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| Irun | ||
| region | Basque Country | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 62.910 (2020) | |
| height | 20 m | |
| Tourist info | 34 943 020 732 Irun Tourist Office | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Irun is a city in the Spanish Basque Country (province Gipuzkoa) on the border with France. Rail travelers switch from the TGV from Paris to the train for onward travel in the Iberian broad-gauge network.
background
The city lies on the river Bidasoa, which forms the border with France here. The first documentary mention goes back to the year 1203, when the neighboring Hondarribia was granted the privilege of a court of jurisdiction. Irun was only able to achieve complete independence from Hondarribia in 1766.
As a border town with France, the site has repeatedly been the scene of clashes between the two countries. And diplomatic solutions: The Pheasant Island, located in the border river, has repeatedly served as a neutral meeting point for envoys from both countries. The Peace of Pyrenees was signed here in 1659 after the conflict between Spain and France had outlasted the actual end of the Thirty Years' War, the Peace of Westphalia. Even today, the Pheasant Island is managed every six months by the Spanish Irun and the French Hendaye.
The city suffered severe damage during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39.
Irun is next Port Bou on the Mediterranean coast one of the two main places for rail freight traffic to and from Spain. Since Spain, unlike most of Europe, has the Iberian broad gauge with 1668 millimeters, the goods have to be "reloaded" in different ways at the border. This is done by conventional reloading, by changing lanes (changing axles) of the wagons or by reloading containers or comparable superstructures. All of this is done in the very large train stations in Irun and Hendaye on both sides of the Bidasoa river.
getting there
By plane
- The airport 1 Aeropuerto de San Sebastian
(IATA: EAS) is located on the outskirts of Irun, but is only important as a regional airport (year-round flights with Vueling of Barcelona and with Iberia of Madrid, seasonal from Palma de Mallorca and London-Luton). A taxi to the city center costs around € 12.
- The 2 Aéroport Biarritz Pays Basque(IATA: BIQ) in the near french Biarritz offers some international connections (approx. 30 km - approx. 1 hour by bus and train via Hendaye).
- The 3 Bilbao Airport(IATA: BIO) is the closest airport in Spain with international connections (approx. 120 km - by bus and train via Donostia / San Sebastián approx. 2 hours).
By train
in the 4 Irun train station as well as the neighboring one 5 Hendaye train station Long-distance trains from both countries end on the French side. In Hendaye there is a connection to the night train to Lisbon. You can also take the EuskoTren local train or a taxi between the two stations. In Irun there is a connection to Donostia / San Sebastián, Vitoria / Gasteiz, Burgos, Valladolid, Salamanca, Pamplona, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña.
Coming from the German-speaking area, you usually travel to Hendaye via Paris. Continuous high-speed trains (TGV) run four times a day from Parisians Gare Montparnasse to Hendaye (travel time 4:45 hours). Coming from Germany or Switzerland, you have to change the train station within Paris. Overall, one is z. B. from Basel or Karlsruhe a good 9 hours on the way, from Bern, Cologne or Zurich 10 hours, from Frankfurt (Main) 10½ hours.
Within Spain you can reach Irun with the Alvia twice a day Madrid (Travel time about 6 hours) and Valladolid (4:50 hours) or Barcelona (6:45 hours), Zaragoza (4:40 hours) and Pamplona (2:50 hours); as well as six times a day with different types of trains Vitoria-Gasteiz (Travel time 2: 05–2: 25 hours) and Burgos (3: 30-3: 45 hours); once a day with an Intercity Galicia (Santiago de Compostela 11:10 hours, A Coruña 11:45 hrs) over Leon (5½ hours). Irun is also the start and destination of a night train (Trenhotel) from / to Lisbon.
Between Donostia-San Sebastian and Irun drives EuskoTren - a kind of S-Bahn - every quarter of an hour, the journey takes about half an hour.
By bus
In the street
The 
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is part of the 
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, 
and leads directly past Irun. The 
1 Irun and 2 Sarbidea lead directly to the city.
By boat
mobility
Tourist Attractions
activities
shop
kitchen
nightlife
accommodation
Irun is an overnight stopover on a long-distance train journey to Spain and Portugal. There are some hotels in Irun that are not too far from the train station.
health
Practical advice
trips
literature
Web links
- http://www.irun.org/ - Official website of Irun (span.)
