This past weekend was spent à la plage (at the beach) in Biarritz. Biarritz is one place that I told myself I have to visit before I leave France -- everyone who I work with at my school and a few of my assistant friends have been there and they all say it's beautiful. It is a seaside town located south of Aiguillon, right above the border between France and Spain. It is also near the town of Bayonne, which I visited too. Both Biarritz and Bayonne are known for their typical "Pays Basque" architecture as they are the chief towns of the French Basque County, a region lying in the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
I arrived at Biarritz Friday evening after my classes. My friend, Ernesto, met me at the train station and we took a bus back to the Airbnb. We were both pretty hungry that night, so we ate at an Asian restaurant before walking around.
We got there pretty late, so we had to order quickly before the kitchen closed. I ordered shrimp dumpling soup.
After eating, we decided to walk Biarritz by night. Our Airbnb was right by the beach, so it was a short walk to get there. We continued walking along the path to see the rocks in and around the water, sand, and waves.
After climbing many hills and seeing this elegant seaside village by night, it was time to head back to the Airbnb to finally hit the hay.
The following morning, we woke up to nice weather and a beautiful view of the beach in Biarritz.
The town of Biarritz looks onto the Bay of Biscay. The buildings you see on the right are the sprawling Hôtel du Palais, originally built for Empress Eugénie around 1855. Napoleon III and the British are largely responsible for the growth of Biarritz. Visited by Queen Victoria, Edward VII, and Alfonso XIII of Spain, Biarritz began to call itself “the queen of resorts and the resort of kings.”
On Saturday, we split our day: during the morning and early afternoon, we visited Bayonne, and for the rest of the afternoon and night, we went back to Biarritz. Bayonne is a town right beside Biarritz, about 10 minutes away. There, we saw more Pays-Basque type architecture, we went to a gorgeous gothic cathedral, and we ate some fresh food for lunch at a colorful market.
The town of Bayonne is a city with strong Basque and Gascon influences. The Nive river divides Bayonne into Grand Bayonne and Petit Bayonne with five bridges between the two. The houses lining the Nive are examples of Basque architecture, with half-timbering and shutters in the national colors of red and green.
Grand Bayonne is the commercial and civic hub. It is lined with small pedestrianized streets packed with shops, plus the cathedral and Hôtel de Ville.
A church we visited in Bayonne was the Cathédrale Sainte-Marie de Bayonne. This church is an imposing, elegant Gothic building, which rises over the houses and narrow streets. It was constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries, with the south tower completed in the 16th century and the cathedral completed in the 19th century with the north tower. As you can see below, its cloisters are charming with their rich colors and beautiful stained-glass windows.
After walking around the shops and visiting the church, we went to a few outdoor markets that had many stands and vendors selling fresh food. There, Ernesto got frog legs and chorizo rice (top), and I got paella and potatoes (bottom).
Our food was good, albeit a bit cold. I did try the frog legs or les cuisses de grenouille (upper left corner), which were not too bad! They tasted similar to fish, and had a garlic, oil and pesto-based sauce on them. The bones in frog legs are bigger than fish bones, so be aware of that if you decide to try one of these delicacies yourself. After lunch, we got some ice cream to top it all off!
We continued to explore Bayonne a little more and then shortly after our ice cream, we went back to Biarritz. We wanted to see the beach in the daylight!
Upon arriving in Biarritz, we walked along La Grande Plage, Biarritz's largest beach.
The beaches in Biarritz are split by rocky promontories. These rocks are an important part of the city's culture and every year, they erode by an estimated 70 centimeters.
The Rock of the Virgin Mary is a famous landmark in Biarritz. According to the legend, there were a group of fisherman out at sea hunting whales when a terrible storm caught up with them. A divine light guided them back to the port and survivors built a statue of the Virgin Mary in gratitude. There is a metal bridge designed there by Gustave Eiffel, which still stands to this day. You can take a pleasant stroll out there to enjoy the Basque coastline.
Biarritz is also known for its casinos that surround the beach and its surfing culture. We saw a number of surfers on the sand and in the water that day.
Le phare (the lighthouse)
Biarritz has a lot of the Pays-Basque architecture, like these houses. A maison basque is called a Baserri, which is a traditional half-timbered or stone-built housebarn. They are common in Northern Spain and Southwestern France.
This is the Russian Orthodox Church, built in the 19th century for visiting Russian aristocrats. It is known for its famous blue dome.
Biarritz during sunset
We ended the night with some delicious burgers at a sports bar playing the France vs. England rugby game. I got the burger classique and Ernesto got the burger basque, which had goat cheese on it.
The next day, Sunday, I walked along the beach one last time and then Ernesto and I took our train from Biarritz to Bordeaux. After that train, we both had to wait for about an hour. Then, I took my next train from Bordeaux to Aiguillon, which had a big delay when I was just two stops from Aiguillon! It was frustrating, but that's typical of the French trains -- they aren't known for being very reliable on the weekends. Anyway, I finally got home, safe and sound.
Overall, I would 100% recommend Biarritz as a place to visit if you are ever in France. It is an elegant and festive town filled with resorts, nice beaches to walk along, plenty of restaurants, as well as golfing and surfing opportunities. There is a surfing festival in July, a center for thalassotherapy (the use of seawater, algae, mud, and other marine items as therapeutic treatment), and an aquarium too. And finally, it is an area rich with history of Basque folklore and traditions.
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