Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...

, on the Atlantic coast in the

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...

department in the

French Basque Country The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided ...

in southwestern France. It is located from the border with

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is a luxurious seaside tourist destination known for the Hôtel du Palais (originally built for the Empress Eugénie ), its seafront casinos, and its surfing culture.

Geography

Biarritz is located in the

department in the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

. It is part of the

arrondissement of Bayonne An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, and certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissemen ...

, adjacent to

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

and Anglet and from the border with Spain. The city is also in the traditional province of

Labourd Labourd (; ; ; ) is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques '' département'' of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It is one of the traditional Basque provinces, and identified as one of the territorial component pa ...

in the

Climate

Biarritz has a

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

, Cfb in the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

. It is one of the wettest cities in Metropolitan France.

Etymology

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

, its name is Biarritz or Miarritze. Its current Gascon name is Biàrrits. The name for an inhabitant of the city is Biarrot in French and Biarriztar or Miarriztar in Basque. The suffix ''-itz'', as in Isturitz, is a Basque locative. Biarritz appears as ''Bearids'' and ''Bearriz'' in 1150, ''Beiarridz'' in 1165, ''Bearriz'' and ''Beariz'' in 1170, ''Bearidz'' (1186), ''Bearriz'' and ''Beariz'' (12th century), ''lo port de Beiarriz'' and ''Bearridz'' in 1261 (cartulaire de Bayonne). Other forms include ''Beiarid'' (1199), ''Bearritz'' (1249), ''Beiarriz'' and ''Beiarrids'' (1261), ''Bearridz'' (1281), ''Bearrits'' (1338), (rôles gascons), ''Bearritz'' (1498, chapitre de Bayonne), ''Sanctus Martinus de Biarriz'' (1689, collations du diocèse de Bayonne, ''Mearritcen'' (1712), ''Biarrits'' (1863, Dictionnaire topographique Béarn-Pays basque), as well as ''Biarritze'' and ''Miarritze''.

History

Prehistory

Analysis of stones from the

Middle Paleolithic The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle P ...

shows that the Biarritz area was inhabited at that time.

Middle Ages

The oldest mention of the city appears in a cartulary, ''Bayonne's Golden book'', from 1186, where it is named Bearids; some years later the name used was Beiarrids. The first urban development was to the south, at the top, and at the interior. Today this is near the location of the église Saint-Martin, the oldest church in Biarritz. In 1152, Eleanor of Aquitaine married

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with the ...

, who became suzerain of the

Duchy of Aquitaine The Duchy of Aquitaine (, ; , ) was a historical fiefdom located in the western, central, and southern areas of present-day France, south of the river Loire. The full extent of the duchy, as well as its name, fluctuated greatly over the centuries ...

. Prince Edward, the oldest son of Henry III of England, was invested with the duchy and betrothed to Eleanor of Castile, who brought him rights over

Gascony Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...

. Two population centers are attested in the Middle Ages. On the one hand, the église Saint-Martin was active in the neighborhoods in the territory's interior, which were: On the other hand, the château of Belay (first mentioned in 1342), also called château de Ferragus, protected the coast and the current Port-Vieux (old port), while religious life and community assemblies took place at Notre-Dame-de-Pitié (a chapel mentioned in 1498), dominating the Port-des-Pêcheurs, or fishing port. A document dated May 26, 1342, attested to this fishing activity, authorising les Biarrots to "(…) remit to

all the fresh fish that we and succeeding inhabitants of Biarritz can fish from the salt sea". Construction of the château de Ferragus was initiated by the English, on the foundations of a Roman work, at the summit of the promontory overlooking the sea, named Atalaye, used as a whale-observation post. This château had a double crenulated wall two meters thick, a drawbridge and four towers. Mentions of this château occur as late as 1603, in the letters patent of Henry IV. One tower remained as of 1739 when a daymark was established there, called ''de la Haille'', then ''de la Humade''. The tower disappeared in 1856.

Whaling

Most of the documents, records and official agreements gathered in the archives from Biarritz mention

whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...

. This was the principal local industry. Consequently, the town's coat of arms features the image of a whale below a rowing boat manned by five sailors wearing berets, one of whom is preparing to throw a harpoon. It bears the inscription: ''Aura, sidus, mare, adjuvant me'' (The air, the stars and the seas are helping me). Biarritz has long made its living from the sea. After the 7th century, Biarritz had many confrontations with Bayonne, with the

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from the late 9th century, when it was unified from various Heptarchy, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland to f ...

– Lapurdi was under English control – and with the Bishop of Bayonne. Almost all of the disputes were about whale hunting. In 1284, the town's right to hunt whales was reinstated by the authorities of Lapurdi and the

. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

and

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

, a watchtower looked down over the sea at Biarritz, from "La Humade", waiting for the sight of a whale. Whenever those keeping watch saw a whale, they would burn wet straw to create a large amount of smoke and thus communicate the news to their fellow countrymen. Eventually, however, the tower disappeared. In the 16th century, as a consequence of hunting in the area, or for other reasons, the whales migrated elsewhere. Whale hunters from Lapurdi, therefore, crossed the Atlantic Ocean in pursuit of them and spent over a century in the

Labrador Peninsula The Labrador Peninsula, also called Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, is a large peninsula in eastern Canada. It is bounded by Hudson Bay to the west, the Hudson Strait to the north, the Labrador Sea to the east, Strait of Belle Isle and the Gulf of ...

and on

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. Later, instead of hunting whales, they started to fish for cod in Newfoundland. A century later, due to the ban on fishing off the coasts of North America and the steely competence of English and Dutch fishermen, the number of fishing boats from Biarritz diminished, and nowadays the Biarritz fishing industry in these areas has come to an end. The first lighthouse in the village was built in 1650.

18th century

Biarritz was an independent municipality until 1784 with a clergyman and four aldermen, and the city was governed by twelve deputies. Deputies were democratically chosen: there were four districts (Portua, Bustingorri, Hurlaga and Alto), and three deputies had to be chosen from each of them. However, deputies were chosen by the abbot and aldermen. Since there was no Town Hall, they gathered in a ward near the church. As there was not enough space for all in attendance, they held their meetings in the cemetery. Biarritz had around 1,700 citizens at this time. In the 18th century, doctors claimed that the ocean at Biarritz had therapeutic properties, inspiring patients to make pilgrimages to the beach for alleged cures for their ailments. The city began to transition into a world-famous

spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath, Somerset, Ba ...

in the mid-1700s.

19th century

From 1784 onwards, after the French Revolution, bathing in the sea was no longer reserved for the mentally ill; sea-baths became fashionable. In 1808,

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

himself broke with prejudices and bathed in the Basque Country's coastal waters. In 1840, the Municipality of Biarritz started an initiative to attract tourists to the seaside.

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

, who visited in 1843, wrote glowingly of Biarritz in his book ''Alpes et Pyrénées'': For good or for ill, Hugo's prophecy was fulfilled. Biarritz planted poplars,

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...

s, hydrangeas,

rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

s and

pittosporum ''Pittosporum'' ( or The first pronunciation is that expected for traditional English pronunciation of Latin, Anglo-Latin; the second is common in nurseries. ''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607) is a genus of about 250 species of flow ...

s on the slopes and the hills, set railings on the dunes, covered moats with elegant stairs and polluted with land speculation and hunger for money. Tourists have long been drawn to Biarritz's coast, from the beach at the limit of Bidarte (Plage des Basques), to the cape of Saint Martin. There a tall white lighthouse can be found, constructed in 1834 to replace the one

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

had ordered built. Various hotels appeared, as did a municipal casino, the Belleuve club, the casino, the thalassotherapy house, and wonderful luxury houses. Luxurious branches of shops from London and Paris were also set up, and 36 small newspapers were published. Biarritz gained renown in 1854 when Empress Eugenie (the wife of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

) built a palace on the beach (now the '' Hôtel du Palais''). European royalty, including British monarchs

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and King Edward VII (who caused a minor scandal when he called H. H. Asquith to kiss hands at Biarritz in 1908 rather than return to London for the ceremony), and the Spanish king

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena''; French language, French: ''Alphonse Léon Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidore Pascal Antoine de Bourbon''; 17 May ...

, were frequent visitors. Biarritz's casino (opened 10 August 1901) and beaches make the town a notable tourist centre for Europeans and East Coast North Americans. Opened in June 1893, Biarritz's salt baths were designed and built by the architect Lagarde. Sourced from the gatzagas of Beskoitz and passing through a pipe, water ten times saltier than the sea was used. The baths were closed in 1953 and demolished in 1968. The presence of the

French Republic France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

's authorities and the launch of the Paris– Hendaye train led Biarritz to become one of the most outstanding tourist areas in Europe. The queen of the beaches became the beach of the kings and queens:

Oscar II of Sweden Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of Oscar I of Sweden, King Oscar I and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, Queen J ...

, Leopold of Belgium, empress of Russia Maria Feodorovna, mother of

Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until Abdication of Nicholas II, hi ...

Empress Elisabeth of Austria Elisabeth (born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898), nicknamed Sisi or Sissi, was Empress of Austria and List of Hungarian consorts, Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Franz Joseph I of Austri ...

, Natalie of Serbia and her son Alexander I of Serbia,

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

from Britain,

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

and Britain's

, Alfonso XIII of Spain, as well aristocrats, rich people and actors from Europe and South America. In the summer, people of high status gathered in Biarritz. The population thereby increased considerably, from 5,000 to 18,000. At the end of the 19th century, 50,000 vacationers were gathering in Biarritz.

''Belle Époque''

During the

Belle Époque The Belle Époque () or La Belle Époque () was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the Fr ...

of European peace and prosperity, in 1894, a department store called ''Biarritz Bonheur was'' created. It was enlarged twice (in 1911 and 1926). It became the temple of luxury and fashion. By the start of the 20th century, most of its workers spoke English.

After World War II

At the end of World War II in Europe, the U.S. Army's Information and Educational Branch was ordered to establish an overseas university campus for demobilized American servicemen and women in the French resort town of Biarritz. Under General Samuel L. McCroskey, the hotels and casinos of Biarritz were converted into quarters, labs, and class spaces for U.S. service personnel. The University opened on 10 August 1945 and about 10,000 students attended an eight-week term. This campus was set up to provide a transition between army life and subsequent attendance at a university in the US, so students attended for just one term. After three successful terms, the G.I. University closed in March 1946 (see G. I. American Universities).

The arrival of surfing in Europe

In 1957, American film director Peter Viertel was in Biarritz with his British wife, actress Deborah Kerr, working on the film '' The Sun Also Rises''. One of his Californian friends came for a visit and his use of a surfboard off Biarritz is recognized as the first time

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

was practised in Europe. Biarritz eventually became one of the most popular European spots for surfers from around the world, developing a nightlife and surfing-based culture.

Gallery

File:Biarritz (View from the Lighthouse).jpg, View of Biarritz from the lighthouse File:Édouard_Zier_-_Les_baigneuses_à_Biarritz.jpg, ''Les baigneuses à Biarritz'', by Édouard François Zier File:Grande Plage de Biarritz.jpg, ''La Grande Plage'', the town's largest beach. File:Biarritz Sainte Eugenie Church 001.jpg, Sainte-Eugénie church. File:Pedestrian street in Biarritz.jpg, Outdoor cafés. File:Notre Dame du Rocher.jpg, Notre Dame du Rocher. File:Plage_Miramar_Hotel_du_Palais.jpg, Plage Miramar File:Affiche_PO_Midi_Biarritz.jpg, Railway poster

Main sights

* The Asiatica Museum houses a significant collection of Asian art primarily from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

, and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. * The Museum of the Sea has 24 aquariums containing sharks and seals. * The Museum of the Ocean and Surf. * The Historical Museum of Biarritz, housed in the deconsecrated Anglican Church, St Andrew's. * The annual Biarritz Surf Festival, founded in 1993 at the Côte des Basques, is one of the premier surf events in Europe and longboarding events in the world. * The (Saint Martin's Church), constructed in the 12th century, restored in the mid-16th century. * The , a

Russian Orthodox The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

built in the 19th century for visiting Russian aristocrats, with a famous blue dome. * The Chapelle impériale, built for Empress Eugenie, has an intricately decorated roof interior and elegant wall tiling. She also had a palace built on the beach, which is now the Hôtel du Palais. * The Museum of Chocolate explains the history and manufacture of chocolate. * Two large casinos, the Barrière and the Bellevue, sit on the waterfront near the Grande Plage. Cliffs and lookouts lie to the west of the main beach.

Politics

Mayors

Demography

Economy

Although Biarritz's economy was previously based on fishing, it now has a modern economy due to the metropolitan location of Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz. Together with Bayonne and Anglet, Biarritz takes part in the management of the BAB Airport. The most important economic activities are: *Spa tourism *Sport (golf, surfing and rugby) * Thalassotherapy *Industry. The most important industries are the following: ** Atlantica-Séguier, French publishing house **Dassault Aviation, manufacturer of fuselages for Falcon planes.

Culture

Languages

As in the cases of Anglet and Bayonne, also located in the approximate cultural border between Gascony and the Basque Country, it is uncertain if the historic language of Biarritz was Basque or Gascon. According to the book ''Atlas Linguistique de Gascogne'', Biarritz is considered a Gascon town. However, in 1863, Louis Lucien Bonaparte located the northern frontier of Basque in Biarritz, and in some neighborhoods it was without any doubt the most used language. However, over the course of the 20th century, French became the main language. Beginning in the 1990s, the municipal government of Biarritz has promoted Basque language and culture. At the same time, Gascon has been promoted by various private institutions, for instance the Gascon cultural association, Ací Gasconha. 9

Museums

*Sea Museum. Constructed in 1993 in the rock of Atalaia, it is an Art Déco building. It has a huge collection of sea animals and birds. *Museum of Chocolate *Asiatica, museum of the Eastern art. Art from India, Tibet, Nepal and China can be found *Museum of the History of Biarritz. Located in the Anglican Church of Saint Andrew since the 1980s *Cité de l'Ocean et du Surf, opened in 2011.

Music and dance

The city has the Ballet of Biarritz, an important centre of French dance. It is also home to the cultural centre Atabal and the chorus Oldarra, created in 1946.

Theatre

The emperors Napoleon III and Eugene of Montijo brought the sea-theater on the Old Port neighborhood into fashion. Nowadays, the light works made by Pierre Bideau can be seen at night on the cliff.

Cinema

Two film festivals of cinema are celebrated in Biarritz: *Festival of Latin American Cinema of Biarritz. *International Festival of Audio-Visual Programs (FIPA)

Civil buildings

*Hôtel du Palais or Eugénie House *Building of the Hotel of England, built in 1870 by Louis Moussempés *Natasha House *Sacchino or Castel Biarritz, house of Natalia of Serbia *Plaza Hotel *Casino of Biarritz, in Art Deco style *Lighthouse, built in 1834 in Saint Martin cape *Villa Black or Black House, built by Alphonse Bertrand between 1880 and 1895 *Goëland House, which since 2003 has been a hotel *Françon Castle *Boulard Castle *Pavilion of England *Fishermen House, in the port *The former health resort in the Old Port *Miremont sweet shop

Religious buildings

* * *, built between 1898 and 1903 * *
Mosquée de Bayonne

Rocks

* The Rocks of Biarritz are an important part of the city's attractions. Every year they erode by an estimated 70 centimeters.

Beaches

*Biarritz has six beaches: Miramar, Big, Old Port, The Basque Coast, Marbella and Milady

Gardens and Parks

*Biarritz has 120 hectares of parks and two recreational lakes (Marion and Muriskot) *In the city centre there are three gardens: the Pierre Forsans public garden (across from the Gare du Midi performance centre) and two others nearby (Lahouze Garden and Parc Mazon). The city center also includes a number of open-air sports fields.

Sport

Surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

in Biarritz is of a world-class standard and first appeared in 1957. The town has a strong surfing culture, and is known worldwide for its surfing scene and the competitions it hosts yearly, including the Quiksilver/Roxy Jam tournament. In July 2011, Biarritz also hosted the Roxy Pro event, a tournament in the ASP Women's World Tour. The town is home to a prominent

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

club, Biarritz Olympique, who have won five French championships and two European Cups.

Basque pelota Basque pelota (Basque: '' pilota'', Spanish: '' pelota vasca'', French: '' pelote basque'') is the name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using one's hand, a racket, a wooden bat or a basket, against a wall (''frontis or fronto ...

is a very popular sport in the Basque country. Several local and international competitions take place in Biarritz. The golf course near the lighthouse (Le Phare) was established in 1888 by British residents. In addition, the town has a large circular golf range area on the border with Illbaritz. Biarritz - Hippodrome des Fleurs - Virage sud

Biarritz - Hippodrome des Fleurs - Virage sud

The Hippodrome des fleurs is a horse racing venue. It is a trotting racecourse with an 803 m

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

track with a right-hand rope. It is one of the shortest tracks in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Education

Schools

The city has two public schools (Villa Fal and Jean Rostand) and one private school (Immaculée-Conception).

High schools

Malraux High School is the only one in Biarritz. There is also a tourism high school on the border of the Western neighborhood of La Négresse.

Transport

Biarritz station is easily accessible from Paris by France's high-speed train, the TGV, and regionally from Bordeaux, by TGV or TER. Trains are also available to travel east towards

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

. Night trains regularly depart from Irun, south of Biarritz, and pass through the city before heading to Paris during an overnight trip. Many tourists and regulars to the city have begun using the night train to take weekend trips to Biarritz and saving travel time by traveling at night. The Biarritz – Anglet – Bayonne Airport is located about from the city. It is near the N10 road towards Anglet and is served by airlines from France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland and Germany.

Notable people and popular culture

Biarritz was the birthplace of: *

Yannick Bellon Marie-Annick Bellon, usually known as Yannick Bellon, (6 April 1924 – 2 June 2019), was a French film director, editor and screenwriter. Initially known for her documentary film, documentary work, in 1972 she made her first feature film, ''Quelq ...

(1924–2019), film director * Jacques Bergerac (1927–2014), actor * Jean Borotra (1898–1994), tennis player * Léopold Eyharts (born 1957), astronaut * Ernest Fourneau (1872–1949), chemist * Maurice Hankey, 1st Baron Hankey (1877–1963), British civil servant * Maurice Journeau (1898–1999), composer * Arnaud Massy (1877–1950), professional golfer * André Navarra (1911-1988), cellist * Margaux Okou-Zouzouo (born 1991), basketball player Other notable people associated with Biarritz: * Aaron Bank (1902–2004),

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...

(OSS) agent and co-founder of the U.S. Army's Special Forces Group (later, Green Berets), a lifeguard and medical (physical) therapist's aide at Biarritz before he enlisted in the army in the late 1930s * John Deacon (born 1951), bass player for the band

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

. Deacon and his wife Veronica spent their holidays in Biarritz and bought a holiday apartment there at the end of the 1980s, where they spent many months living in 1990 * Louis Dewis (1872–1946), born Louis DeWachter, Belgian Post-Impressionist who, after fleeing Paris at the beginning of

, settled here in 1940, living at Villa Pat in Bellefontaine until his death * Aimée de Heeren, born Soto-Maior de Sá (1903–2006) WWII Secret Service agent for President Getúlio Vargas, owned many jewels of Eugenie de Montijo and the villa La Roseraie, 12 rue Martias, where she spent summers for half a century, receiving kings, heads of state, and many famous guests *

Eugénie de Montijo Eugénie de Montijo (; born María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick; 5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920) was Second French Empire, Empress of the French from her marriage to Napoleon III on 30 January 1853 until he was overthrown on 4 ...

(1826–1920), Empress of the French as the wife of

Napoléon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

, who built the villa Eugénie, today the Hôtel du Palais * Pablo de Sarasate (10 March 1844 – 20 September 1908), a well known

Romantic Era Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

Spanish composer born in

Pamplona Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...

, Spain, who died in Biarritz

Twin towns – sister cities

Biarritz is twinned with: * Augusta, United States (1992) *

Cascais Cascais () is a town and municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera, Estoril Coast. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants in an area of 97.40 km2. Cascais is an important tourism in Port ...

, Portugal (1986) *

Ixelles (French language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Pentagon (Brussels), Brusse ...

, Belgium (1958) * Jerez de la Frontera, Spain (1997) *

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

, Spain (1986)

Festivities

Saint Martin's Day is celebrated on November 11. On this date, the new gentleman of the Confrérie de l'Operne de Biarritz is proclaimed. Its logo is the barnacle and people with an interest in ecology are chosen. Since Biarritz is a city based on tourism, there are activities during the whole summer, such as pelota, equestrian competitions, concerts and recitals, folklore festivals, acrobatic water skiing, sea trips, performances, rugby competitions, bullfights, and night parties. Since the summer of 2018, Biarritz has hosted the pop music festival, "Biarritz en été", whose second edition took place on July 19, 20, and 21, 2019.

References

External links

Official website
(in French, some pages in English)
Destination Biarritz
Tourism information
Tourist Information Office Biarritz
{{Authority control Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Labourd Populated coastal places in France Seaside resorts in France Surfing locations in France Cities in Nouvelle-Aquitaine