Caneta and Pheasant Island

Right opposite Hondarribia, the Caneta neighbourhood will make it possible for you to relive the history of fishing and the conflicts...

Town Centre

After St Vincent Church's forecourt, discover the Gaztelu Zahar pelota court and the pelota players; the remains of the Vauban ramparts with their unparalleled view over Hondarribia.

Discover Bakar Etxea, Pierre Loti's villa – which is not open to visitors - and the old port of Caneta.

Pheasant Island

Pheasant Island (or Conference Island) is a small island (3,000 sq m) in the middle of the Bidasoa River, on the border between France and Spain.

In 1659, Louis XIV's marriage to the daughter of Felipe IV was negotiated there, in a conference between Cardinal Mazarin and Don Luis de Haro that lasted three months and led to the signing of the Pyrenees Peace Treaty.
On 5 and 6 June 1660, Louis XIV and Felipe IV met there in person to ratify the treaty and the conclusion of the marriage.

A monument commemorating the conference was erected on Pheasant Island in 1861.

Since the Pyrenees Treaty, the island is a condominium (a divided, jointly owned property) under the authority of France and Spain, changing every six months.
Currently, the island cannot be visited but it can easily be seen from the Joncaux bank, on the Bay Path.