Accommodation in this Area

At a Glance

Area Description

Biarritz is adjacent to Bayonne and Anglet and 11 miles (18 kilometres) from the border with Spain. It is in the traditional province of the French Basque Country, Labourd. Biarritz is a large town with several quartiers and is one of the principal resorts on the Côte Basque, and perhaps the most famous part of the Pays Basque. Biarritz became famous in the mid 19th Century, when Empress Eugenie (the wife of Napoleon III) fell in love with this part of the Basque country and built a Palace on the beach at Biarritz (which is now the world class Hotel du Palais) and a centre with natural springs at Eugenie les Bains in the Landes.

Biarritz has a lot more than beautiful buildings to offer today. It's a vibrant cosmopolitan town with magnificent beaches and golf courses including the lighthouse (Le Phare), which was created in 1888 by British residents. There are numerous sporting facilities, not forgetting the strong surfing culture. Surfing started in France here in Biarritz and surfers come from all over the world to ride the waves. The Biarritz Surf Festival brings together surfers from Hawaii, California and Australia every year to celebrate the birth of surfing in Biarritz. The town is also home to a prominent rugby union club, Biarritz Olympique. Basque pelota is a very popular sport of the Basque country. Several local or international competitions take place in Biarritz.

Biarritz has many admired beaches including

Grande Plage - This is the main beach of Biarritz and is probably the most popular. There is plenty on offer to keep the whole family busy: you can catch some sun; go to one of the many shops or restaurants on the promenade; go surfing; or take part in one of the many other water activities on offer.

Plage Miramar - This is the beach to go to if you're looking for a little more relaxation and tranquility. There is a paved path, which leads through beautiful gardens, carved rock and vista points. There are a few cafes where you can have lunch.

South of Bordeaux begins the region of Les Landes and has all the indredients for a fantasic holiday. It feels like another world with the coast stretching virtually uninterrupted from the Gironde estuary all the way down to Soustons, Hossegor and Cap Breton before reaching the foothills of the Pyrenees and Basque country. Soustons is where we feature the "Domaine de Bellegarde" which is a beautiful 19th century stately home. The area is remarkably unspoilt, open and natural as the coast is dominated by long stretches of sand washed by broad Atlantic rollers; in all there is more than 220km of coast-line from the Gironde estuary down to the border with Spain with a total of 55 supervised beaches. Climb the dunes and before you, stretching as far as the eye can see, lie the pine forests of Les Landes, 1100 km2 of pine forest planted during the 19th century.

Although the line of the coast may be straight, the variety it encompasses is huge: oyster beds and yachting marinas, fishing villages and vineyards, names of towns and half-timbered houses that seem (and once were) more English than French, the highest sand-dunes in Europe, and where the Côte d'Argent turns – quite literally – into the Côte Basque, some of the Continent's best surfing.

The magnificent sandy beaches of Les Landes, backed by sand dunes, pine forests and inland lakes are blessed with a superb climate and sea conditions throughout the year, which are perfect for water and other holiday sports of all descriptions from surfing to kayaking and golf to cycling. The freshwater lakes that punctuate the forest provide a great alternative to the ocean and safer bathing for children. Rather like the Lake District in England, each lake, or étang, has its own atmosphere.

Besides the local Lac d'Soustons, there are others nearby to try: étangs Blanc , Hossegor and Léon; at the latter you can canoe from the lake along the serene Courant d'Huchet to the ocean's edge! The remarkable thing is that it's something of a French (and Spanish) secret; unless you're a dedicated surfer, the chances are you won't have heard of the beaches and villages that make up this fantastic region.

Soustons is divided into two areas, the town of Soustons, 7 km inland from the coast, located on the southerly end of a large Lake with an overall area of 700 square hectares and Soustons Beach on the large natural sea fed, salt water lake (with its own beaches & Island) known as the "Lac Marin de Port d'Albret", with an overall area of 51 square hectares. The pine forests surround Soustons village with numerous cycle trails and walking paths leading to the lakes and beaches. Like most of the south west coast, Soustons is something of an outdoor playground.

Resorts In Luxury in association with Ski In Luxury