Biarritz

Biarritz was put on the map by Empress Eugenie in the 1850s and has never lost its allure. The Grande Plage, the Rocher de la Vierge, and the elegant Hotel du Palais — built as the Empress's seaside residence — create a setting unlike anywhere else in France. What makes Biarritz unique is its impossible juxtaposition: Belle Epoque grandeur meets the world's most elegant surf culture, aristocratic promenades overlook Atlantic swells, and Basque pintxos bars sit alongside French gastronomic restaurants. The Cote des Basques, south of the Grande Plage, is where surfing first came to Europe in the 1950s — today it remains one of the continent's finest surf breaks, and the sight of surfers riding waves beneath 19th-century villas is quintessentially Biarritz. The town's Basque identity runs deep, visible in the pelota courts (fronton), the language on street signs, and the extraordinary culinary tradition that blends French technique with Basque ingredients. The Les Halles market in the town center is a temple of gastronomy: Bayonne ham, piment d'Espelette, Ossau-Iraty cheese, fresh tuna, and Basque cider. For dining, L'Atelier de Gaztelur holds a Michelin star for its creative Basque cuisine, while the Hotel du Palais' La Rotonde offers grand dining with ocean panoramas. The coastal walks are magnificent — the Sentier du Littoral stretches from Bidart to the Spanish border, passing dramatic cliff formations, hidden coves, and the elegant town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, where Louis XIV married Maria Teresa of Spain. Speaking of Spain, San Sebastian is just thirty minutes across the border, offering the highest concentration of Michelin stars per capita in the world. The Basque Country's surf-and-gastronomy combination is unique in European travel, and Biarritz is its most refined expression. Thalassotherapy — seawater therapy — was refined here, and the Institut Thalassa remains the gold standard for Atlantic spa treatments.

Highlights