La Grande Plage

La Grande Plage is the beach that made Biarritz. It curves for a good stretch of sand between the rocky headland of the Rocher de la Vierge to the south and the quieter Plage du Miramar to the north, with the Atlantic rolling in directly from the Bay of Biscay. At low tide the sand widens into a broad flat expanse, at high tide the water reaches the foot of the seafront promenade, and the whole scene is framed by the buildings that line the shore.

The beach owes its status to a royal visit. In the 1850s Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III and a regular visitor to the area since childhood, had a seaside villa built here, and the Imperial court's summers in Biarritz turned a Basque fishing and whaling village into fashionable resort. That villa became the Hôtel du Palais, which still dominates the beach. The original building burned in 1903 and was rebuilt in the following years, and it now operates as a luxury hotel in The Unbound Collection by Hyatt. Whether or not you stay there, its brick-and-stone Empire-style facade is the landmark you orient yourself by.

The seafront is a mix of belle époque and later buildings, with the Casino Municipal and rows of villas and apartment blocks along the promenade. If you compare it with the seafront at Nice, the atmosphere is different: sand rather than pebbles, Atlantic swell rather than a calm Mediterranean, and a cooler, windier climate. The water is cool for much of the year, so swimming is mostly a summer activity, and flags show where it is safe to bathe in the lifeguarded zones.

Biarritz is also where surfing arrived in Europe. American screenwriter Peter Viertel brought boards here in the mid-1950s while working on a film, and the town has been a surf capital ever since. The Grande Plage gets waves that suit beginners and longboarders in the right conditions, and surf schools operate along it, while more experienced surfers head to the Côte des Basques, south of the Rocher de la Vierge. Sitting on the sea wall and watching the lines of surfers is a pastime in its own right.

A walk is the best way to use the beach even out of season. From the Grande Plage you can head south to the Rocher de la Vierge, the rock topped by a statue of the Virgin and linked to the shore by a footbridge, or north along the coast to the Phare de Biarritz, the lighthouse on the headland, and the Plage du Miramar on the way. The beach suits families, couples and anyone who wants Atlantic scenery in a setting with cafés, shops and the town's main sights within a few minutes' walk. Bring a windbreak and a layer for the evening, since the breeze off the ocean can be strong even on sunny days.