Biarritz lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in southwestern France. It is adjacent to Bayonne (France) and Anglet and 11 miles (18 km) from the border with Spain.

By car:

Biarritz is about 7 and half hours from Paris, at about 480 miles (775 km). Biarritz is easily accessed via the D911 road, off the N10. These routes are close to the A63 - a road connecting Belin-Béliet to Bayonne to the border of Spain. In a general idea, heading towards Bayonne, and then directing on the local by-roads to Biarritz is the most straight-forward route. The following are general roads to follow to reach Biarritz:

    * Paris - A10, N10, A63 (E05)
    * Lyon - A7, A9, A61, N117, A64 (E15-E80)
    * Marseille - A54, A9, A61, N117, A64 (E15-E80)
    * Bilbao - A1 (E70)
    * Madrid - N1, A1 (E70)

By train

Biarritz train station is 2 miles (3 km) from the town centre. For information on trains to and from Biarritz, visit the SNCF website.

    * Paris → Biarritz

    About 5 hours via TGV. Changes may include Bayonne and Dax Gare.

Prices are between 55 and 70 euros.

By bus

Buses arrive on square d'Ixelles, in the centre of Biarritz. There are buses from Bayonne, Anglet, Pau, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye and some trans-border buses from Spain.
[edit] By plane

Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne International Airport [1] is located 3 km (2 miles) from the town centre. Tel: 33 (0)5 59 43 83 83

Direct flights from:

    * Paris Orly - 4 to 5 flights a day with Air France - flying time 1hr 20min
    * Paris Charles de Gaulle - 3 flights a day with Air France - flying time 1hr 20min
    * Lyon - daily flights with Air France - flying time 1hr 20min
    * London Stansted - daily flights with Ryanair - flying time 1hr 45min
    * Dublin - 4 flights per week with Ryanair - flying time 2hrs
    * Shannon - 3 flights per week with Ryanair - flying time 2hrs 10min

Getting around

On foot

Biarritz is very pedestrianised, and it is easy to get around the town centre, to the beaches, and to the best spots for surfing or shopping. This means whatever your holiday needs is a short and pleasant walking distance away. However, it can be quite hilly in places.

By bus

There is an excellent bus network, including Bayonne and Anglet, and bus journeys are a flat Euro 1.20 payable in cash on the bus. Cheaper multiple journey tickets are also available, but cannot be bought on the bus. Bus 6 leaves from the aiport to the centre every 15-20 minutes. There is no bus between the train station and the airport, but its a straightforward 40 minute walk.

What to See

Biarritz is famous for its coast and the rocks in the sea. There is the church of Sainte Eugenie, a Russian Orthodox church, the Museum of the Sea (entrance about 6 euros) with a lot of interesting animals like different kinds of fish, anemones, sharks and seals in aquariums and other topics like fishing in the last centuries, birds, catching whales. Then there is a Museum of Asian Art and a lighthouse (entrance 2 euros).

What to Do

The beaches are excellent and this is a major surf resort. The main beach, Grand Plage, gets very crowded, but there is also a long surfers' beach on the Boulevard du Prince de Galles, called Cote de Basque, that has almost no sand at high tide, but is superb at low tide. The surf beaches at Anglet are easily accessible by bus, and surfboards that aren't too big are allowed on the local buses in the summer at least. There is a small beach by the Esplanade du Porte Vieux that is good for swimming when the surfer's beach is closed.