The elegant, aristocratic and famous seaside resort of Biarritz is located in a magnificent location on the shores of the Bay of Biscay in France.
Biarritz was a favorite vacation spot in summer time Empress Eugenie (wife of Napoleon III), who turned the fishing village into a fashionable resort town... To entertain her vacation, a stately palace was built, which now houses a luxury hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant. The city is filled with beautiful mansions adorned with turrets and historical monuments 19th century.
Although the history of influence on Biarritz has faded, the city still attracts visitors in search of a classic summer vacation... The pristine sandy beaches, beautiful coastal villas and stylish restaurants offer a sophisticated atmosphere. The wide coastal promenade and benches allow visitors to enjoy a stunning natural landscape... Biarritz is also the surf capital of Europe.
One of the city's largest beaches annually attracts crowds of tourists from all over the world. This beautiful wide sand beach starts at Bellevue, near Boulevard General de Gaulle, and extends to the Hotel Palais. In the summertime, the beach is filled with tourists and their colorful striped umbrellas. However, it is important to note that this beach has strong surf and water safety is monitored on a daily basis.
Swimming and surfing is prohibited at certain times due to strong currents. There is a promenade next to the beach, which is ideal for a leisurely scenic walk. This wide footpath offers stunning views of the breaking waves and views of the Biarritz Lighthouse. There are also many restaurants and cafes on it.
Located on a promontory at the end of the beach, the luxurious Palais Hotel was built by Emperor Napoleon III for his wife Eugenia. This magnificent palace is an national monument and illustrates all the greatness of the style of the second Empire.
Since 1893 the building has been used as a hotel. This luxurious five-star hotel offers golf courses and an elegant Michelin-starred restaurant. This is a luxurious place with great design and great ocean views. Guests are treated to the finest Basque cuisine while viewing the panoramic view of the beach.
This beautiful beach perfect place to relax and enjoy the refreshing seaside atmosphere. Miramar Beach has stunning scenery and romantic coastal surf. This secluded beach gives the feeling of calmness, waves of the sea and strong currents.
The condition of waves and currents should be considered before entering the water. Surfing is prohibited on this beach. It primarily attracts spa lovers who frequent the nearby Thalassa Sea & Spa. Miramar Beach attracts fewer tourists than the Grand Beach and has an old-fashioned charm. seaside resort especially in summer when striped beach umbrellas give it a retro look.
Museum of the sea
One of the main tourist attractions in Biarritz is the charming sea museum. The idea for the museum was conceived by the scientist Marquis de Folin in the 1880s, after he began the scientific discovery of the Bay of Biscay surrounding Biarritz.
The museum opened in 1935 with an emphasis on marine life found in the Bay of Biscay and aims to educate visitors about the importance of ocean water. The museum presents collections natural history and an impressive marine aquarium filled with the fauna of the nearby ocean.
It features an outdoor panoramic terrace, which is a popular tourist attraction. Other highlights include a special shark exhibit that shows their hunting and feeding.
Biarritz lighthouse
Symbolizing a historic seaside town, Biarritz Lighthouse has an important location overlooking the coast of Cape Hainsart. Built in 1834, the lighthouse is located on the outskirts of Saint-Martin and forms the border between sandy beaches in the south and the rocky coast of the Basque country in the north.
Visitors can climb the 248 steps of the lighthouse to admire the scenery from this incredible vantage point. At 73 meters high, the lighthouse has an exceptional panoramic view of Biarritz and the countryside.
Housed in an elegant 17th century building, this historic teahouse is one of the oldest establishments in Biarritz. Myrmont is famous for its classic bakery with eclairs, pastries and strawberry tart, and a selection of rare teas are also available. Founded in 1872, Myrmont has become part of the glory of Biarritz.
The Spanish king Alfonso XIII enjoyed the lunch here. King Edward VII of England appreciated fine French pastries. The Queen of Serbia often bought caramels for her friends, and Queen Amelia of Portugal had the habit of enjoying tea by the windowsill with good view... This teahouse offers stunning views of the Grand Beach and the Palais Hotel.
Tourists can sample local pastries or dine in the tea room. You can also purchase here Gift Baskets sweets, toffee and other sweets.
Rocher de la Vierge is one of the most romantic places Biarritz. It sits on a steep, narrow cliff in the ocean. Leads to him iron bridge designed by the workshops of Gustave Eiffel. As a focal point, at the top of the cliff, looking out to the sea, stands the statue of the Virgin Mary. Here visitors can immerse themselves in a magnificent panorama coastline, stretching from the mouth of the Adur River to the Spanish border.
Children's beaches
Vieux Beach is the best choice for families with children. This small secluded beach is located in a rocky gorge near the city center. Since the beach is located in a sheltered bay, the waves are small and safer than Miramar Beach. The water here is usually calm and offers Better conditions for swimming.
Since Vieux Beach is small and less crowded than other beaches in the city, it is an ideal summer destination. Another great beach for children is Milady Beach, which has a seafront promenade and a playground. He is very popular with local residents and bodyboarding.
Surf beaches
Plage de Basque is the most famous surf beach in Biarritz. Powerful waves create ideal surfing conditions and many competitions are held here. Safety Notes: First, surfers should be informed of how and when to get in and out of the water to avoid hitting rocks.
Swimming is allowed except at high tide. This beach is a great place to walk along the ocean, taking in the beautiful views of the coastline. Marbella beach is another favorite place surfers and bodyboarders. Magnificent sandy beach also a good choice for nature lovers. It is wild and harsh and can only be reached by a steep staircase. Access to it is difficult for people with disabilities.
Chocolate Museum
The history of chocolate is closely related to the history of the city. This museum allows visitors to learn about the heritage of chocolate in France, from its opening to the New World to its development into a gourmet drink and confectionery.
The museum has short educational videos and a collection of antique objects. Visitors have the opportunity to taste traditional hot chocolate made in an old-fashioned European style... The Chocolate Museum conducts cooking workshops and confectionery classes for children and adults.
Historical Museum
Housed in a former English church, the Biarritz History Museum was opened in 1986 by a local association. The museum has an extensive collection of documents, antiques and works of art.
Notable exhibits include Empress Eugenie's handwritten letters, paintings by Emperor Napoleon III, as well as medals and jewelry. There is also a video that offers a deeper understanding of the culture and history of the city. The collection of the history of the city begins from its origins, when it was small fishing village, before the fashionable resort that became known as the “resort of kings” or “the king of resorts”. Tours are held every third Saturday of the month.
Biarritz is famous for its famous beaches, medicinal water and amazing coastal scenery, offering visitors a unique atmosphere. Here, chic restaurants and resorts sit side by side with cozy little pizzerias and numerous surfer shops.
The atmosphere in Biarritz is quite mixed, in a good sense of the word. The city consists mainly of stately houses that imbue the architecture of the resort with luxury and pomp. At the same time, the streets of the city are not choking on snobs, but are filled with a simple and easy culture of surfers who have turned the resort of Biarritz into a kind of Mecca. This interesting contrast is part of Biarritz's personality.
Surfing is not just a very popular hobby in Biarritz, but has extremely deep roots here. Although not documented, it is rumored that surfing in Europe began in 1957 on the beaches of Biarritz, on the Plage de la Côte des Basques, to be more precise.
The start of the holiday season in Biarritz
May in Biarritz is the last month of spring and the weather at the end of the month is entering a stunningly beautiful summer season. Biarritz is well located in the Bay of Biscay on southwest coast France in the Basque Country. The expected average daytime temperature is 18 ° C (65 ° F). These are ideal conditions for exploring the sights of the city itself and the surrounding area.
Expert opinion
Knyazeva Victoria
Guide to Paris and France
Ask an expertAverage precipitation in May is about 114 mm. Usually, it rains for 16 days in May, and daylight hours lasts about 9 hours.
Around Biarritz, water temperatures average around 16 ° C (61 ° F) in May. Many surfers choose this month to raid the coasts. A visit to this particular month is actually very enjoyable as the weather starts to warm up, but there are still not many other tourists around. The beaches are still clean and families visiting Biarritz will find the water cool but pleasant.
September 10th, 2012
Biarritz(Biarritz), located on the Atlantic coast of the Bay of Biscay, in the French part of the Basque Country, only about 25 kilometers (by car) from the border with Spain, is a fairly well-known European balneological resort (“balneotherapy” in Latin means “treatment bathing ").
It's no joke to say that Emperor Napoleon III, Queen Amelie of Portugal, Empress Elizabeth of Austria, English kings Edward VII and George V, King Leopold II of Belgium, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and princes and princesses without counting ... Actress Sarah Bernhardt, pianist Arthur Rubinstein and dozens of other world stars gave chamber concerts in the villas and chateau of Biarritz. Aleksey Tolstoy, Aleksey Gorky, Anton Chekhov, Prosper Merimee and Stendhal, Theophile Gaultier and Gustave Flaubert combined rest with work ... an impressive list of names, isn't it ?!
About the name of the city. Biarritz is translated from the local (Basque) language as "Two cliffs" (bi arri). According to another version: its name comes from the pre-existing Bearrides or Beiarriods "thighs" (Basque), that is, "to see", and means "a place from where you can see." And, finally, the third version of the name, associated with the legend, which said that Biarritz acquired his name from the merger of two names - the beautiful Miarritz, a young resident of the village, and her lover, a fisherman from Gascony, whom the girl saved during a shipwreck. However, what was the name of the rescued Gascon, the legend is silent.
But, you must admit, in any case it sounds beautiful!))
What is known from the history of the city ... The first to populate the territory modern city, there were Vikings in 840. They settled here because it was ideal for whale fishing. At first, the Biarritz fishermen had a free life. In the Middle Ages, they were recognized as whale-catching champions. Demand gave birth to such an offer that pretty soon all the whales in the local waters were killed. The 15th century became a Black Age for the Basques - whales stopped appearing in the Bay of Biscay. Last time whales were seen here in 1686. But the whale still flaunts on the coat of arms of the city ...
Since then Biarritz has become a provincial village. But gradually the Spanish nobles explored this place, appreciated its beauty, the convenience of bays and beaches, and began to come here on vacation. The French followed after them. The Duchess of Montijo began visiting Biarritz in 1838. She always took her daughter, Evgenia, with her. It so happened that Eugene later became the wife of the future emperor Napoleon III (nephew of that very Napoleon Bonaparte). Evgenia invited her husband to places she knew well. The husband was captivated by the beauty of the local landscapes, allocated considerable sums from the royal bounty and built a luxurious palace, which he named in honor of his beloved wife - "Eugene". This event was no less important for Biarritz than the departure of whales to Pacific Ocean... In one year, the village forgotten by God turned into a fashionable aristocratic resort of the same class as Deauville, La Baule and Nice with Saint-Tropez. Until now, the city lives with the names of Napoleon and Eugene, although a century and a half have passed since then ...
Church of Saint-Eugenie ( Eglise Sainte-Eugenie) in the neo-Gothic style is dedicated to Saint Eugenia, patroness of Empress Eugenie. It looks pretty modern. It is known that the first church dedicated to St. Eugenie was built in Biarritz back in 1856. However, it was later demolished, and in 1898 the foundation stone of the present Church of Saint-Eugene was laid. The construction was completed in 1903. The bell tower above the entrance was built later than the main structure - only in 1927, and in 1931 bells appeared in the temple.
A wide staircase leads to the entrance to the church, where the parishioners are greeted by the figure of a standard bearer. The bas-relief above the entrance depicts the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ on her knees; the child stretches out his hand and, as it were, blesses the believers. The plot of the bas-relief to the right of the entrance reflects the ancient occupation of the inhabitants of Biarritz - whaling. The bas-relief on the right is made in the form of the city coat of arms.
Inside the church, attention is drawn to the model of a three-masted warship above the altar and wonderful stained-glass windows. Colorful paintings show the Sermon on the Mount, the Annunciation, the Entry to Jerusalem.
It should be noted that here in almost any church we went to (both Biarritz and Bayonne) there are very beautiful stained-glass windows.
For example, in the church of St. Joseph, which is opposite the City Market (Halles) on Place Sobradiel. Stained glass windows with female saints (Genevieve, Jeanne D "arc, etc.):
Notable also Imperial chapel(chapel) (La Chapelle Impériale) on the Avenue de la Marne, erected by the architect Boeswillwald in 1864 by order of Empress Eugenie in a style that is a mixture of Byzantine and Hispanic-Moorish. It was dedicated to the Black Virgin of the Notre-Mexican Virgin (Our Lady of Dame de Guadalupe). Received the status of a historical monument in 1981.
The chapel is built of bricks and consists of a single nave, preceded by a portico and completed with a semicircular apse. Inside, everything is in white doves and the initials NE (Napoleon & Eugene).
In the garden in front of the chapel there is a bust of the Empress.
View of the chapel from Avenue de la Reine Victoria (entrance from Avenue de la Marne):
Works for excursions only on Thursdays and Saturdays, from 14.30 to 18.00 - in summer months, and in autumn and winter - only on Saturdays and until 17.00.
Next to Du Palais on the avenue de l "Imperatrice" stands Russian Orthodox Church of the Intercession of the Virgin and St. Alexander Nevsky, founded in 1879 and became a clear confirmation of the growing status of Biarritz in the eyes of the Russian Imperial House. It is known that earlier one of the halls of the palace of Empress Eugenia was temporarily assigned to the church.
This church is one of the rare Orthodox churches in the south-west of France, built by Princess Yuryevskaya, the widow of Emperor Alexander II. Here, in this church, the cousin of Emperor Nicholas II, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, and the American Audrey Emery were married.
For the first time I was in a two-story church building, the iconostasis is located on the second floor, where you go up a wide wooden staircase. For some reason, it immediately "smelled of Russia" here, or maybe it was just incense ...
The church is surrounded by a forged fence, with a wicket, on the right is the courtyard where one of the most expensive premium cars, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, is parked, which allows us to conclude that churchmen live well abroad.)))
The history of Biarritz, of course, will tell you well Biarritz Historical Museum(Musee Historique), which is located on Rue Broquelis, in the former Eglise St-Andre.
The museum tells about the stages of the history of the city's development, from a small fishing port to a developed coastal resort. The exposition of the museum includes numerous costumes, furniture, paintings, photographs and other artifacts.
We looked there too ...
I'll tell you about the coastal attractions of the city ...
Biarritz is located on the Bay of Biscay in the Atlantic Ocean in southwestern France. Known for its beautiful beaches, it is the perfect destination for shopping, surfing and casino lovers.
This charming town, 19 km from the Spanish border, is home to the Municipal Casino. This beautiful building Art Deco style located right on the banks of the Grande Plage and offers over 200 slot machines.
Well known to wealthy people, Biarritz is not only a city of nightclubs and bars, but also perfect place to come with children. The site can be selected from different hotels, apartments and bed and breakfasts in the area.
Walk along the promenade to the sound of waves crashing against the rocks before visiting the white statue of the Madonna. The lighthouse offers breathtaking views of the Basque Coast. Climb the stairs and enjoy the view from the observation deck.
Biarritz has some of the finest golf courses in Europe. Planes land at Biarris-Anglet-Beyon Airport.
