 1975
• Library with Ethiopian manuscripts and Basque works
• Salon d'honneur and chambre d'honneur with painted decoration
• Landscaped park and scenographic area facing the ocean

Permanent exhibition

• Château-Observatoire Abbadia – The guided tour presents the state rooms, the library, the chapel and the observatory of this château designed by Viollet-le-Duc.

Admission & discounts

Prices shown are for the guided tour “Visite d'Abbadia” (50 minutes). Payment by cash, bank card, cheque and chèques-vacances. The “Première heure” ticket (July and August) is at a reduced rate; no amount is specified.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The château has 42 steps (7 outside and 35 inside) and is therefore not wheelchair-accessible, but the reception pavilion and the park are level. Portable stools, a virtual tour on tablet, Braille documents (French, English, Spanish), large-print and easy-read documents, and an induction loop at reception are available. Two accessible parking spaces are located in front of the reception pavilion. The site holds the Tourisme & Handicap label.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Baby changing facilities

A one-hour treasure hunt for ages 6 to 13 (12-page booklet in French, Basque or Spanish), science workshops for ages 7 to 12 on Wednesdays during school holidays, and an escape game from age 8. Strollers are not admitted into the château; baby carriers are lent at the ticket office.

Getting there & parking

The site is on the Vélodysée; a bike rack is installed at the main gate.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Toilets, shop, bar and drinks machine. Backpacks are not allowed in the château; bags and helmets can be left free of charge at reception. Picnics are prohibited across the whole site.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 40 guests.

Hire of the Salle Jean Dercourt (19 people), the kitchen and the observatory (up to 40 people in the lecture room). The whole site can be hired for outdoor receptions, with a marquee at the client’s expense. The park can also host photo shoots and filming.

Plan your visit