France · Basque Coast
Biarritz
An imperial seaside resort on the Basque coast that became the birthplace of European surfing.
Biarritz is a whaling village turned imperial resort on France's Basque coast, made fashionable in the 1850s when Napoleon III built a seaside villa here for Empress Eugenie. Belle Epoque villas, a casino and a clifftop promenade still frame the Grande Plage, while the Rocher de la Vierge stands out in the Atlantic on its iron footbridge. In 1957 the town also became the cradle of European surfing, and the Cote des Basques below its cliffs remains a place to learn.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
French
Currency
EUR
Timezone
UTC+2
Why you'll love Biarritz
Surf heritage European surfing began at the Cote des Basques in 1957, and the long, gentle waves there still make it one of the best places in France to learn
Belle Epoque glamour Imperial villas, an art deco casino and a clifftop promenade give the seafront the air of a resort built for royalty, because it was
The rocks The Rocher de la Vierge, the lighthouse headland and the little fishermen's port turn a walk along the shore into a string of Atlantic viewpoints
Basque food Bayonne ham, Espelette pepper, grilled fish, pintxos and gateau basque, with Spain's San Sebastian less than an hour away
Best time to visit
Jun-Aug
23-25° days
43.471° N, 1.553° W
UTC+2 · Europe/Paris
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Weather & when to go to Biarritz
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Jun-Aug
Surfing prime Sep-Nov
Activity seasons none fair good prime
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Biarritz
No month to rule out on weather. Winter is mild but grey and wet, with Atlantic storms and many seasonal places shut, though it brings the powerful swells experienced surfers come for. August is the crush: packed beaches, full hotels and the town at its most expensive.
Top things to do in Biarritz
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Rocher de la Vierge - cross the footbridge to the rock
scenic 👍 PopularA statue of the Virgin stands on a wave-battered rock off the old port, reached by an iron footbridge attributed to Gustave Eiffel's workshops. Walk out on a rough day to feel the Atlantic crash beneath you, and look back along the whole coast to the lighthouse.
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Cote des Basques - surf where European surfing began
surfing ⭐ Highly recommendedThe long beach below the cliffs south of the centre is where surfing reached Europe in the 1950s. Its rolling waves suit longboards and beginners, surf schools line the road above, and at high tide the sand all but disappears, so time your visit to the tide.
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Grande Plage - the Belle Epoque seafront
scenic 👍 PopularThe town's main beach curves beneath the art deco casino and the former imperial villa, with a promenade running its length. Lifeguarded in summer, it is the place to swim, people-watch and see the resort at its most glamorous.
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Hotel du Palais and the Imperial Chapel - Eugenie's Biarritz
historyThe grand hotel on the Grande Plage began life as Villa Eugenie, the summer home Napoleon III built for his empress. Nearby, the small Imperial Chapel she commissioned mixes Byzantine and Hispano-Moorish styles inside, a rare survivor of the Second Empire court's life by the sea.
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Musee de la Mer - the aquarium on the rock
nature wildlife 👍 PopularHoused in an art deco building above the Rocher de la Vierge, Biarritz's aquarium focuses on the Bay of Biscay, with sharks, local fish and a seal pool whose feeding times draw a crowd. A good choice for families and a rainy afternoon.
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Phare de Biarritz - climb the lighthouse
scenicThe white lighthouse on Pointe Saint-Martin, at the northern end of the town, can be climbed in season for a sweeping view down the Basque coast towards Spain and north over the long beaches of Anglet.
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Les Halles - Basque market and pintxos
food ⭐ Highly recommendedThe covered market in the centre sells Bayonne ham, sheep's cheese from the mountains, Espelette pepper and the day's catch. The surrounding streets fill at lunch and early evening with bars serving pintxos and local wine, the easiest way to eat your way through the Basque table.
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Port des Pecheurs - the old fishermen's harbour
food historyBelow the cliffs near the Rocher de la Vierge, a tiny harbour of old fishermen's huts, the crampottes, survives from the days before the resort. Seafood restaurants cluster around it, serving grilled fish and chipirons within sight of the boats.
Best areas to stay in Biarritz
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Centre and Grande Plage
First-time visitors $$$Belle Epoque seafront, shops and market
Explore hotels in Centre and Grande Plage →
Cote des Basques
Surfers $$Clifftop surf quarter above the beach
Explore hotels in Cote des Basques →
Anglet
Beaches and families $$Neighbouring town of long surf beaches
Explore hotels in Anglet →
Bidart
Quieter stays $$Basque village on the southern cliffs
Explore hotels in Bidart →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Biarritz
Getting to & around Biarritz
Getting there
Fly into Biarritz Pays Basque (BIQ), minutes from the centre, or take the TGV from Paris to Biarritz station
Flight
Biarritz Pays Basque Airport (BIQ)
The airport sits on the edge of town towards Anglet, about 10 minutes from the centre by taxi, with local buses also running into Biarritz and on to Bayonne.
Train
Biarritz station
Direct TGVs from Paris Montparnasse take around four hours; the station is at La Negresse, a few kilometres south of the centre, so take a bus or taxi in
Coach
Long-distance coaches connect the Bayonne-Biarritz area with Bordeaux, San Sebastian and Bilbao
Getting around
Walking
The centre, the Grande Plage, the old port and the Cote des Basques are all within an easy, if hilly, walk
Free
Bus
Local buses and the faster Tram'bus link Biarritz with the airport, the station, Anglet and Bayonne
TBC
Bike
Hire bikes and e-bikes to ride the coast towards Anglet's beaches; the hills make an e-bike worth it
TBC
Car
Handy for the Basque hill villages and La Rhune, but parking near the beaches is hard in summer
TBC
Day trips from Biarritz
Bayonne
Half dayBasque river city
The capital of the French Basque Country sits where the Nive meets the Adour, with half-timbered houses painted red and green, a Gothic cathedral and the Musee Basque. Come hungry: it is the home of Bayonne ham and an old chocolate-making town.
Getting there
bus | train
About 15-20 minutes by bus or train
Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Half dayFishing port and bay
A working fishing port on a sheltered, swimmable bay, where Louis XIV married the Spanish infanta Maria Theresa in 1660. Walk the pedestrian streets, see the church where the wedding took place and eat fish by the harbour.
Getting there
train | car
About 15 minutes by train or 25 minutes by car
San Sebastian
Full daySpanish pintxos city
Across the border in Spain, San Sebastian curves around the shell-shaped bay of La Concha and has one of the great food scenes in Europe. Spend the evening crawling the pintxos bars of the Parte Vieja.
Getting there
car | bus | train
About 45 minutes by car or coach, or train to Hendaye and the local line across the border
La Rhune
Full dayMountain rack railway
An old wooden rack railway climbs to the top of La Rhune, the mountain on the French-Spanish border, for views over the Pyrenees and the whole Basque coast. It runs mainly from spring to autumn; pair it with the villages of Sare and Ainhoa.
Getting there
car | train
About 30 minutes by car to the Col de Saint-Ignace, then the rack railway to the summit
Espelette
Half dayBasque pepper village
A hill village of white houses with red shutters, famous for its mild chilli pepper. In late summer and autumn strings of drying red peppers hang from the facades, and shops sell it in every form.
Getting there
car
About 35 minutes by car
A little history of Biarritz
For centuries Biarritz was a small Basque whaling and fishing village, its people hunting whales in the Bay of Biscay from the rocky coves below the headlands; a whale still sits on the town's coat of arms. Sea bathing brought the first visitors from Bayonne in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Everything changed when Empress Eugenie, who had known the coast as a child, persuaded Napoleon III to build a summer villa on the Grande Plage in 1854. Courtiers, then British, Spanish and Russian royalty followed, and the village became the queen of resorts. In 1957 a Hollywood film crew brought a surfboard to the Cote des Basques, and Biarritz found a second identity as the birthplace of European surfing.
Basque whalers hunt in the Bay of Biscay from the coves of Biarritz
The lighthouse on Pointe Saint-Martin is first lit
Napoleon III begins Villa Eugenie on the Grande Plage for Empress Eugenie
An iron footbridge links the Rocher de la Vierge to the shore
Villa Eugenie becomes the Hotel du Palais
The art deco building of the Musee de la Mer opens above the Rocher de la Vierge
Screenwriter Peter Viertel surfs the Cote des Basques, starting surfing in Europe
Know before you go
Payment
Cards everywhere
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / E
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+33
Mobile network & SIM card
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FAQs about Biarritz
▸ When is the best time to visit Biarritz?
June to August has the warmest, most settled beach weather, with July and August the busiest. For surfing, autumn is the pick, as bigger, cleaner Atlantic swells arrive while the water is still warm and crowds thin out. Winter is mild but often wet and grey, with powerful surf suited to experienced riders.
▸ Is Biarritz good for learning to surf?
Yes. The Cote des Basques has long, gentle waves that suit beginners and longboarders, and surf schools run lessons all along the coast from Anglet to Bidart. Summer brings the smallest, friendliest waves; check the tide, as some beaches almost disappear at high water.
▸ Is Biarritz expensive?
It is one of the pricier resorts on France's Atlantic coast, especially for accommodation in July and August. Staying in Anglet or Bidart, visiting outside peak summer and eating pintxos around the market all make it more affordable.
▸ Is it safe to swim at Biarritz's beaches?
The main beaches are lifeguarded in summer, and you should swim between the flags: Atlantic waves and rip currents can be strong, especially on the exposed surf beaches. The small Port Vieux beach near the old port is the most sheltered and calmest for swimming.
▸ Can you visit San Sebastian from Biarritz?
Easily. The Spanish border is a short drive south, and San Sebastian is about 45 minutes away by car or coach, making it a popular day trip for the beach at La Concha and an evening of pintxos.
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