Biarritz

Get in

Biarritz is adjacent to Bayonne and Anglet and 11 miles (18 km) from the border with Spain.

See

Biarritz is famous for its coast and the rocks in the sea. There is the church of Sainte Eugenie, a Russian Orthodox church, and the Museum of the Sea (entrance about €6) with a lot of interesting animals like different kinds of fish, anemones, sharks, and seals in aquariums. Other topics include fishing in the last centuries, birds, catching whales. Then there is a Museum of Asian Art and a lighthouse (entrance €2).

Do

The beaches are excellent and this is a major surf resort. The main beach, Grand Plage, gets very crowded, but there is also a long surfers' beach on the Boulevard du Prince de Galles, called Cote de Basque, that has almost no sand at high tide, but is superb at low tide. The surf beaches at Anglet are easily accessible by bus, and surfboards that aren't too big are allowed on the local buses in the summer at least. There is a small beach by the Esplanade du Porte Vieux that is good for swimming when the surfer's beach is closed.

There are several thalasso-therapy centers, with sea water, seaweed and related treatments.

Thermes Marins, Rue de Madrid. Offer a reasonable half-day pass for €17, including use of warm sea water pools, sauna, and steam room. The sauna is rather worn, but serviceable.

Golf

Rugby

Biarritz Olympique plays rugby union (15 a side) in the French second level, Rugby Pro D2. They had a long history in the top tier of the French system, Top 14, but haven't been at that level since 2014. BO play home games at the Parc des Sports Aguiléra in town; during their stint in Top 14, they took an occasional home match across the Spanish border to Estadio Anoeta in Donostia-San Sebastián. Ticket information is available here (French only).

There is a large aquarium and a tourist land-train

Nature Sport Activities, Rue de la Marne. Rent bike and surfboards. Surfschool, pelote basqua, rafting, sea kayaking, wave ski, and Takamaka.

Buy

Central Market, rue des Halles. Has a wide range of fresh food, and is well worth a visit even if you don't want to buy anything. It is only open from 07:30 to 13:30. Galleries Lafayette, Place G Clemenceau. Has a large and decently priced supermarket in the basement.

Drink

There are several places to go clubbing in Biarritz. One example is a great club called Le Copa located in the centre of the town. At the same place you can find many bars, as a pub crawl night is a must if you visit Biarritz. Another good club is the one under the Casino, and the best thing of all is that it is for free and does not close at two or three o'clock like the bars do.

Connect

As of March 2024, Biarritz, Bayonne and their approach highways have 5G from all French carriers.

Go next

Bayonne, the Pyrenees, and Spanish border towns such as San Sebastian and Hondarribia are all easily accessible from Biarritz. Saint Jean de Luz is a nice harbour town worth seeing.