14 Things to Do in Biarritz, the Best Basque Resort Town
Perhaps the most famous destination in French Basque Country, Biarritz is synonymous with glitz and glamor. But in my view, even with its jet-set reputation, Biarritz manages to maintain its laidback charms implicit in any beach town… despite the Hermès store posted up casually downtown.
In fact, that’s part of the main draw of Biarritz for someone like me, who is so curious about contrasts. How is this place both so glamorous and yet somehow so accessible feeling? How do I somehow not feel out of place?
| 🇫🇷 Planning your trip to Biarritz last minute? Here are my quick picks! ✅ Best Places to Stay in Biarritz Budget Boutique: Hotel Saint Julien (stylish but simple rooms with minimalist aesthetic) Mid-range Boutique: Le Garage (luxe boutique hotel on the hill near the lighthouse) 5-Star Luxury: Hôtel du Palais Biarritz (once a Napoleon-era imperial summer palace, now a Hyatt resort) ✅ Best Activities in Biarritz 1.5 Hour Group Surfing Lesson Historical Walking Tour of Biarritz Gourmet Food Tour of Biarritz E-Bike Tour of the Basque Coast from Biarritz ✅ Getting Around: You can easily arrive by car — there is plentiful parking in the city on both on the street and in paid lots. There’s also a SNCF train station a bit outside the town center (you’ll need to take a bus or taxi) that connects Biarritz to places like Bordeaux, Paris, and Bayonne easily. |
I think it’s the fact that Biarritz is so beautifully integrated with its nature through its coastal walks and promenades. The designer boutiques and fancy villas take a bit of a backseat and are somehow not as overpowering when there’s always some beautiful nature in eyeshot to admire.
The natural setting of Biarritz keeps its more bougie nature in a precarious balance, and I find the knife’s edge of that balance rather interesting.
Biarritz is a place you can simply walk and enjoy without spending more than the cost of a meal (and maybe a few pastries and ice cream, I mean, it is France and all that…), making it great for day-trippers. But it’s also a place that you could easily go for a luxe weekend getaway, with so many excellent hotels to choose from.
Best Things to Do in Biarritz
Spend time on the Grand Plage
Biarritz’s Grand Plage is the heart of its lifestyle, with everyone from locals to surfers to vacationers to day-trippers setting aside time to plunk down everything and enjoy the beach.
Whether that means getting in your bathing suit and hopping in the waters or just people-watching on the sand, some beach time — even if it’s just a beach walk — is essential when you’re visiting Biarritz.
Or find the smaller Plage du Port Vieux
The Grand Plage is beautiful and expansive, so it’s never hard to find a little patch of sand to call your own, but sometimes you just want a quaint little beach with a bit less foot traffic: enter Biarritz’s Plage du Port Vieux, shaped like a horseshoe in the spot that used to be the port of Biarritz.
Besides its more compact size and tucked away nature, the other benefit is that it is on a slightly calmer patch of water than the main Grand Plage, which is home to better surf conditions (which are, of course, less ideal swimming and wading conditions).
Catch waves with some of France’s best surf
Speaking of surf conditions, Biarritz is an ideal place to learn surfing, from what I’ve gathered. I’ve tried surfing once, in El Salvador, and basically waterboarded myself for a few hours, so it’s not a sport I particularly enjoy (I’ll stick to scuba diving in calmer waters, thanks).
But if surfing is a big interest for you — or you’ve simply always been curious to try it — Biarritz is a great option for surfers, since there is such a large beach with so much room for people trying to catch a wave.
You can rent a board starting at just 15€/day for beginners and 25€/day for more high-performance surfboards from this local company, who will deliver your board to you if you’re in Basque country!
New to catching waves? You can take surf lessons in Biarritz, including a 1.5 hour group surf session which you can book online in advance here.
Enjoy a delicious Basque meal
Of course, French food needs no introduction, but French Basque cuisine is a little bit of a mix of multiple influences. For one, you simply need croquetas on your table every time you order food in the Basque region. It’s non-negotiable (to me, at least).
Other French Basque delicacies you can look out for are poulet basquaise (a chicken stew), piperade (a vegetable stew), and ttoro (a fish stew that’s sort of akin to a bouillabaisse). Basically, any stew. Also, anything with Espelette pepper (it’s local and very unique in flavor, not particularly spicy at all).
And don’t forget the local dessert, Gâteau Basque, which to nitpick is more like a pie than a cake but is still incredibly delicious, especially in its form filled with pastry cream, though other people prefer its black cherry filling.
There are multiple places where you can get lunch but be aware that your options dry up if you try to get seated after 2 PM so don’t lose track of time! We had another restaurant in mind that my parents always like to eat at in Biarritz, but we ended up at Chez BB: Bistroquet Biarritz and it was delicious and affordable.
Eat some delicious and historic ice cream
What better way to wrap up some beach time than with a delicious ice cream cone at the beach Glaces Lopez is a famous and historic little ice cream kiosk that has some of the creamiest, tastiest ice creams around.
They’re currently operating in their third generation of owners, with the founder (Javier Lopez) having arrived from Spain in 1935. Everything is made in-house and the owners refuse to share their special recipes, keeping it all in the family business.
While they do have soft serve available, do yourself a favor and go for one of the traditional ice cream. I got the pistachio and it was delicious, and my travel buddies raved about their coffee flavor. A single simple scoop is just €2!
Wander the charming Port des Pêcheurs
As you walk along the coastal routes of Biarritz, one place that stands out the most is the Port des Pêcheurs, or the fishing marina.
The port is naturally protected by its particular geography, but the Atlantic elements can be so harsh that it was reinforced with stone walls to further protect the boats in the harbor, with several breakwaters installed over the course of the 19th century.
Later, in the 20th century the port got a colorful facelift, when fishermen were granted permission to build crampottes (fishing huts) painted in a variety of colors, places where they could store their fishing gear and hauls from the sea.
While not used as much for fishing now — Biarritz is more of a luxury boating destination than a proper fishing village now — it still adds to the historic charm of this part of Biarritz.
Check out the Rocher de la Vierge
Biarritz is full of coastal paths that lead you to stunning views but there is no better one than the path by the aquarium which overlooks the Rocher de la Vierge, a beautiful sight in Biarritz.
Walking here from the aquarium is about a 5-minute walk, though be careful as the footpath and bridge leading to the main shrine area are rather exposed, and it can be very windy here.
Popular misinformation (further propagated by unchecked AI hallucinations) says that the bridge connecting the rocky outcropping to the mainland was built by Gustave Eiffel, of Eiffel tower fame… but that’s not the case at all. It’s an incredibly small bridge, and one just made by a local company.
The vista point at Rocher de la Vierge also makes a great sunset spot if you want to circle back later on in the evening. Still, I definitely recommend seeing it during the day as well if you’re lucky with a sunny day — the blue hues of the water around mid-day are simply stunning.
Check out the Biarritz Aquarium
The entrance to the Biarritz Aquarium is a bit drab and brutalist from the top access point at the top of the hill, but let’s not judge a book by its cover. If you walk down the stairs around the building, you’ll see a beautiful Art Deco facade that… I somehow walked by and missed.
I didn’t get a chance to go inside the aquarium as I was only visiting on a day trip and I had a plan to walk all the way from the Rocher de la Vierge to the Lighthouse and back — a 5-kilometer walk — but I did check out reviews and it seems pretty well-liked by visitors.
If you’ve been to several aquariums before, you probably won’t encounter anything particularly new or unique, since the focus is mostly on aquatic life in places elsewhere: namely tropical coral reef fish, sharks, and rays, so it’s similar to most aquariums.
But if aquariums are still a novelty for you (or any kids you may be traveling with) or if you simply can’t resist visiting an aquarium whenever you get the chance, it’s a pleasant way to spend a few hours, especially if you are unlucky with the weather during your visit.
(Window) shop ’til you drop
I’ll be honest, I’m not much of a shopper, but if you are, Biarritz is a retail dream. From high-end designers like Hermès and Goyard to catch-all department stores like Galeries Lafayette, you’ll find just about anything you want in Biarritz… if the sky’s the limit for your shopping, that is.
You won’t find any ‘main street’ style shops here, which I suppose adds to the charm while subtracting from the accessibility. But hey, everyone can afford to wander and window-shop, and it’s something I quite enjoy doing while I’m traveling… especially if I can find boutiques that I can’t find elsewhere that curate nice selections.
If you like fragrances, be sure to check out Elysées Parfums, a niche parfumerie which focuses on scents from smaller fragrance houses that are harder to find elsewhere (and often better value!) as well as a nice selection of scents from Guerlain, one of my favorite beauty and fragrance brands.
Grab some souvenirs at Bookstore Biarritz
For some decidedly cheaper souvenirs, the beautiful Bookstore Biarritz has a rather nice selection of postcards, prints, and other memorabilia beyond the average kitsch that would make a rather nice memento of your trip to Biarritz.
As expected, the book selection is largely in French, but there’s still plenty for English-speakers to admire, namely its beautiful interior architecture, where you feel like you’re descending a staircase into book heaven.
See a former summer palace turned luxury hotel
Built in 1854 by Napoleon III for his wife, Empress Eugénie, the summer palace in Biarritz was one of the transformative events for the town that cemented its glamorous reputation as a resort town.
Now, it’s a 5-star luxury hotel called Hôtel du Palais, part of the Hyatt portfolio, with gorgeously opulent design that reminds you everywhere that yes, it did indeed used to be a palace. You can dine at several restaurants on-site, but many amenities are just for guests, like the heated outdoor pool and the Guerlain spa.
But staying here won’t be cheap — even in the off season, rooms go for €400+ at the low end and well up into the €1,000s if you stay during high season or in a higher-tier room.
Admire the Église Sainte-Eugénie
Set right in the heart of town against the backdrop of beautiful blue waters punctured by rocky islets, the Église Sainte-Eugénie is one of the emblems of Biarritz for a reason. It sort of reminds me of the Notre Dame in Paris but in miniature — the geometrical shape, the rose windows with stained glass, the spires — but with a relaxed seaside setting.
Unfortunately at the moment the church is undergoing some renovation work, so when I tried to enter, I couldn’t as the church interior was blocked off by a small shrine at the doorway. The crypt was also closed. I look forward to revisiting once the renovation work finishes, although the official tourism board’s website doesn’t have any information on when that might be.
Discover the unique history of Villa Belza
With dramatic Atlantic views, Villa Belza is one of Biarritz’s most mysterious and photogenic landmarks — a Gothic-styled mansion with a story every bit as intriguing as its dramatic architecture.
Over the years, it’s lived many lives: first as the dream home of a Parisian businessman, then as The Basque Castle, a lively cabaret owned by a relative of composer Igor Stravinsky that drew an elite crowd, even British royalty… until that all came crashing down to a halt.
As many beautiful buildings do, it fell into disarray after it suffered a series of disastrous events — the Great Depression, World War II, a fire — and it took several decades for this gem of a building to be burnished up again to its previous beauty.
In the 90s, it was converted into apartments, later being preserved and protected as a cultural heritage site of Biarritz. While you can’t visit the interior as it is now private residences, it’s still a fascinating building to admire, one that tells the story of the beautiful villas of Biarritz, and a hint of the glimmer of glamor that never quite leaves this coastal town.
Take a walk to the lighthouse
While it’s a bit of a trek — about 2.5 kilometers from Rochers de la Vierge, where I started my Biarritz walk — it’s absolutely worth walking up to the lighthouse, which would also be a great sunset spot.
I especially like this walk because the journey is just as beautiful as the destination, since if you walk through town along Av. de l’Impératrice, you get to see all the fancy villas and landmarks like Villa Herrera, Villa Roche Ronde, and Villa Velleda amongst others.
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016, visiting 75+ countries in total. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. As a former educator, she merges her writing and educational experience to encourage ethical, sustainable travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and TBEX. Her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. When she’s not on the road, she lives in Bangkok, Thailand.
