Parc Municipal

The Parc Municipal, often called the Jardin Public, is the main public garden of central Biarritz, a green space close to the town centre, the Halles market and the railway station, away from the seafront. Most visitors to Biarritz head straight for the beach and the Rocher de la Vierge, so this garden offers a quieter side of the town, where residents walk, sit and let their children play. It is a simple park rather than a monument, but it plays a real part in daily life and in the cultural programme of the town.

Biarritz's rise as a resort began in the middle of the nineteenth century, when Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie made the town their summer retreat, and the village of whalers and fishermen was transformed into a fashionable resort of villas, hotels and gardens. Over the following decades, the town developed a network of promenades and green spaces to suit the habits of its visitors, many of them British and Russian. The public garden belongs to this period of expansion at the beginning of the twentieth century, and its layout of lawns, alleys and groups of trees reflects the taste of the Belle Époque. The garden's trees include exotic species from other continents, which thrive in the mild, damp climate of the Basque coast, and give the garden a lush, subtropical look.

The central area of the park works as an open-air stage for events. During the Temps d'Aimer festival, an annual celebration of dance held each September, performances take place in the garden, with dancers and musicians drawing audiences to the lawn. Other events and concerts are held at various times of the year, and the garden is an agreeable place for a picnic. Paths link the park to the station area, where the old Gare du Midi, a building from the early twentieth century that has been converted into a cultural venue, and the Halles, the covered market, form part of the same neighbourhood.

The Halles de Biarritz are well worth a visit. The covered market, which dates from the late nineteenth century, sells fish from the Atlantic, vegetables, cheeses and charcuterie from the Basque Country, Espelette pepper, and gâteau basque, and several of the stalls serve lunch. It is a good place to put together a picnic to eat in the garden. The rest of Biarritz is a short walk or bus ride away: the Grande Plage, the Rocher de la Vierge, the Phare de Biarritz and the Côte des Basques are the highlights of the coast, and the Musée Basque et de l'Histoire de Biarritz shows the local story.

The garden suits families, walkers and anyone looking for a calm interlude in a busy town. It is free to enter, and open every day. The best seasons are spring and early autumn, when the weather is mild, and the trees are in leaf. Bring a picnic from the market, and allow an hour or so.