Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A glitzy resort town steeped in the belle époque, Biarritz (bee-ah-ritz) is where the French
Basques put on the ritz. In the 19th century, this simple whaling harbor became, al-
most overnight, a high-class aristocrat-magnet dubbed the “beach of kings.” Although
St-Jean-de-Luz and Bayonne are more fully French and more fully Basque, the made-
for-international-tourists, jet-set scene of Biarritz is not without its charms. Perched over
a popular surfing beach, anchored by grand hotels and casinos, hemmed in by jagged
and picturesque rocky islets at either end, and watched over by a lighthouse on a distant
promontory, Biarritz is a striking beach resort. However, for sightseers with limited time,
it's likely more trouble than it's worth.
Biarritz feels much bigger than its population of 30,000. The town sprawls, but virtually
everything we'reinterested inlines upalongthewaterfront: thebeach, thepromenade, the
hotel and shopping zone, and the TI.
