PLACE: Biarritz (French Basque Country)

18 km from the Spanish border, the Basque-French town of Biarritz offers the visitor a wide variety of leisure, culture and tourism. Back in the Middle Ages this was no more than a fishing village, especially for whale fishing, and through the years it was later transformed into the favourite holiday destination for royal families, who created the fashion of bathing in the sea, which was considered very good for one’s health. It was the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon II, who would make this beautiful city so famous: in her footsteps followed artists such as Picasso or Frank Sinatra, who found enjoyment in the gambling rooms of its famous casino or on its wonderful golf courses.

Biarritz has always been a town facing the sea. What was once the way of life of the local population, developed into a double tourist attraction. On the one hand, the surfers discovered the best beaches in Europe here, often becoming the venue for world famous events. On the other hand, the healing qualities of its waters have given way to thalassotherapy centres and the well-known thermal baths, without forgetting to mention its beautiful beach.

The town is a pleasant surprise for the visitor, with its varied architecture, composed of neo-renaissance mansions, Andalusian estates, Swiss villas, Anglo-Norman homes and, of course, the typical Basque houses. The disparity of the buildings is simply another example of the desire of Biarritz to combine the Basque tradition with modernization and the opening up to the outside world.

A town made up of gardens and bandstands, shops that invite you to buy anything from the latest fashion, to the typical Basque colour espadrilles and the Ezpeleta peppers. Biarritz is, without a doubt, a town worth visiting, with its different districts, religious buildings and its traditions.