Biarritz
France
An imperial seaside resort turned surf town, on the Basque coast twenty minutes from Spain
Photo by Arno Senoner on Unsplash
Photos by Datingjungle, steffen wienberg, Erwan Hesry and Erwan Hesry on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of France
May to June, and September to October (high summer is full and expensive, and the big swell comes in winter)
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 180mm in Nov
Where it is
43.48°N, 1.56°W Open in Google Maps
Things to do
Several days- Take a surf lesson at the Côte des Basques at low tide, when the waves are kind
- Watch the sunset from the Côte des Basques path
- Walk out to the Rocher de la Vierge when the sea is up
- Take the train to Saint-Jean-de-Luz and the Topo on to San Sebastián for a night of pintxos
- Drive inland to Espelette and the Petit Train de la Rhune for the view over both countries
Biarritz travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget France
ExpensiveEuro, and cards everywhere, contactless included, on both sides of the border.
ATMs & cards
Use a bank’s own machine — Crédit Agricole, BNP Paribas, Société Générale, La Banque Postale — and refuse the conversion. The independent machines along the seafront are the ones to skip.
Avoid these
- Euronet
- standalone machines in shops and along the seafront
Use these instead
- Crédit Agricole
- BNP Paribas
- Société Générale
- La Banque Postale
French bank machines are normally free on their side for foreign cards. Refuse the conversion offer.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of France
SafeSafe, and well-off. The sea is the risk: the Atlantic here has strong rips, and the beaches are only watched by lifeguards in season and between the flags. Swim where they are and obey them. Petty theft from cars and from towels on the beach is the crime to expect, mostly in summer.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (7 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- the beaches outside the flags — Atlantic rips; lifeguards only work in season and only between the flags
- the Côte des Basques at high tide — the sea reaches the foot of the cliff and the beach disappears
- cars parked by the beaches in summer — break-ins; leave nothing in sight
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa France visa rules
No visa needed
Freedom of movement — no time limit, and no visa. Bring a passport or national ID card.
Other passports
No visa neededup to 90 days
90 days within any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area, not per country. ETIAS, a paid online authorisation, is being introduced for these passports — check the official link for whether it applies to your travel dates.
Visa required in advance€90 (Schengen short-stay visa)
A Schengen short-stay visa is applied for before travel, at the consulate of your main destination.
How to get it: Apply at the consulate or visa centre of the country you will spend most time in, typically 15 working days ahead and no more than six months before travel.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of France
Excellent and cheapRequired to enter
No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Routine vaccinations up to date
Getting treated
EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
Very goodJambon de Bayonne, piment d’Espelette, gâteau basque filled with cherry jam or cream, and axoa, a veal stew with peppers. Eat at the Halles in the morning and on pintxos in the evening. Bayonne has made chocolate since the seventeenth century; Cazenave serves it hot and frothed.
Travel tipsGetting around
Workable- UberWorks here
- BoltWorks here
- G7Works here
- FREE NOWWorks here
G7 the taxi fleet, by app
- Against a taxi
- Much the same. The flat airport rate is a taxi rule and the apps price against it.
Time zone and your working day
Europe/Paris — 6 hours ahead of you
2 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–11:00 your time, 15:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 03:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 03:00–11:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for France, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
French
- HelloBonjourbon-ZHOOR
- PleaseS'il vous plaîtseel voo PLEH
- Thank youMercimer-SEE
- Yes / NoOui / Nonwee / non
4 more phrases
- Excuse meExcusez-moiex-koo-zay MWA
- How much is it?C'est combien ?say com-BYEN
- The bill, pleaseL'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON
- Cheers!Santé !son-TAY
Open with bonjour before anything else. Launching straight into a question without it reads as rude, and explains a lot of reputed French coldness.
Travel tipsReligion
Catholic, and strictly secular
Laïcité is a constitutional principle: religion is kept out of public institutions, and conspicuous religious symbols are banned in state schools. Cover shoulders in cathedrals.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Say bonjour before anything else, every single time you enter a shop
- Keep your voice down in restaurants and on public transport
- Keep both hands visible on the table while eating, wrists on the edge
- Dress a notch smarter than you would at home — it changes how you are treated
Don't
- Do not ask for a doggy bag or substitutions; the dish arrives as the kitchen intends
- Do not start with English without at least attempting bonjour, parlez-vous anglais
- Do not tip more than rounding up — service is included by law
- Do not eat while walking; it reads as slightly uncivilised
Where to stay in Biarritz
No Holistay rentals in Biarritz yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Biarritz on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Biarritz BIQ
15 minfrom the airport· 3 km as the crow flies
15 min by Txik Txak bus or taxi into the centre.
Also worth pricing: Bilbao BIO — many more routes; about two hours by coach.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
