*A view of the Grand Plage from the lighthouse in Biarritz along the Basque Coast of France*

I actually just muttered out loud to Chip "how will I ever write about Biarritz?" As usual, summing up our time seemed like an impossible task. With a history as royalty’s summer resort destination and Europe's birthplace of surfing, Biarritz perfectly marries grandeur with laid back. In the three weeks that we spent here, we found ourselves slipping into sweet European beach life effortlessly. On several different occasions Chip and I would catch ourselves eyeing the real estate brochures in windowfronts and discussing what life might look like if we moved to Biarritz. Now looking back, it almost felt like we spent a whole year there with the amount we did and saw. Perhaps it was because my eyes, body, and mind hadn’t been in a place of such stark contrast to the U.S. in quite a few years. Flashbacks of silly moments with the boys as waves pummel our bodies, strolling through the cheerful Halles de Biarritz food market (almost daily), grandparent visits, sunset runs along the coastline, the colorful culture, people, and food all come flooding back like it was yesterday. I can’t quite put my finger on what was so special about Biarritz, but you’ll just have to take my word for it, and go and see for yourself.

A Warm Welcome to Biarritz!

After the most beautiful, meandering train ride from Paris then southwest to Biarritz, we were graciously welcomed at the Bayonne train station by our airbnb host, Alain. He felt more like a long-lost uncle as he embraced us with a warm hug and set us comfortably into his small, zippy European car. As we drove the twenty minutes from the station to our airbnb (his former house in downtown Biarritz), he filled our heads with stories and history of the area, recommendations on where to eat, and excitedly pointed out the window at places we must see. As we crested a hill, he quickly veered off the road and into a small parking lot. He exclaimed with enthusiasm “you have to see this view!” We threw open the car doors and first saw the lighthouse perched on the rocky cliffside. We neared the edge of the cliff and a panoramic of Biarritz town, the ocean, and beyond came into full view (photo at the top of this page). All the internet pictures we saw leading up to this point didn’t compare to an in-person look at where we would be calling home for the next three weeks.

A few minutes later, the view we had just witnessed at the lighthouse stretched out in front of us and we were at level with the beach. A block later, we pulled off onto a narrow street, and Alain parked the car. We looked up at the historic façade of a three-story brick building complete with deep maroon shutters on large windows and wrought iron balconies calling for us to come relax on. Once inside he led us up a flight of wooden stairs to our spacious three bedroom, two bath apartment. We quickly threw open all the shutters and basked in the fact that we had made it! After a quick rundown of the apartment, Alain left us to our vacation. With it being close to 9 pm, we rushed down to the beach to have a closer look, then came back to our home away from home for a good night’s rest.

Le Grand Plage

The main hub of Biarritz, and where we began and ended each day: the Grand Plage. All the action revolves around this main beach. My eyes never did tire of the variety of things to look at. Colorful umbrellas dotted the beach in neat rows, old buildings hugged the rugged coastline, huge rocks jut out on the left and right side of the crescent shaped beach, the lighthouse beckons on the hillside to the right, and people surfing catch my eye to the left. Not to mention the insane amount of restaurants, shops, and ice cream vendors that kept us fed and hydrated on our beach days. Everything you could possibly need was at your fingertips at this beach. At least a portion of each day was spent here surfing, boogie boarding, body surfing the shoreline waves, playing paddle ball, or digging in the sand. On the hottest of days, the beach vibrated with energy from all the happy beachgoers. This beach is definitely up there with one of my all time faves.

Bastille Day in Biarritz

One of my favorite memories is seeing this section of beach lit up at night on Bastille Day by an elaborate firework display. This just so happened to land on the same day that Chip’s parents arrived in France. Surprisingly, because everyone was tired and because the show didn’t begin until after 11 pm, we almost all didn’t go. But in a split second decision we woke up the boys and Chip’s parents from their slumber, and all rushed down to the beach. I swear, every person in Biarritz came out to celebrate. The beach radiated with excitement, and everyone waited in anticipation for the firework show to begin. Soon the crowd hushed, and the first firework shot up into the sky illuminating the ocean and rocky coastline below in various colors of the rainbow. It was the most beautiful (and surprisingly long) firework show I’ve ever witnessed! What an absolute treat to be able to experience the celebration of Bastille Day in Biarritz.

Bastille Day fireworks celebration on the Grande Plage!

Biarritz Wanderings

What makes Biarritz so family-friendly (or just so easy for anyone!) is the walking path that extends out from either side of the Grand Plage. One way leads you up and around to beach coves complete with tide pooling, corners and alleyways filled with restaurants, a narrow shopping street, bridges that lead you out over the ocean, the Biarritz aquarium, the quaintest beach with palace views (which I mention in the next section), a small market along the water’s edge, a beachside skatepark, gardens, tunnels, and so much more. We walked this stretch almost everyday. There is so much to see and do. The opposite direction of the Grand Plage takes you past beach caves, up narrow set of stone stairs, to a gentle path that winds up top to the lighthouse with, of course, more sweeping views.

*Now on the other side of the palace - Villa Belza at sunset, Biarritz*

The view of all views. The Grand Plage (and beyond) from the lighthouse.

Plage du Port Vieux - the most picturesque beach!

Because this beach is so cute, so picturesque, so absolutely perfectly French, I took the 15 minute walk every day from our home to visit it. This small and charming beach situated along the rocky cove and sheltered from winds and waves has swimming, cliff jumping, snorkeling, and palace views. We spent so much time swimming and surfing at the Grand Plage, that my only request on my birthday was to spend a few hours at Plage Du Port Vieux. We had the most stunning day, and loved every second swimming and jumping off the rocky platform (see video below)!

Fêtes de Bayonne, France’s Largest Festival

I still cannot believe we timed our trip to coincide with France’s largest festival, and it just happened to be in Bayonne, the neighboring town to Biarritz. It all starts on a Wednesday night when the festival’s mascot, King Leon, throws the city keys from the town hall balcony, down to the massed crowd below. This kicks off five days and nights of non-stop fun. The festival apparently began back in the 1930’s when locals decided to create their own version of the San Fermin festival of Pamplona, aka the running of the bulls. This is why the official uniform is the same as in Pamplona and party-goers wear all white with a red scarf and a red belt, which you’ll see we also donned.

We decided to commit to one full day of the festival. After dressing up in our white and red garb, we headed to the bus stop for an absolutely epic fifteen minute ride to the festival. The bus was packed like sardines with humans of all ages, everyone excited while donning their red and white attire. We were dropped off with several other buses, filled with more festival goers, and we all filed out and headed towards the entrance. The buzz of the crowd was invigorating!

Although the bulls are a main attraction of the Fetes de Bayonne (they were a little scary to us), there is SO much more going on. King Leon, who is based on a comic book figure, is woken up each morning by children while other giant costumed characters roam the streets. Then there are carnival-like parades, Basque sport competitions, tamborradas (an impressive parade of noisy drummers), traditional Basque dance and music, nightly concerts, carnival rides, games, and fireworks displays. Everywhere we would turn, something more fascinating was going on. After a full hour taking it all in, we did what we do best: hopped into a SPAR Supermarche to gather all the cheese, meat, bread, and drinks to last us a couple hours. Then proceeded to sit on the curb of a busy pedestrian street, atop cardboard pieces to keep us clean of course, and people watched. It was the most fun and eventful hour of our lives.

Another highlight to our day was partaking in carnival games. As foreigners not truly knowing the French language we must have been pretty funny (possibly annoying). One game, ring toss, Reid ended up tossing three rings on three prizes. Each time the ring would go around a prize, we screamed and cheered even louder than the prize before. By the end, he had won Beats headphones, a hookah, and a speaker. Or so we thought. Apparently after all that excitement, in broken English the carnie broke the news to us that the ring had to go around the item and then all the way down to its base. Reid was heartbroken! He had gone from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.

Packed bus to the festival

Festival Attire!

"Almost" winning a speaker, headphones, & hookah

King Leon

Hippodrome Horse Races

Another absolutely unique and new experience we discovered in Biarritz were the evening horse races! Every July in Biarritz, harnessed and mounted trotting races take place on a sand track at the Biarritz Hippodrome. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to, but Alain promised a fantastic experience so we went for it one evening. We couldn’t believe how up close and personal you could get to the racecourse and horses! It was so neat. We even did some betting on our favorite horses, but sadly lost. We loved the laidback atmosphere where you could grab bites of food or glasses of wine but also be standing front and center as the race took place. The icing on the cake was our bus ride back into town. Since we went to the horse race during the Bayonne Festival, we rode another jam packed bus home. It was around 10 pm and we were the only people with kids and in regular clothing. Everyone had definitely had enough to drink and were singing some French anthem at the top of their lungs, the entire bus crescendoing . At one point, we realized the bus wasn’t going to stop at our usual bus stop so from the back of the bus all the French kids yelled up to the driver to let us off. As he pulled over to let us off, the entire bus shouted and waved goodbye to us. What a ride!

A Basque Farewell

On one of our final afternoons in Biarritz, Alain and his wife, Monique, invited us over to their home for a traditional Basque meal. We prepped the boys that they’d be trying new food, and they surprised us by eating almost a bowl each of Basque mussels (which Alain explained are only available a short time of the year). Everything prepared was delicious, and we topped the day off with swimming in their pool and playing with their cute dog, Yoko. Thank you to Alain and Monique for treating us as family!

Side Trips from Biarritz

The location of Biarritz is essentially perfect with it being in southwest France and practically on the border of Spain - there are no shortage of side trips you can take. Below is a list and blog link to the side trips we ventured on while in Biarritz.

1) St Emilion and Bordeaux Wine Region (2.5 hours north)
2) St Jean De Luz, France (30 minutes south)
3) San Sebastian, Spain (45 minutes south)
4) Durango, Spain (1.5 hours south)
5) Carcassonne, France (4 hours east)

Until We Meet again, Biarritz!

As you can see (or read), our time in Biarritz was unmatched. Chip found, essentially,
the most quintessential European town for us to spend nearly a month in. Surfing, food, culture, location, …the list could go on. Everything was timed absolutely perfect. We ask ourselves weekly, how will we ever find a place that beats Biarritz. And who knows, maybe we never will. But, alas, we are on the hunt again, to find another gem. For summer 2024, we head to Portugal. Ericeira to be exact. A World Surf Reserve. So stay tuned for more!

Up Next In France…

Chip headed back to the U.S. to work after Biarritz - But the boys and I decided to stay and wander around more of France. Next we head to Carcassonne, famous for its medieval citadel. What a place, but also, let me tell you…we run into some trouble! Read all about that adventure here!