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Travel guide
Biarritz
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to June, and September to October
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Welcome
Biarritz, in a few days
Three kilometres of ragged Basque coastline, from a Grande Plage shaped by the Second Empire to the Côte des Basques, where surfing reached Europe in 1957. The town is best read on foot: cliffs, footbridges, a tiny fishing port and noisy covered markets. The Atlantic here is unforgiving to careless swimmers.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Grande Plage free · half a day600 metres of sand between the 1929 Art Deco casino and the Hôtel du Palais; the town's widest, most sheltered beach, packed in August.
- Afternoon · Biarritz covered market free · about 30 minTwo halls facing each other, one for fishmongers and cheesemakers, the other for fruit and vegetables and counters serving oysters, ham and txakoli.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Cosmopolitain€160 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The fishermen's port free · about 30 minTwo tiny basins walked round in ten minutes, with moored boats, lobster pots, drying nets and tables set right on the quay.
- Afternoon · Musée de la Mer aquarium · about 1 h 30An Art Deco aquarium facing the Rocher de la Vierge, devoted to the Bay of Biscay, with grey seals and a rooftop view.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Saint-Julien€140 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Rocher de la Vierge free · about 30 minReached through a tunnel and over a windswept footbridge to the statue, with surfers on one side and the town's white roofs on the other.
- Afternoon · Côte des Basques beach free · half a dayWhere surfing arrived in France in 1957; the town's learner beach, with gentle, even waves and around ten surf schools from April to October.
🛏️ Where to sleep · La Maison du Lierre€140 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Marbella and Milady beaches free · half a dayMilady has lawns, showers, lifeguards and places to eat; Marbella, down a stairway from the road, has none of that and is much quieter.
- Afternoon · Pointe Saint-Martin lighthouse · about 1 hLit in 1834, 44 metres tall and 73 metres above the ocean; 248 steps up to a gallery overlooking the whole bay to La Rhune.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Marbella€130 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €145 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/biarritz
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.