Château-Observatoire Abbadia

Château-Observatoire Abbadia hires out three meeting rooms for up to 40 people, for work meetings and incentive days, and its grounds for weddings, vins d'honneur, cocktails and receptions under a marquee you bring in. The château stands on the Basque coast, on the corniche road at Hendaye.

Seminars and company events

The largest room is the Observatoire, which takes 40 in a theatre layout inside the astronomical observatory built for Antoine d'Abbadie, an unusual frame for a presentation. Salle Jean Dercourt seats 19 in a U-shape for a board or a working group, and the Cuisine, the château's kitchen, takes up to 19. All rooms come with a paperboard, a projector and screen, and Wi-Fi. Rooms are booked by the half-day or the full day. Coffee is served on request and lunch can be arranged with an outside caterer. A guided visit of the château can be added to the programme, though tours are given in French only and must be booked.

Weddings and receptions

For weddings and receptions, only the outdoor grounds can be hired, not the interiors. The client sets up a marquee and supplies its dimensions and the number of guests and staff, which the château approves before confirming. This suits a vin d'honneur or a cocktail in front of the château as well as a full reception under canvas. Photo sessions in the park are also possible, for weddings and other occasions.

Rooms and capacities

Observatoire: 40, theatre. Salle Jean Dercourt: 19, U-shape. Cuisine: up to 19. Grounds: capacity set by the marquee and approved case by case.

Catering

There is no restaurant on site. Coffee breaks are provided on request, and meals come from an outside caterer, inside for a meeting lunch or under the marquee for a reception.

History and setting

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc built the château between 1864 and 1884 for Antoine d'Abbadie, an ethnologist, geographer and scientist who also supported Basque culture. The Gothic Revival building combines a residence, a chapel and an astronomical observatory, and it is a classified historical monument. D'Abbadie left it to the Académie des sciences, which still owns it. The château faces the ocean on the corniche between Hendaye and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, within a protected coastal estate, which gives the grounds their open view over the sea.

Getting there

The address is 27 route de la Corniche, 64700 Hendaye. Parking is a ten-minute walk from the château, which matters when planning arrivals for a group or deliveries for a marquee. Hendaye station, at the end of the TGV line from Paris and on the Spanish border, is a few minutes away by car, and Biarritz airport is about 30 km away. Backpacks are not allowed inside during visits.