Biarritz

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Description

Biarritz is a large town in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of Aquitaine, France.

Access

Biarritz lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in southwestern France. It is adjacent to Bayonne (France) and Anglet and 11 miles (18 km) from the border with Spain.

By car

Biarritz is about 7 and half hours from Paris, at about 480 miles (775 km). Biarritz is easily accessed via the D911 road, off the N10. These routes are close to the A63 Рa road connecting Belin-B̩liet to Bayonne to the border of Spain. In a general idea, heading towards Bayonne, and then directing on the local by-roads to Biarritz is the most straight-forward route. The following are general roads to follow to reach Biarritz:

• Paris – A10, N10, A63 (E05)
• Lyon – A7, A9, A61, N117, A64 (E15-E80)
• Marseille – A54, A9, A61, N117, A64 (E15-E80)
• Bilbao – A1 (E70)
• Madrid – N1, A1 (E70)

By train

Biarritz train station is 2 miles (3 km) from the town centre. For information on trains to and from Biarritz, visit the SNCF website.

• Paris ? Biarritz

About 5 hours via TGV. Changes may include Bayonne and Dax Gare.

Prices are between 55 and 70 euros.

By bus

Buses arrive on square d'Ixelles, in the centre of Biarritz. There are buses from Bayonne, Anglet, Pau, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye and some trans-border buses from Spain.

By plane

Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne International Airport is located 3 km (2 miles) from the town centre. Tel: 33 (0)5 59 43 83 83

Direct flights from:

• Bristol – 2/3 flights a week with EasyJet.
• Copenhagen – 2 flights a week with Sterling.
• Dublin – 4 flights per week with Ryanair – flying time 2hrs
• London Stansted – daily flights with Ryanair – flying time 1hr 45min
• Lyon – daily flights with Air France – flying time 1hr 20min
• Paris Orly – 4 to 5 flights a day with Air France – flying time 1hr 20min
• Paris Charles de Gaulle – 3 flights a day with Air France – flying time 1hr 20min
• Shannon – 3 flights per week with Ryanair – flying time 2hrs 10min

You can get to the city from the airport by bus or taxi. A single bus fare is approximately 1.5 euros.

Transportation

On foot

Biarritz is very pedestrianised, and it is easy to get around the town centre, to the beaches, and to the best spots for surfing or shopping. This means whatever your holiday needs is a short and pleasant walking distance away. However, it can be quite hilly in places.

By bus

There is an excellent bus network, including Bayonne and Anglet, and bus journeys are a flat Euro 1.20 payable in cash on the bus. Cheaper multiple journey tickets are also available, but cannot be bought on the bus. Bus 6 leaves from the airport to the centre every 15-20 minutes. There is no bus between the train station and the airport.

Activities and Sightseeing

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

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 centres, 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

• Chiberta, 104 Blvd des Plages, ? +33 5 59525110

Rugby

• Biarritz Olympique at the Parc des Sports Aguiléra.

There is a large aquarium and a tourist land-train that leaves from the Esplanade Anciens Combattants.

Shopping

• 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 7:30 to 13:30.
• Galleries Lafayette, Place G Clemenceau. Has a large and decently priced supermarket in the basement.

Restaurants

• Aux Alizés, 4 av de Marne, Tel: 05 59 22 23 52. Has a very good and Basque-influenced carte and proper 3-course menus at Euro 17 and 22. Closed Tuesday evening and Wednesday. Many of the more tourist-orientated places have quite poor prix fixe menus.

• Pizzeria des Arceaux, 20-24 avenue Édouard-VII, Tel: 05 59 24 11 47. Pizzas all seem to be either Euro 9,80 or 9,90. An odd pricing scheme, yet the pizzas are very good, as is the fish and the large desserts. Closed Monday.

Nightlife

There are several places for you who wants 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.

Lodging

See the listing of the Hotels in Biarritz

• Hôtel Atalaye, 6 rue des Goélands, All en-suite hotel, the best rooms (including a few tiny singles) have small balconies and face the place and sea.
• Hôtel Gardénia, 19 av Carnot, . Two-star, old-fashioned and quiet hotel with a mix of rooms, not all with their own bathrooms.
• Hôtel Maïtagaria, 34 av Carnot, Mostly smart rooms in a quiet location, with back garden. .
• Hostellerie Victoria, 12 av de la Reine Victoria, More expensive hotel in a Neo-Gothic mansion, wih huge rooms equipped with comfortable beds and iron bathtubs.