Circuit from the chapel to Aïnhoa

A magnificent route that will take you up high and offer superb views of the village and the Rhune.

Details

111401
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.86 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 320 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 318 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 421 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 101 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure point for Basque pelota. Parking spaces are available.

(S/E) From the fronton, follow the main street and take Impasse de l'Ecole on the left at the corner of the town hall.

(1) Cross Rue Qua Karrika, then turn right onto the first street, Qua Boxate. Follow it to the T-junction, then turn right and continue for about 100 metres.

(2) Turn left onto the Calvary Way, which winds its way up to the Oratory Chapel.
Enjoy the unique view of Aïnhoa, Sare, La Rhune, Bayonne and the ocean.

(3) At the oratory, turn left, pass the three crosses and take a wide dirt track along the mountainside (former mine). At the fork, follow theGR® trail to the right for about 150 metres.

(4) Continue straight ahead, leaving theGR® trail on your right. The path then descends to the left between two fences. Follow the yellow markings to the houses on your left, then, a few hundred metres further on, turn left at a 90° angle.

(5) Pass another house located below the road on your right. Follow the path to the sheepfold and the pigeon hunting huts. The path continues straight ahead and soon becomes narrower, running along the mountainside. Ignore the paths on both the right and left.

(6) The descent to the village begins on the left with a winding, stony path. Leave a path on your right and join the paved road.

(7) Pass the Tanburinborda farm. At the T-junction, turn left and continue to a crossroads.

(8) Take Rue Qua Boxate opposite and continue to the point where you crossed Rue Qua Karrika.

(1) Then turn right, go to the town hall and go down the main street on the left to return to the fronton (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 116 m - Basque pelota court
  2. 1 : km 0.36 - alt. 113 m - Crossroads Rue Qua Karrika
  3. 2 : km 0.88 - alt. 163 m - Start of the Way of the Cross on the left
  4. 3 : km 2.35 - alt. 388 m - The three crosses
  5. 4 : km 3.26 - alt. 416 m - Leave the GR10, which continues to the right
  6. 5 : km 4.43 - alt. 296 m - Turn left
  7. 6 : km 5.84 - alt. 263 m - Start of the descent to the village on the left
  8. 7 : km 6.61 - alt. 149 m - Road from the Tanburinborda farm
  9. 8 : km 7.27 - alt. 108 m - Crossroads, opposite Qua Boxate
  10. S/E : km 7.86 - alt. 116 m - Basque pelota court

Notes

Water point and restaurants in Ainhoa.

Worth a visit

To see

- The village of Ainhoa, listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France.
- The chapel.
- The Basque disc-shaped tombs.
- The viewpoints

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 52 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
eric2706
eric2706

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 05, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk with a short detour via Errebi (583) after the chapel. The climb is demanding, but the effort is well rewarded by the beauty of the panorama.

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Murielle Biez
Murielle Biez

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

After a nice climb up to the chapel, we discover beautiful landscapes overlooking Ainhoa and its surroundings. There are many possibilities to continue the hike, as there are several hiking trails starting from the chapel.

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alainmartin77
alainmartin77

Hello and thank you for enjoying this hike, which is indeed very beautiful.
Best regards
@lain

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Kiry1x
Kiry1x

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike! The most interesting part was around the chapel. The view was splendid and it was great to be able to walk surrounded by wild horses! They weren't scared at all! The climb up to the chapel was quite difficult, it's very steep! I had to stop several times, but the rest of the hike is very accessible. It took me 4 hours and 5 minutes to complete this hike, including breaks. I think I stopped for at least an hour in total. The estimated time is therefore quite accurate for someone like me who is not used to hiking.

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Fanouche77
Fanouche77

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with stunning views of Aïnhoa and La Rhune.

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PRPIF
PRPIF

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route for exploring the Basque mountains. Beautiful blooms of crocus nudiflorus, the flowerless crocus, which appear every year from late October to mid-November.

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Marc ECKERT
Marc ECKERT

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike with superb views across the entire region.
The chapel and the Three Crosses are very beautiful places.
Very muddy and even flooded section on the way back after WP5.

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SCHROEDERVINCENT
SCHROEDERVINCENT

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike. Beautiful 360° views. Best done on a clear day.
The first part up to the chapel is a bit of a climb but not too difficult for experienced walkers.

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KATELINE1976
KATELINE1976

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike with a very reliable description... starting point from the tourist office.
No difficulties to report, with most of the elevation gain at the start. The view at La Chapelle is magnificent, as is the rest of the route.
Few people and a hike that took 2 hours and 20 minutes, including breaks.
I recommend it!

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nonoBc
nonoBc

The route on the app took us on a little detour to start the circuit and get to the starting point from the car park
Nothing serious, but when it starts like that, you wonder how the rest of the trip will go. In the end, though, the rest of the hike went well

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nonoBc
nonoBc

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Satisfied with the help provided for the hiking trail, except for the starting point. The app made us take a small detour

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sonia m
sonia m

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route, but beware: the estimated walking time of 3 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes is not accurate at all. We are average walkers and completed it in 2 hours 15 minutes. A slight disappointment on this point...

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BrunoTarn
BrunoTarn

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb hike starting from Ainhoa.
I followed a suggested alternative route from a previous comment: shortly after point 3, climb to the top of Mount Errebi (the view of Rhune and Ainhoa is superb), then continue and rejoin the GR10 at the Col des Trois Croix, turning left to return to the original route.
This brings you to 9.5 km with a 500 m elevation gain.

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Danièle Quillet
Danièle Quillet

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This route was busy, but perhaps that was because it was Sunday

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LASGOUTTES
LASGOUTTES

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

I would like to clarify the route description.
In point 1, it says: Cross Qua Karrika Street and turn right into the first street, Qua Boxate.
In fact, these streets do not exist because the word QUA means neighbourhood.

In my opinion, the simplest solution is to indicate that you should follow the red and white GR10 markings.

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