FR · Nouvelle-Aquitaine · 43.48°N 1.56°W

biarritz

Atlantic surf, cliffside promenades and Basque cakes above sandy bays.

Best time
June, July and September are best for a beach stay. August is especially crowded; November to February is wet and wild, with big Atlantic swells that are no good for casual swimming.
How long
2–3 days
Getting there
Fly direct to Paris on Malaysia Airlines (about 13.5 hours), then a TGV from Montparnasse to Biarritz (about 4 hours) or a domestic flight (about 1 hour 15 minutes). The station is about 3 km from the centre, so take a bus or taxi. France is 6 hours behind KL in summer and 7 in winter.
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FR · Nouvelle-Aquitainebiarritz43.48°N 1.56°Wgowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Atlantic surf, cliffside promenades and Basque cakes above sandy bays.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingBiarritzFR, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
KLbiarritz
≈ 10,828 km from KL, as the crow flies
Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques): View from Esplanade Elisabeth II

Photo: Nicolas G. Mertens. This picture is not in the public domain. If you want to use this picture outside of Wikipedia, please read the Licensing section just below. In particular, "You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use." Esta imagen no es de dominio público. Si desea utilizar esta imagen fuera de Wikipedia, lea la sección Licencias justo debajo. En particular, "Debe dar el crédito apropiado, proporcionar un enlace a la licencia e indicar si se realizaron cambios. Puede hacerlo de cualquier manera razonable, pero no de ninguna manera que sugiera que el licenciante lo respalda a usted o su uso." · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Biarritz was a royal seaside resort in the 1800s and is now France's surf town, with sandy bays and grand old villas above the water. Between beach walks, the food turns Basque: peppers, sheep's cheese and thick slices of cake.

Makan

  1. Gâteau basqueA buttery cake filled with pastry cream or black-cherry jam.Map ↗
  2. PiperadePeppers, onions and tomatoes stewed together, often with egg; it's sometimes served with Bayonne ham, so ask for it without.Map ↗
  3. Ossau-IratyBasque sheep's cheese, eaten with black-cherry jam.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Grande PlageThe main sandy bay, below the promenade and the old casino and grand hotels.Map ↗
  2. Rocher de la ViergeA footbridge out to a rock with a statue of the Virgin, with waves crashing below.Map ↗
  3. Côte des BasquesThe surf beach under the cliffs, busy with learners and longboarders.Map ↗
  4. Les HallesThe covered market, for seafood, Basque cheese and peppers, and stand-up snacks.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Côte des Basques almost disappears at high tide, so surf schools plan lessons around the tide.
  • Basque cooking uses a lot of ham and chorizo. For halal, the kebab places are the easy option; otherwise stick to fish, piperade and cheese.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.