In the past two years, Basque Country has quickly become one of my favorite destinations in Europe and I find my mind completely occupied on planning trips back to this amazing region. This area is jam-packed with amazing food, beautiful landscapes, fantastic beaches, and the kindest people. The first place that I went when visiting Basque Country was Biarritz, the birthplace of surfing in Europe and the go-to destination for European royalty in the 1800s. This combination gives Biarritz the mix of classic French chicness and laid-back southern California energy that can easily make anyone fall in love.
I went to Biarritz for the first time in the Fall of 2023 and then again in the Spring of 2024. I loved both of my trips as there were few tourists and great weather. On my first trip in the Fall, the town was a little more empty and some places were closed, but in March all of the shops and restaurants were open for the tourist season. However, there were also a lot of people driving in for a day at the beach.
How to Get to Biarritz
There are many options to travel to Biarritz. If you are already in the area there are plenty of trains and buses from Spain and France. However, the train station and most bus stops are located outside the city. You will probably need to take another bus or a taxi/Uber to get to the city center. Normally, the Ubers hang around near the bus drop-offs (Iraty and the Airport) so it is fast and simple to order one when you arrive.
If you are not located near Biarritz, there are 3 main airports you can fly to Biarritz Airport, San Sebastian Airport, and Bilbao. Flying into San Sebastian or Biarritz will bring you much closer, but you will most likely need to make more connections and be more expensive. Bilbao has more frequent, direct, and cheaper flights. I live in Milan, and my best option is always flying into Bilbao.
After arriving at the Bilbao Airport you take two buses either Bilbao Airport -> Bilbao Center -> Biarritz or Bilbao Airport -> San Sebastian -> Biarritz. I have done both options and there is little difference between the two. I would choose whichever is more convenient for your flight arrival time. Flixbus, BlaBlaCar Bus, and Alsa are the best companies to look for when booking buses to Biarritz. For the bus from the Airport, you can purchase the tickets at a booth located right outside the airport.
Where to Stay in Biarritz
Biarritz is an extremely walkable city especially if you stay in the center. I recommend staying as close to the coast as possible. Most of the shops, restaurants, and activities are located close to the coast, with the surrounding area primarily residential.
The most iconic hotel in this area is the Hotel du Palais. Napoleon III commissioned it for Empress Eugénie (the hotel is even in an E shape as a tribute to her), it was once their summer house and became a popular location for European Royalty in the 19th century. It is located right on the north end of the Grande Plage. Today, the hotel is owned by Hyatt and offers a very luxurious stay on the Basque Coast. And of course, by no means is this hotel a budget stay.
I have stayed both in a hotel and an Airbnb in Biarritz. If you are planning on spending your time at the beach I recommend staying in a hotel. This way you don’t have to stress too much about the sand or areas to hang your wet clothes/towels and fully relax. However, staying at an Airbnb allows you to buy wonderful goodies such as cheeses, fruits, and jams at the Halles, and enjoy them at your place.
Prices of accommodation vary a lot depending on season and events. This can make finding a budget stay in Biarritz tricky so I recommend researching the time you want to visit to see if there are any events like surf competitions.
I have stayed at the Palmito Hotel twice, and it has exceeded my expectations for a budget stay. The hotel has touches of an aloha spirit. They offer both private rooms as well as dorm hostel-style accommodation. Hotel Palmito is located 2 minutes from the amazing swimming cove Port Vieux. The private rooms typically cost around €80 a night but can get up to €200 for last-minute bookings and high season. They offer a discount of 20% off your stay if you book three months in advance. Some other hotels I have heard amazing things about and am looking to stay at in the future are Hotel le Garage Biarritz and the Regina Experimental.
Do You Need to Know How to Speak French in Biarritz?
My first time going to Biarritz I expected everyone to speak some English as I knew it was a popular tourist destination, but I was very wrong. While it is a popular tourist destination, there are more French and Spanish travelers so many speak very little to no English. Don’t let this discourage you because some people are completely fluent as well, especially at the nicer restaurants and more expensive stores. I was able to get by my first time in Biarritz without knowing any French by using Google Translate and Spanish with the few store owners who spoke it.
One of my favorite things about Biarritz is that the people encourage you to speak French and are excited to help you learn. Biarritz is the perfect place to learn or improve your French as the repetitions of daily conversations such as ordering bread or coffee get repeated with little words added on each day.
It is extremely helpful if you know a few key phrases in French before your trip. Before your trip you should learn the absolute basics such as my name is, good morning, hello, yes, no, good evening, please, thank you, have a good day, card or cash, for here or to go and I would like. These are the key phrases that you will be using anytime you need to buy something.
What to do in Biarritz
One of the beautiful things about Biarritz is that there is not too much to do. Often on city trips, I find myself overwhelmed with all of the things to see and do. Biarritz is much more laid back as you can see most of the iconic sights within a few hours. Biarritz has amazing shops as well as beautiful beaches, adorable surrounding towns, and great hikes outside of it.
Food Shopping:
The Biarritz Halles are filled with bakeries, fruit stores, butchers, coffee shops, and even little restaurants. While the size may seem underwhelming, each and every one of the vendors has something worth exploring. One of my favorites is the specialty coffee shop LOBITA Marché whose coffee and hot chocolates are out of this world. I would also recommend trying some fruit (especially strawberries) and going to a few of the bakeries (But get there early!!).
If you step outside The Halles and walk across the street you will find Monsieur Txokola. A lovely chocolate store that sells many varieties and forms of chocolate. I highly recommend trying their cocoa juice and one of their coffee/chocolate drinks. I also bought a few bars to take back home with me. hey have a spicy chocolate one that features local peppers and it was delicious.
If you are anything like me, browsing grocery stores is always on my list when visiting a new city. I think seeing the types of products on offer helps me understand the lifestyle and preferences.
Don’t forget to check out my food guide where I explain all the best bakeries and restaurants in Biarritz
Clothes Shopping:
If you are looking for some espadrilles, Biarritz is the place. They are a bit more expensive on the French side of the border as the majority of them are made in Spain and imported. However, the shops in Biarritz have the most stunning styles and patterns. The best street look for espadrilles is Rue Du Port Vieux, which leads into Rue Mazagran. Both of these streets have great espadrille shops. The two that I have been to are La Maison de L’Espadrille Biarritz and Espadrilles Chistera Biarritz.
Colors of Surfing is one of the coolest surf shops I have been in. They have locally made boards that you can rent while visiting Biarritz. They have their own clothing collection, in addition to several other cool collections from local small brands. I am obsessed with the brand Coquillette that they carry as they make cute pieces out of vintage linens.
Vintage Shopping:
I don’t think that I could make a city guide without mentioning vintage stores. Of course, I, have been to almost every vintage store in Biarritz and will share my favorites. First, you cannot miss out on the markets. On most mornings with good weather there is a small market in front of the Halles. This market often has a lady selling lots of amazing vintages. I found most things to range from a small to a medium with few things suitable for an extra small or a large or extra large.
There are also other markets around Biarritz, the one in Anglet being the most famous. Unfortunately, it has never aligned with one of my trips to Biarritz. I am dying to go though as I have seen it is a beautiful mix of clothes, antiques, and cooking supplies. If you want information on the Anglet markets/flea markets this is their website.
As far as vintage shops I have two favorites in Biarritz, Mado Vintage, and Yvonne. Mado is located in the center and has a wide selection at fair prices. They have the most stunning vintage designer scarfs but what I was most blown away by was their selection of jewelry. Where the cash register sits, under is filled with beautiful jewelry (mostly gold plated at amazing prices). I bought a few pairs of earrings but regret not buying more when I was there. The other vintage store that I went to was Yvonne. The goal of this store was to have as much stuff of high quality as well as being truly vintage. They have an amazing selection and the owner is super nice.
Hiking and Scenic Walks around Biarritz
The Pyrénées-Atlantiques are known for beautiful hikes with incredible panoramic views of mountains and ocean. From many of the hikes, you can see lots of the towns on the coast. I did the La Rhune hike, which is the hike that follows the train to the end lookout. I think it is one of the best hikes in this area. Along the way, you may get to see horses, rams, and beautiful views of the small towns and ocean.
There are many similar hikes on all trails that you can do called “The Rhune” as well. The one that I did started in the parking lot of where the train departs. The trail follows a yellow marking around the hills up to the top where the train ends. If you have any questions about the hike you can ask the people who sell tickets for the train. They are extremely nice, and helpful and showed us right where to start.
This is the perfect hike if you do not have a car as there is bus 45 that takes you to the head of the trail from San Jean de Luz, and then it picks up from there every few hours. Check the day and time you are going to make sure that there will be a bus to pick you up after. I spent about four and a half hours on the hike. But that includes stopping to buy a sandwich and walking around at the top.
If you are not planning on leaving Biarritz there are small urban ‘trails’ that you can do around the city. The best walks are to the lighthouse as well as to Rocher de la Vierge. Around the aquarium there is another scenic route, the viewpoint is called Plateau de l’Atalaye.
The Best Beaches to go to in Biarritz
There are three main beaches located in the center of Biarritz, Cotes de Basque, the Grand Plage, and Port Vieux. All of the beaches in Biarritz are beautiful but depending on what you want out of your beach day some might be better than others.
Cotes de Basque
This is one of the calmer beaches in the city, lots of longboarders come here to surf and there are many surf schools located on the boardwalk. From here you see the iconic views of people surfing alongside Villa Beleza. The beach here is beautiful and very long. However, the beach is only accessible at low tides.
Grand Plage
Grand Plage is Biarrits’ most iconic beach located next to the casino in the center of the city. In the summer the beach is very crowded but in the colder months, it is a lot calmer with just a few people walking their dogs and watching surfers. You can see most of the sites of Biarritz from this beach such as the lighthouse and Hotel du Palais.
Port Vieux
This is my favorite beach in Biarritz. If you want to swim this is the beach for you. It is a bit more private than the grand plage because it is surrounded by cliff. Every morning you can see the swim club swimming out and enjoying the water. This beach is great for swimming because there isn’t a surf break here. The beach itself is quite small but beautiful and a great place to spend the day.
Day Trips from Biarritz
There are loads of cute nearby towns in Biarritz that are accessible by bus or train. These towns make amazing day trips. I spent about 2 hours in San Jean de Luz and I would love to go back and see more. I went in the morning and saw lots of vendors outside the Halles setting up stands selling all types of food, including Indian, Thai, and much more. In the short time I spent there it struck me with its uniqueness.
San Sebastian is only a 50-minute drive from Biarritz and is a must-go place in Basque country. The food in San Sebastian is amazing as well as great shops. Not to mention how amazing it is to see the beautiful old Spanish city buildings along the sea. If you are looking for recommendations for San Sebastian check out my guide here!
