Things to Do in Biarritz: 18 Highlights & Activities

Our Top 3 Hotel Tips for Biarritz

Before we get into our highlights and insider tips for Biarritz, here are our top 3 hotels in Biarritz:

The Most Beautiful Sights in Biarritz

From stunning rocky cliffs to impressive villas, there’s so much to see in Biarritz. Here are the most beautiful attractions Biarritz has to offer.

All Biarritz Sights on One Map

To give you a better overview of where the sights in Biarritz are located, we’ve marked them on a map.

Rocher de la Vierge

The Rocher de la Vierge — which translates to Virgin Rock — is the city’s landmark and an absolute must-see in Biarritz.

The rock sits in the Atlantic Ocean right in front of the city center. From the observation platform, you get a breathtaking view of the city and the sea.

But it’s not just the view that’s fantastic — the Virgin Rock itself, with its unusual shape, is also a great photo subject.

Atop the rock stands a white statue of the Virgin Mary. You can’t climb up to it, so you’ll have to make do with the observation platform — which is honestly still pretty spectacular.

Biarritz Lighthouse

The Phare de Biarritz is one of the top things to see in Biarritz and a seriously great photo subject. It stands on a cliff north of La Grande Plage beach.

The lighthouse is 73 meters tall and has an observation platform at the top that’s open to visitors.

Admission costs 5 euros for adults. Opening hours vary by month.

It’s best to check the Biarritz Tourism website in advance to find out when the lighthouse is open. Note that the opening hours listed there are only in French.

Downtown Biarritz with the Sainte-Eugénie Church

Biarritz doesn’t have a typical historic old quarter with charming little alleyways. Still, a walking tour through the city is absolutely worth your time.

Biarritz is full of magnificent villas, like the luxury hotel Hôtel du Palais Biarritz — formerly the summer residence of Empress Eugénie.

A real highlight in the center is the Sainte-Eugénie church. It’s located right on the main square of the same name.

Inside the church, a surfboard leans against the wall — yes, we couldn’t believe it either.

Book a guided walking tour through Biarritz

Villa Belza

We’ve noticed that many of the best points of interest in Biarritz are perched on a rock in the sea. The same goes for the impressive Villa Belza.

It sits majestically on a cliff and makes for a great photo subject.

The villa itself contains apartments, so unfortunately you can’t go inside — you’ll have to settle for admiring the beautiful exterior from outside.

Biarritz Aquarium

Biarritz can have bad weather too. When it does, you might wonder what to do on a rainy day.

We have the answer: visit the Biarritz Aquarium. It’s a great option when it’s raining and also really fun for family vacations with kids.

The many different marine creatures will amaze not just children — adults will find it just as fascinating.

From the natural history museum, you also get a great view of the sea — as long as it’s not pouring rain.

Admission costs 17 euros for adults and the Biarritz Aquarium is open daily.

Chambre d'Amor Beachfront Promenade

Many people think Biarritz is missing a proper long beachfront promenade with cool beach bars, like you’d find in Nice or other spots along the Côte d’Azur. Think again! A promenade like that actually exists in Biarritz.

Most tourists never think to check out the beach section north of the lighthouse, where the Chambre d’Amor promenade is located.

That’s why it’s still a genuine local favorite in Biarritz. You can take a wonderful stroll here or enjoy the view of the sea from a cool bar.

The Chambre d’Amor beachfront promenade actually already belongs to the neighboring town of Anglet — but it’s so close to Biarritz that the two towns essentially blend into one another.

The Most Beautiful Beaches in Biarritz

Biarritz sits on the Atlantic coast along the Bay of Biscay, which means the city has plenty of gorgeous beaches. Here are our favorites!

La Grande Plage

The beach right in the center of Biarritz is La Grande Plage — a perfect spot to kick back on the sand when you need a break from sightseeing.

Be sure to check the tides beforehand, though — at high tide the beach is almost completely submerged.

La Grande Plage offers a stunning panorama at any time of day. On the right side you look out toward the Biarritz Lighthouse, and in the water you can watch daring surfers do their thing.

The Biarritz Casino is also located right on La Grande Plage. The white building is one of the main gathering spots in the city and occasionally hosts events. Otherwise it’s not particularly interesting — unless, of course, you’re feeling lucky.

Côte des Basques

The Côte des Basques beach is on the other side of Biarritz’s city center and is a paradise for learning to surf.

In front of the beach there’s a small road with several stands where you can rent surfboards.

Besides surfing, there’s not a whole lot else to do at the Côte des Basques, since the wider stretch of sand only appears at low tide.

But the Côte des Basques has another ace up its sleeve: the view of the Atlantic coast from above.

About 200 steps and small switchback paths lead you from the beach up to a viewpoint. From there you have a fantastic vista of the sea — especially stunning at sunset. For us, it’s an absolute highlight in France.

Vieux Port

The Vieux Port beach is a very small sandy beach between the Côte des Basques and La Grande Plage.

Because it’s tucked into a small cove, the water is calm and it’s a great spot for swimming.

If you’re vacationing in Biarritz with kids, Vieux Port is ideal. Your little ones can go in the water here without being too exposed to strong ocean currents.

Unfortunately, the beach also disappears almost entirely at high tide.

Milady

Milady beach is located a bit outside of Biarritz and is more of a locals’ beach than a tourist one — which is exactly what we love about it.

What makes Milady special is all the greenery surrounding it.

So you can relax not just on the sandy beach, but also on the grassy area — perfect when the tide is in.

There’s also a small sandy path at the beach that’s great for a leisurely walk.

The path heads south toward the next dream beach, Plage d’Ilbarritz.

The Coolest Activities in Biarritz

Biarritz isn’t just about sightseeing — it’s also about everything you can do while you’re there. Here are our recommendations for cool activities in Biarritz.

Surfing in Biarritz

Biarritz is a surf city through and through. The conditions at the beaches are optimal, and pretty much everything in Biarritz revolves around surfing.

The best beach for beginner surfers is the Côte des Basques. Just make sure you only go in the water during the two-hour window before and after low tide.

At high tide, surfing can quickly become dangerous because the water reaches all the way to the rocks.

If you have some surfing experience, you can surf at any of the other beaches in Biarritz as well.

There are countless surf schools in Biarritz where you can try surfing for the first time.

We took surf lessons at the Axel Lerga Private Surf School and feel like we really learned to surf — at least that’s what we tell ourselves. Either way, we had a blast!

Our accommodation tip: If you’re coming to Biarritz mainly to surf, we recommend staying at the Surf Hostel Biarritz. It’s an affordable, friendly hostel where surfboards are included in the price.

Sunset at Côte des Basques

We already mentioned the stunning panoramic view at the Côte des Basques — but it really deserves its own section.

At sunset in particular, the viewpoint above the beach is seriously breathtaking.

The central meeting spot is Bar Etxola Bibi. Order a drink, watch the sun go down over the sea, and enjoy. It doesn’t get much more romantic than that!

Our Biarritz insider tip: The sunsets at other beaches like Milady or Ilbarritz are beautiful too. There are fewer people there, and you can enjoy the evening light right down on the sand.

Dining Out in Biarritz

Biarritz also has a lot to offer when it comes to food. Since we spent a good amount of time there, we worked our way through quite a few restaurants.

We especially loved the pizza at Little Trallala — honestly delicious and just like in Naples. The Mexican restaurant Les 3 Salsas is also highly recommended. The enchiladas are amazing!

If you’d rather try something typically Basque, your best bet is Le Tandem, right across from the Église Sainte-Eugénie.

For really great fish dishes, head to Casa Juan Pedro. The restaurant is tucked away at the Old Port and is a true under-the-radar pick. Seating is exclusively outdoors.

The Best Day Trips from Biarritz

The Basque Country has plenty more beautiful towns and landscapes to discover beyond Biarritz. Here are some stunning places along the French Atlantic coast that you shouldn’t miss.

Bayonne

We had never heard of Bayonne before coming to Biarritz. But it kept coming up as a recommendation, and people raved about the beautiful historic center in particular.

Of course we had to go check it out — and Bayonne completely won us over.

The city is full of charming houses in the typical Basque style. The Bayonne Cathedral is also very impressive, as is the beautiful courtyard of the church.

The wide Adour River flows through Bayonne, and you can stroll along it and take some great photos.

You can get there from Biarritz in about 30 minutes on Bus T1, departing from the Continental stop in Biarritz.

Bus tickets cost 1.30 euros per ride and are best purchased from the driver. Detailed route and ticket information is available online at Txiktxak, though only in French.

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Saint-Jean-de-Luz is less touristy than Biarritz, but its charming historic district still draws plenty of visitors. The town is located about 15 kilometers south of Biarritz in a sheltered bay on the coast.

You’ll find a long sandy beach with calm water here — making Saint-Jean-de-Luz a great option for a day trip with kids and for swimming.

From the Biarritz train station, you can reach Saint-Jean-de-Luz in 14 minutes by train. Tickets cost 4 euros per ride and can be purchased online at SNCF Connect or at the ticket machine.

The Biarritz train station is a bit outside the city center. By bus, it takes about 20 minutes from the Le Palais stop in the center to the station.

The ticket costs 1.30 euros and can be purchased from the driver.

Off the Beaten Path near Saint-Jean-de-Luz: Mirador de Belharra

If you have a car or rent a bike, we recommend continuing a short distance south along the coast from Saint-Jean-de-Luz to the Mirador de Belharra.

This viewpoint is right on a coastal main road and looks pretty unremarkable at first glance.

But from here you have a great view of the unusual rock formations that make for a fantastic photo subject.

San Sebastián

Biarritz is only about 30 kilometers from the border with Spain — so why not take a day trip to the neighboring country from France?

San Sebastián is the perfect day trip destination from Biarritz. The old town is beautiful and the food is outstanding.

San Sebastián is world-famous for its cuisine. Many Michelin-starred chefs have set up shop here, and excellent pintxos restaurants line up one after another. Pintxos is the local name for tapas in San Sebastián.

We recommend the bar La Cuchara de San Telmo — absolutely delicious!

San Sebastián is also a great place to spend the night. Our hotel tip is the lovely and affordable Pensión Peñaflorida.

Soorts-Hossegor

Soorts-Hossegor is a small beach town about 30 kilometers north of Biarritz.

Like Biarritz, Hossegor is also a well-known surf spot in southern France, with surfers everywhere in the water.

But even without surfing, Hossegor makes for a great day trip. The vibe in town is totally laid-back and there are lots of cute little shops perfect for leisurely browsing.

Our insider tip for Hossegor: We’re particularly fond of the beach at Capbreton, a little further south of Hossegor. Here you’ll find several graffiti-covered bunkers from World War II on the beach and in the water. They make for some really compelling photo subjects.

La Rhune

Biarritz isn’t far from the first peaks of the Pyrenees. So if you’ve had enough of the sea, you can easily escape to the mountains.

The nearest mountain to Biarritz is La Rhune. From its 905-meter summit, you’ll enjoy a breathtaking panorama of the Atlantic coast.

A historic rack railway takes you up to the top, or you can hike up to the summit. We chose a hiking route that starts at a parking lot near the village of Ascain.

You should be reasonably fit and have some hiking experience for this trail, as it involves a 730-meter elevation gain. Plan on just under five hours total for the ascent and descent.

You’ll need a car to get to the La Rhune trailhead.

Helpful Travel Tips for Biarritz

To make sure you’re perfectly prepared for your trip, here are a few important things to know before you go.

Getting to Biarritz

Biarritz has its own small airport. It mainly handles domestic flights within France, for example from Paris, Strasbourg, Nice, or Marseille.

There are also a few international connections — in summer, Ryanair flies directly from several European cities including Cologne.

From the Biarritz airport, bus line 36 takes you to the city center in about 20 minutes. A ticket costs 1.30 euros.

Alternatively, you can fly into San Sebastián or Bordeaux. From both airports, you can easily reach Biarritz by bus or train.

Also read our hotel tips for Bordeaux

Getting Around Biarritz

Getting around Biarritz is pretty easy. The city isn’t huge and the bus network is well developed.

There are even three bus lines you can ride for free — the so-called Navettes. These minibuses run every 30 minutes daily, except on Sundays.

On the Biarritz Tourism website you’ll find the route map and more information about the Navettes.

For all other buses, you pay 1.30 euros per ride. Tickets can be purchased from the driver. Schedule and route information can be found on the Txiktxak website.

Best Time to Visit Biarritz

Biarritz is already a very popular vacation spot within France, and it gets really crowded in peak summer. We’d recommend avoiding July and August for that reason.

Our pick for the ideal time to visit is April, May, and June, as well as September and October. The weather is pleasantly warm and there are far fewer tourists around. If we had to pick just one month, we’d go for a trip in April.

In winter there isn’t as much to do, as many shops and accommodations close during the winter months.

That said, if you’re simply craving peace and quiet and fresh sea air, a winter trip to Biarritz can be wonderful too.

Water Temperature in Biarritz

In July, August, and September the ocean in Biarritz is great for swimming. Water temperatures rise above 68°F (20°C) during those months — not super warm, but very pleasant for swimming and cooling off.

During the rest of the year, the water is too cold to swim without a wetsuit. In January, water temperatures can drop as low as 52°F (11°C).

Of course, you can still surf year-round with a wetsuit.