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River

Adour

308 km from source to mouth · France.

FranceFranceFlows into Atlantic Ocean

Follow the riverMonth by month

SourceMouth
The river and every tributary in its basin, drawn from RiverATLAS (CC BY 4.0).

In numbers

Length

308km

Average flow

350m³/s

Basin

16,912km²

Drop

769m

from 767 m to -2 m

Country

1

The journey

From source to mouth

308 km of river and 68 stops on the way: 57 towns and cities on its banks, dams, bridges and the tributaries that feed it.

767 m-2 m
La Mongieat 767 m0 km
Tarbes44,399 people39 km
Écheztributary74 km
Arrostributary100 km
Aire-sur-l'Adour6,211 people126 km
Gabastributary176 km
Midouzetributary196 km
Dax22,109 people227 km
Luytributary241 km
Bidouzetributary268 km
Atlantic Oceanat -2 m308 km
0100200308 km
  1. 0 kmLa Mongieat 767 m
  2. 0 kmArreau725 people
  3. 7 kmCampan1,245 people
  4. 11 kmAsté568 people
  5. 12 kmGerde1,196 people
  6. 14 kmBagnères-de-Bigorre7,114 people
  7. 18 kmPouzac1,099 people
  8. 29 kmBernac-Debat743 people
  9. 33 kmHorgues1,287 people
  10. 35 kmSoues2,988 people
  11. 38 kmSéméac5,236 people
  12. 39 kmAureilhan8,031 people
  13. 39 kmTarbes44,399 people
  14. 44 kmBours882 people
  15. 46 kmBazet1,858 people
  16. 48 kmAurensan764 people
  17. 60 kmVic-en-Bigorre4,845 people
  18. 62 kmArtagnan504 people
  19. 72 kmMaubourguet2,242 people
  20. 74 kmÉcheztributary
  21. 100 kmArrostributary
  22. 106 kmRiscle1,622 people
  23. 111 kmSaint-Germé515 people
  24. 113 kmSaint-Mont317 people
  25. 123 kmLéeztributary
  26. 124 kmBarcelonne-du-Gers1,401 people
  27. 126 kmAire-sur-l'Adour6,211 people
  28. 136 kmCazères-sur-l'Adour1,128 people
  29. 148 kmGrenade-sur-l'Adour2,398 people
  30. 164 kmSaint-Sever5,043 people
  31. 168 kmAurice633 people
  32. 176 kmGabastributary
  33. 177 kmSouprosse1,184 people
  34. 183 kmMugron1,348 people
  35. 192 kmAudon409 people
  36. 196 kmMidouzetributary
  37. 196 kmBégaar1,251 people
  38. 205 kmPontonx-sur-l'Adour3,021 people
  39. 216 kmHinx1,894 people
  40. 221 kmSaint-Vincent-de-Paul3,402 people
  41. 227 kmDax22,109 people
  42. 227 kmSaint-Paul-lès-Dax14,481 people
  43. 233 kmMées2,036 people
  44. 238 kmTercis-les-Bains1,359 people
  45. 239 kmRivière-Saas-et-Gourby1,476 people
  46. 241 kmLuytributary
  47. 244 kmOrist814 people
  48. 245 kmSaubusse1,093 people
  49. 247 kmSaint-Geours-de-Maremne3,089 people
  50. 249 kmPey838 people
  51. 249 kmJosse1,018 people
  52. 251 kmSaint-Jean-de-Marsacq1,840 people
  53. 254 kmSaint-Martin-de-Hinx1,808 people
  54. 260 kmPort-de-Lanne1,232 people
  55. 263 kmSainte-Marie-de-Gosse1,241 people
  56. 266 kmSames709 people
  57. 268 kmBidouzetributary
  58. 268 kmGave de Pau Rivertributary
  59. 268 kmGuiche1,075 people
  60. 277 kmUrt2,346 people
  61. 284 kmUrcuit3,047 people
  62. 288 kmSaint-Martin-de-Seignanx6,238 people
  63. 288 kmLahonce2,740 people
  64. 289 kmArdanabiatributary
  65. 294 kmMouguerre5,428 people
  66. 297 kmArantributary
  67. 297 kmBayonne54,306 people
  68. 299 kmAnglet43,271 people
  69. 305 kmNivetributary
  70. 308 kmAtlantic Oceanat -2 m

Water level along the river (RiverATLAS; the height is exaggerated). Towns: GeoNames and Wikidata; bridges, dams and tributaries: Wikidata.

River in France

At the mouth it carries 350 m³/s on average: an Olympic pool every 7.1 seconds. It drops from 767 m to -2 m, 2.5 m per kilometre on average. Its basin covers 16,912 km², about the size of SZ. 1.0 million people live in it. Highest water: from December to February. No large dam holds it back: it is one of the world's free-flowing rivers.

Read more on Wikipedia

Where to start

  • BayonneLargest city on its banks · 54,306 people
  • Biarritz Pays Basque airport (BIQ)Nearest airport with scheduled flights, 5 km from the cityCar hire at BIQ airport (Biarritz)Discover Cars · Affiliate link
  • On the water30 ferry piers, marinas, boat rentals and boat ramps along the river (OpenStreetMap)
  • From May to SeptemberThe best months to visit

Adour, month by month

Highest water: from December to February

Best months to visit: from May to September.

600
6°99 mmJan
540
7°91 mmFeb
380
10°74 mmMar
300
12°80 mmApr
240
15°84 mmMay
200
18°75 mmJun
120
20°55 mmJul
110
20°80 mmAug
180
18°94 mmSep
300
14°97 mmOct
440
10°111 mmNov
580
7°126 mmDec
Water (estimated flow)Air (average) Rain (mm)Best months

From about 110 m³/s in the lowest month to 600 m³/s in the highest. An estimate: the monthly flow is modelled from the lowest and highest months of WaterGAP (RiverATLAS, 1971–2000) and the rain and snow along the river (WorldClim). Dams change the real rhythm. The chip is the average air temperature; below it, the month's rain.

Plan the trip

Plan the trip: boat trips, a bed by the river, a car

Car hire at BIQ airport (Biarritz)Discover CarsSee 

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

The basin

Adour: the basin in numbers

16,831 km² of land send their water to this river. This is what lives on it.

Free-flowingDams upstream can hold only 0.0% of a year's flow: the river still keeps its natural rhythm.
  • 1.0millionpeople live in the basin
  • 62/km²people per km²
  • 412maverage altitude of the basin
  • 1,025mmof rain a year (basin average)
  • 11.3°Caverage air temperature
  • 15%protected areas
  • 0.2%covered by lakes

What covers the basin

  • 47% Forest
  • 26% Cropland
  • 18% Pasture
  • 3% Towns and cities

RiverATLAS (HydroATLAS v1.0, CC BY 4.0): land cover, people, protected areas, glaciers and dams over the whole basin upstream of the mouth.

Along the river

Adour: what you find on the way

  • 12Dams
  • 85WeirsSeuil d'Alaric and 84 more
  • 2Locks
  • 22Boat rampsZone d'embarquement por canoë, Cale du Hayaou, Cale de Boucau and 19 more
  • 2Ferry piersCale de Boucau, Anglet Brise Lames
  • 3MarinasPort de la Cale, Port Bayonne Anglet, Port de Plaisance du Brise-Lames
  • 3Boat rentalsAssociation La Grange, Base nautique de la Marquèze, JET SPORT 64
  • 9River beachesPlage de la Digue, Plage des Corsaires, Plages de la Petite Madrague and 6 more

From OpenStreetMap, within 1.9 km of the river. Not mapped is not the same as not there.

Cross-checked with our atlases

Adour in our other atlases

What our sister atlases know about the waterfalls on this river, the lakes it flows through, the beaches at its mouth, the mountains where it rises and the islands off its mouth.

  • 19beaches at the mouth and on the banksCoastya
  • 5mountains at the sourcePeakyas
  • 4islands off the mouthIslandyas

Beaches (19)

At the mouth (25 km) and on the banks, by Coastya

  1. Plage de la Diguekm 25922.1°C
  2. Plage d'Ilbarritz8.6 km away22.1°C
  3. Grande Plage5.5 km away22.1°C
  4. Plage Sud16 km away22.1°C
  5. Plage Nord18 km away22.1°C
  6. Plage de l'Océankm 26022.1°C
  7. Plage des Cavalierskm 26022.1°C
  8. Plage d'Ondres6.4 km away22.1°C

11 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗

Mountains at the source (5)

Within 15 km of the source, by Peakyas

  1. Pic du Midi de Bigorre9.1 km away · prominence 761 m2,877m
  2. Arbizon13 km away2,831m
  3. Pic du Montaigu13 km away2,339m
  4. Pic d'Aste6.1 km away1,127m
  5. Pic de Pène Blanque9.8 km away

Open Peakyas ↗

Islands off the mouth (4)

Within 30 km of the mouth, by Islandyas

  1. Amuitz island26 km away
  2. Bird Island27 km away
  3. Two Twins25 km away
  4. Roche Ronde, Biarritz5.0 km away

Islandyas is coming soonOpen Islandyas ↗

From space

The source and the mouth, seen from orbit

Adour: satellite view of the source
The source14 km across
Adour: satellite view of the mouth
The mouth18 km across

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016), CC BY 4.0. The glowing line is the river as drawn by RiverATLAS.

Photos

Adour in pictures

Au confluent de l'Adour et des Gaves réunis - panoramio
Gilles Guillamot · CC BY-SA 3.0
Aire-sur-l-Adour-adour
Unknown author · Public domain
Bayonne, rive de l'Adour - Fonds Ancely - B315556101 A MALBOS 2 014
Eugène de Malbos · Public domain
Adour escuymayres
Mairie de saubusse · CC BY-SA 4.0

Tributaries

Where it flows, and what flows into it

Tributaries (25)

Gave de Pau RiverFranceFrance193 km82 m³/sjoins at km 228

Also: Nive, Arros, Échez, Gabas, Bidouze, Midouze, Gaves réunis, Luy, Aran, Louts, Léez, Ardanabia, Estéous, Louet, Bahus, Bergons, Gailleste, Luzoû, Saint-Jean, Broussau, Gioulé, Lespontès, Ourden, Saget

In the same basin

Gave d'OloronFranceFrance149 km100 m³/s

Nearby

Rivers nearby

Gave de Pau RiverFranceFrance193 km82 m³/s25 km awayBidasoaFranceFrance68 km26 m³/s29 km awayGave d'OloronFranceFrance149 km100 m³/s36 km awayNerviónSpainSpain76 km9.6 m³/s123 km awayAragónSpainSpain195 km41 m³/s147 km awayGaronneFranceFrance647 km660 m³/s181 km awayDordogneFranceFrance483 km450 m³/s184 km awayArgaSpainSpain145 km60 m³/s141 km away

Where these numbers come from

Name, length, placesWikidata (Q207366) · CC0
Course, profile, basinRiverATLAS v1.0 (HydroATLAS, Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 — followed along the river network from the point given by Wikidata
FlowWaterGAP (RiverATLAS), 1971–2000 · CC BY 4.0
Climate along the riverWorldClim (RiverATLAS), 1970–2000 · CC BY 4.0
Towns, bridges, damsWikidata · CC0; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0
Along the river© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Our other atlasesCoastya, Peakyas, Islandyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; HydroLAKES · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST

Every source and licence is on the data sources page.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit
waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Coming soonVisit
riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.You are here
canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit