Looking down towards Grande Plage, Biarritz.
Oct 23, 2023. Grand Plage. 10 am. It’s a rainy morning. Jet lag hasn’t yet set in. We’re too excited to be tired, despite the 24 hours of travel it took to get here. So, after a few hours sleep we’re ready to go.
The view from our new digs helped too:
View from our apartment.
Not bad.
After a half-hour of trying to get the Keurig espresso machine to work (which we finally out-smarted), we were fueled and off to see the town.
First stop, the Grand Plage. Since we’re both frothing surfers, this isn’t a surprise. The beach always comes first!
Grand Plage, Biarritz.
And, since we were in France, and already at the beach, the first thing to do was get more coffee. Fortunately, there are a couple of cafes right there at the beach, one being 20 feet from the sand (cafe with red umbrellas, on the right, in the above photo). We got coffee from a friendly French cafe guy, then went down the stairs and sat in some chairs so we could watch the surf and sip our cappuccinos. A minute later a very grumpy French lady kicked us out of the chairs; we’d ordered our coffees to go and therefore weren’t allowed to use the chairs. Of course, we thought this was funny. It was drizzly at that point, there weren’t any customers around, just lot of empty chairs. We went and sat on the sea wall instead. I stared at the sea and the memories came flooding in.
Coming to France has always been a kind of homecoming for me. When I was very young my mother moved my sister and me to the South of France, to Aix-en-Provence. My mother, a 100%-certified Francophile, wanted us to grow up in France. She gave it her best shot, and we lasted for months, but at the end of the day, being a single mother in that era, it was difficult for her to make ends meet. Then a job offer came in from the States that she couldn’t refuse, and we moved back.
Though I don’t remember that much (my memory is notoriously hazy pre-13-years-old), I apparently had a decent French vocabulary and had developed an accurate French accent. Some of the vocabulary is still with me, but more importantly I still have an ear for the accent, which I’m grateful for every time I stumble through an interaction with a French native. I’m at least correctly pronouncing my flawed sentence structures and odd word choices.
Which brings me to the French themselves. They’re proud of their language; some impatiently so. However, more French appreciate a sincere effort at speaking their language than not. And the ones who don’t? Well, I consider that out of my control and chose not to worry about it. We had many friendly and funny interactions with waiters, shopkeepers, bus drivers and random surfers. All were very friendly, and some were genuinely happy to talk with us. One fine gentleman paid our bus fare because the card reader was broken and we didn’t have the euros to cover it. Not joking! Moral of the story: there are grumpy people in any country. Have some respect, don’t make a scene and you’ll be fine in France.
The Basque coast itself is my favorite place in Europe, and perhaps the world. The vide is laid back, the food is excellent (this is France, after all), the weather is, in my mind, perfect: not too hot, not too cold. I love the old architecture, the twisty, narrow streets, the beautiful beaches. It’s the country of love. Bring a loved one if you can, it’s very intoxicating.
Whew. Now, on to more practical things.
Here are some restaurants we really enjoyed; the staff was great as was the food.
This is not an exhaustive list by any means. These are just a few places we went back to because we enjoyed them so much.
Le Bar Jean. 5 Rue des Halles, 64200 Biarritz, France. Opens at 11am, closes at 12:30am, except Saturdays when it closes at 2am. Nicest wait staff. They new we were American despite my best attempts at speaking perfect French. Food was great, the other patrons were very friendly. We watched a father and daughter acting really silly at the next table over and shared some smiles with them.
Le Bar Jean.
Obviously, Le Bar Jean has been around for a while.
Noisette Pâtisserie, 5 Rue Gaston Larré, 64200 Biarritz, France. Open from 8am to 6pm every day. A very friendly place with coffee and an amazing assortment of pastries. Fun place to sit and watch the town go by while you have your coffee.
Noisette Pâtisserie, one of our favorites.
Lagunak, Prom. des Sources, 64600 Anglet, France. Closed during the winter, not sure what the summer hours are. You can check their facebook page by clicking the name/link. It was open when we were there in October. Right on the beach, wine and snacks. Friendly and funny staff, had a great time trying to talk to them, we had lots of laughs.
Anglet sunset view from Lagunak.
Perfect afternoon snack.
Cafe de la Grande Plage, 1 Av. Edouard VII, 64200 Biarritz, France. Open an array of hours, check their website. I’m not going to call this the best cafe in Biarritz, in terms of coffee and food, as I didn’t go to every cafe in town, but the location is perfect. Steps from the sand, great people watching, great place to check the waves and get caffeinated before you surf.
Cafe de la Grande, right on the beach.
Summer fun.
Sip coffee and enjoy the view.
Les Halles Food Market, Halles Centrale, 64200 Biarritz, France. Open from 7:30am to 2pm everyday. Great selection of food for the kitchen or you can eat there. We had delicious crepes.
Les Halles food market.
Lots to choose from.
It’s also relaxing to eat a gourmet snack at home.
Can’t beat the food, or the view.
Fun places to see in and around Biarritz.
The Biarritz harbor.
A church in Biarritz.
Lighthouse on the headland. There are fun trails to hike here.
And, of course, eating breakfast at the beach is fun.
The view, again.
And, so many cute shop dogs.
Day Trip Idea, St Jean de Luz
You can drive, or take the train, to St. Jean de Luz. It’s just south down the coast about 45 minutes by car. It’s an old pirate town. The British nicknamed it Nest of Vipers back in the day. It’s very charming and full of shops and restaurants.
Rainy October day. Fortunately, we love rain.
Here’s what it looks like when it isn’t raining.
Beautiful.
So fun in the summer.
Things to do: Surf, swim, bike, hike, beach.
Surf. You can rent bikes, take hikes, swim in the ocean, walk the town. But most importantly, If you like to surf like we do, there are plenty of waves around. Just drive up and down the coast, or better yet, stay at the beach right in front of some waves and have at it!
Fun.
Serious fun.
Absolutely dreamy.
Rent a bike from Joe Bike. They’re open from 9:30am-12pm, 2-6pm, closed Sunday and Monday. Click the link and check out their website. You can reserve online and they have a great variety of bicycles to choose from, including kids bikes of course.
Hiking. There are numerous places to hike in and around Biarritz. Click this link for some ideas, and check the Biarritz Tourism office for maps. https://www.biarritz-pays-basque.com/top-activities/rambling/
Swimming. My second favorite activity after surfing. Grande Plage and Anglet have great swimming areas. But, always remember that the ocean is no joke. If you’re not a strong swimmer with some ocean knowledge then proceed with extreme caution, and do not be afraid to ask a lifeguard for advice, or ask anyone, for that matter, who knows what they’re doing. Experienced surfers are a wealth of ocean knowledge and are always willing to help you stay out of trouble in the sea.
Lie on the beach. Need I say more? Bring some sunscreen, shade, a book and something to drink. Hours of paradise will follow.
Nightlife.
There is, of course, plenty of nightlife in Biarritz. There’s always a crowded cafe, open until 2am, filled with locals and tourists alike. There are also nightclubs. I, however, am not a nightclub person, so I’d recommend checking out this Arrival Guides link to the Biarritz nightlife. https://www.arrivalguides.com/en/Travelguides/Europe/France/Biarritz/barsandnightlife
In closing…
The sad part about any trip is that eventually you have to go home. I almost never want to go home, especially from my favorite place, Biarritz. When I’m here I don’t feel the need to rush around and pack my days with trips to every town in the area, or try to go to every restaurant in town. I like the leisurely beach days, taking my time, sipping coffee by the ocean, daydreaming about taking a nap on my towel on the sand after reading from a good book. I’m hoping to relocate to France so I can call it home, then I’ll have solved that problem. As with other places in Europe, the rest of the continent is just a train-ride away. But, I could stay on the Basque coast forever and live a contented life. It’s that magical.