Biarritz - France
Once the glitziest seaside destination in France, Biarritz is now Europe's surf capital, with a sweeping Atlantic beach, rolling waves that curve and crash on the shore, and enough Frenchness to flavor a bouillabaisse. In spite of its reputation as a surfing town, Biarritz has everything you need in a vacation to France.
For two centuries it has attracted everyone from Queen Victoria to Ernest Hemingway, even Napoleon bathed here in 1808.;The brash and the beautiful long ago moved to the Riviera, leaving Biarritz a refreshingly egalitarian resort, families with young children share the beach with groups of teenage boys clutching boogie boards. The beachfront promenade buzzes with young couples and elderly dames walking Pekinese's, with silver hairdos un-buffeted by the Atlantic wind.
Biarritz runs along a rugged stretch of coastline and the main sights are right on the seafront. The long, elegant Grande Plage, which has been attracting sun-seeking
Northern Europeans since the 1800s, is punctuated by two rocky outcrops, the Pointe Saint Martin, crowned by a lighthouse sits at the northern end of the beach, while jutting out into the Atlantic to the south lies the Port-Vieux (Old Port). The long, wild beaches of Marbella and Cote des Basques lie to the south of the sheltered Port-Vieux.
Biarritz is easily accessible from Paris by France's high-speed train, the TGV or by car taking the A10 to Bordeaux and the A63 from there. Biarritz has an airport, Aeroport de Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne and is about 4 kilometers from the city. It has flights to destinations across France as well as Europe.
The main beaches in Biarritz are:
Grande Plage - This is the main beach of Biarritz and is probably the most popular. There is plenty on offer to keep the whole family busy, you can catch some sun, go to one of the many shops or restaurants on the promenade, surf or take part in one of the many other water activities on offer.
Plage Miramar - This is the beach to go to if you're looking for a little more relaxation and tranquility. There is a paved path, which leads through beautiful gardens, carved rock and vista points. There are a few cafes where you can have lunch.
For eating, the beach is littered with tiny creperie cabins, and ice-cream stalls - this being France - all are of a pretty good standard. For supper, head up to the area around Les Halles - the central markets. Bistrot des Halles has good-value set menus, Bar Jean is suitably Basque, with bullfighting posters on the walls and reams of different tapas. For something special, reserve a table on the terrace of La Rotonde at the Hotel du Palais and indulge in oysters and local lobster.
For shopping Rue Mazagran is the elegant shopping street leading down to the Place du Port-Vieux home to more surf shops and boutiques selling Basque cloth, red berets and colorful espadrilles.
More ...
It was in the mid 19th century that Victor Hugo discovered Biarritz, a charming fishing harbour in the Basque country, a region which straddles France and Spain. It is a region whose history has been preserved by its people, with deeply rooted traditions and a lively local language (the origins of which are still debated).
Since then, the market for Biarritz property has flourished and become France's most exclusive resort on the Atlantic coast. A town which is chic but at the same time understated - cosmopolitan, fashionable with 'joie de vie' but equally a holder of Basque traditions.
When approaching Biarritz from the North, one can see the foothills of the Pyrenees, dropping down to the ocean. The contrast made by the traditional white houses with red or green shutters against the bluish Pyrenean hills is particularly noteworthy.
Biarritz with its superb sandy beaches, big ocean waves, rocky coves and mild weather all year round, has much to offer its 30 000 residents. it stands out as a town which puts its environment to the fore whilst undergoing a renaissance like Bordeaux. its development is based not only on an ability to attract tourism but inward investment into its residential and commercial property sectors.
Without doubt Biarritz property for sale comes top of the list for those whom favour living by the ocean with its fresh sea air, sunshine, golf, beaches with world-class surfing and horse riding to name but a few of its leisure facilities. It has ten golf courses alone in the area with one of the oldest in Europe at 'Golf du Phare'. Moreover, Biarritz retains a rich local tradition of fine cuisine, prestigious hotels with their 19th century period architecture and of course the famous municipal casino.
