Simplest
At the airport you land at
All the usual companies have desks at Biarritz, Bilbao and Donostia. Pick the car up when you land and you never have to think about it again.
Plan Your Trip
You don't need a car for Saint-Jean-de-Luz itself — the town is walkable, the train runs up the coast, and the shuttle takes care of the wedding day. But if you want the mountain villages, the wine country, or Spain, a car makes all of it easy.
Where to rent
In town
Avis at the train station
There's a small Avis desk at the Saint-Jean-de-Luz train station on Boulevard du Commandant Passicot — the same street the wedding shuttle leaves from. Handy if you only want a car for a day or two rather than the whole trip. Note it's closed on Sundays.
Avis Saint-Jean-de-LuzThe cross-border catch
This is the one that catches people out. Most rental companies charge extra to take the car across the French–Spanish border.
It cuts both ways. Rent in France and drive to Donostia, Hondarribia or Gaztelugatxe, and you'll likely pay a cross-border fee. Rent at Bilbao or Donostia and drive back into France, and you'll get the same treatment.
Or skip the car
For the coast itself, an e-bike is genuinely better than a car — no parking, and the bike path runs most of the way from Saint-Jean-de-Luz up through Guéthary and Bidart. Several places rent them by the half-day, day, or week, and most will deliver to where you're staying.
Delivers to you
Lafitenia Bikes
E-bikes, electric mountain bikes and family bikes, delivered along the coast from Biarritz down to Hendaye.
Lafitenia BikesBoards too
Charlie's Surf & Bike
The same people we recommend for surf hire also rent bikes, if you'd rather do both in one stop.
Charlie's Surf & Bike