Nearby Zurriola 15 km · Les Cavaliers 27 km · Zarautz 31 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
No onset time is published for this spot.
The wind
Direction
Character
synoptic
Typical strength
No riding range has been published for the bay. Monthly means sit at 5-8 knots and roughly 108 days a year reach 4 Bft, about 12 knots, or more, which is close to one day in three; those days arrive with a synoptic NE or NW rather than a daily breeze. Indicative: the figures come from the area forecast station, not from the beach.
Also on record
Monthly averages of 5-8 kt, with the windy-day count based on days reaching at least 4 Bft / 12 kt. Thermal wind is excluded from that figure, so treat it as indicative.
Direction to shore
The bay faces NW; NE is reported as the best wind, but the exact shore-angle classification is unconfirmed.
Dominant direction
NE and NW-N are both given; which one dominates is unconfirmed.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan15
- Feb19
- Mar13
- Apr15
- May3
- Jun2
- Jul2
- Aug3
- Sep5
- Oct8
- Nov17
- Dec21
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
- 15%Jan14°
- 19%Feb13°
- 13%Mar13°
- 15%Apr15°
- 3%May17°
- 2%Jun21°
- 2%Jul23°
- 3%Aug24°
- 5%Sep22°
- 8%Oct20°
- 17%Nov17°
- 21%Dec15°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15% | 34% | 31% | 9.4 kt | SSW | 12:00 | 8.6°C | 13.8°C | 62 |
| Feb | 19% | 30% | 30% | 9.6 kt | S | 14:00 | 9.9°C | 13.2°C | 57 |
| Mar | 13% | 39% | 31% | 10.2 kt | W | 14:00 | 12.4°C | 13.3°C | 62 |
| Apr | 15% | 32% | 25% | 9.4 kt | NNW | 15:00 | 12.9°C | 14.6°C | 60 |
| May | 3% | 31% | 18% | 9.4 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 15.8°C | 16.9°C | 62 |
| Jun | 2% | 18% | 7% | 8.2 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 19.4°C | 20.8°C | 60 |
| Jul | 2% | 10% | 6% | 7.8 kt | NW | 15:00 | 21°C | 22.5°C | 62 |
| Aug | 3% | 16% | 15% | 8.3 kt | NW | 15:00 | 21.6°C | 23.5°C | 62 |
| Sep | 5% | 15% | 10% | 8 kt | W | 15:00 | 19.3°C | 22.3°C | 60 |
| Oct | 8% | 39% | 18% | 9.3 kt | SSW | 14:00 | 18.7°C | 20°C | 62 |
| Nov | 17% | 37% | 32% | 10.2 kt | S | 13:00 | 13.7°C | 17.3°C | 60 |
| Dec | 21% | 34% | 24% | 10.1 kt | NW | 12:00 | 10.8°C | 14.9°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
bay/ocean
Tides
Atlantic tides, and they are large. On a mid-range day the water runs from roughly 1.2-1.6 m at low to 3.4-3.7 m at high, twice a day, with springs wider still.The waterline on the bay beach travels a long way between the two, and the predictions come from the Saint-Jean-de-Luz station about 10 km away rather than from a gauge on the sand.
Temperature
21°C summer · 13°C winter
Wetsuit
Wear a wetsuit. Water runs 13-18 C, summer averages around 21 C and early-August peaks around 20-25 C, so a shorty or 3/2 covers peak summer and a full suit is the sensible choice the rest of the year.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
4 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: Medium. Dimensions differ between accounts, from about 600 m by 200 m of sand to a 700 m beach length.
Somewhere else
Zurriola, 15 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Sandy urban beach behind the east mole, with parking and a short walk to the water. Launch with beach users, the mole and the harbour and marina traffic in mind.
Space
Medium. Dimensions differ between accounts, from about 600 m by 200 m of sand to a 700 m beach length.
Rider tips
- Check the current municipal beach rules and the lifeguards' instructions before you rig; kitesurf is not named in the official beach information.
- Treat NE, and any wind bent by the mole or the harbour, as an intermediate-plus setup.
- Stay off the water in the busy bathing hours of June, July and August.
- Cross-check live wind against Hendaye and the local stations before you drive over.
- Read the tide before you drive: the water moves through more than two metres of height here, and the beach you saw at low water is not the beach you get at high.
Getting there
Airport
San Sebastian Airport (EAS) in Hondarribia; Bilbao (BIO) and Biarritz (BIQ) are broader alternatives.
Route
Drive in from Bilbao or Donostia-San Sebastian on the N1 toward Hondarribia. San Sebastian Airport sits in Hondarribia itself, minutes from town.
Transfer
10 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Hondarribia and Irun have local hotels and guesthouses; the beach is close to the urban centre and marina services.
No-wind days
old town Hondarribia · pintxos and marina district · kayak/SUP on the Bidasoa · sailing in Bahia de Txingudi · Jaizkibel coast walks · Hendaye across the border
Photos
FAQ
Is Hondarribia suitable for beginners?
No, sources list it as intermediate to expert only, given the harbour setting, mole exposure and shipping traffic.
What is the wind like?
Sources disagree slightly, with one naming NE and another NW-N as the best direction; monthly averages are reported around 5-8 knots with more windy days in winter and early spring than midsummer.
What hazards are at this spot?
Ships, the harbour mole and summer beach and harbour traffic are the recurring hazards at this urban bay beach.
Last updated: August 2026