It rains three hundred millimetres more a year here than in Paris, and yet nobody plans a wet day before arriving. I live and work in Hossegor all year round. Here is where I send people when the sky comes down, and where I go myself. Opening hours change from one season to the next, so always check before setting off.
The reliable indoor options
An escape game in the Pédebert estate
Time Lapse runs several escape rooms in Soorts-Hossegor, avenue des Forgerons, in the Pédebert estate. Expect an hour of play per team of two to six. It is not suited to younger children, and the venue recommends twelve and over. It is the option that saves a wet afternoon in a group more often than any other.
Climb, sweat, then sauna
Blocoast, avenue des Rémouleurs, is a bouldering gym on the edge of the forest, with a fitness area, a sauna and a bar-restaurant. You can spend two hours there having never climbed in your life: there are easy routes, and plenty of people go simply for the sauna. Children are welcome from seven, which makes it one of the few genuinely all-ages addresses around here.
The cinema, without irony
Two arthouse-listed screens less than ten minutes apart: Le Rex in Hossegor, avenue de Paris, and Le Rio in Capbreton, allées Marines. Varied programming, screenings all year round. It is the simplest way in the world to let a shower pass, and it is rare to find nothing worth seeing between the two. Films are often shown in their original language with French subtitles, so it is worth checking the listing for the letters VO.
Taking your time at the Capbreton market hall
The covered market in Capbreton, under the hall on allées Marines, runs all year on Tuesday and Saturday mornings, with extra days in season. You are under cover, there are people, it smells of fish and cheese, and you leave with lunch. It is my favourite answer to a grey morning: the market, then home to cook while it comes down outside.
Going out anyway, differently
Rain on this coast is rarely storm rain. It is usually drizzle carried on a westerly, and it passes within the hour. The loop around the sea lake and the tracks through the pine forest, in the rain and with a proper jacket, offer something you never get in August: silence. The beach is worth it too, with wet sand, nobody about, and the ocean working. That is not a consolation prize, it is a different season in miniature.
And for surfers: rain does not spoil a session. Wind decides the state of the sea, not the drops. A wet, windless morning is often better than a bright, blown-out one. If the session leaves its mark, the piece on recovery after surfing covers the habits that are worth having.
When a wet day turns into a good one
I will be transparent: this is my trade, so my advice is not neutral. But it is true that a day whose plans fall through is one of the few where we allow ourselves to do nothing at all. It is also the only stretch of the year when I can often take someone the same day. In full sun everyone is on the beach and nobody thinks of booking; in the rain, the diary empties and fills again within the hour.
I work from the Maison Rita studio in Hossegor, and I travel to where you are staying within 15 km, which helps on a day when you would rather not go out again. The treatments and prices are on the services page, and if you are on the other side of the canal, the massage in Capbreton page is the one for you.
What I would do with a full day of rain
The Capbreton market hall in the morning, for lunch. An hour walking under the pines in the afternoon, decent jacket, without trying to dodge the rain. Then, depending on the mood: the sauna after an hour of bouldering, a massage, or the six o’clock screening at Le Rex. None of those three looks like a wasted day.
Hossegor when it rains: frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Hossegor when it rains with children?
The Blocoast bouldering gym takes children from seven and has a bar-restaurant. The cinemas, Le Rex in Hossegor or Le Rio in Capbreton, work at any age. The Time Lapse escape game is not advised below twelve.
Where is the nearest cinema to Hossegor?
Le Rex, avenue de Paris in Soorts-Hossegor. Le Rio, allées Marines in Capbreton, is less than ten minutes away. Both are arthouse-listed and open all year. Look for VO in the listing for films in their original language.
Can you surf in Hossegor in the rain?
Yes. Rain does not change the swell: wind is what makes the waves. A wet, windless morning is often better than a sunny, windy day. Just bring something to warm up with afterwards.
Can I book a massage on the same day in Hossegor?
Often yes, and particularly on wet days, when the diary frees up. The simplest way is the contact page: I answer the same day and tell you straight whether I can fit you in.