Grande Plage
The beach where surfing landed in Europe, below the Art Deco casino.
Duration
2 hrs – 5 hrs
Difficulty
●●○○○
Best time
Mornings, on a rising tide
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Biarritz was a whaling village before Eugénie de Montijo had a villa built here in 1854: the court followed, then the whole of Europe, and the resort was born of it. The imperial villa became the Hôtel du Palais.
Surfing arrived in 1956: the American screenwriter Peter Viertel, there to shoot a film, had a board sent over from California. It is the first surfing on continental Europe, and the Grande Plage is its cradle — the wave is inconsistent but the schools are everywhere.
Getting there
In central Biarritz, below the casino. The seafront is walkable to the lighthouse and to the Côte des Basques.
What to bring
- Swimsuit
- Board
Rules on site
Rip currents are real along this coast: swim between the flags, and only when the lifeguard posts are open. The Côte des Basques, further south, disappears completely at high tide.
