Biarritz

Beach life is the reason Biarritz exists as a resort. The Grande Plage curves below the casino and the old imperial villa, the Côte des Basques runs under the cliffs to the south, and the small Port Vieux cove, sheltered by rocks, is the calm spot for an easy swim. North of the lighthouse, Miramar and the long sandy beaches of Anglet carry on for several kilometres.

This is the open Atlantic, not a gentle sea. The water warms to about 21-22°C in late summer and is fresh for the rest of the year, the waves are often big and the currents strong, so swimming means staying between the lifeguard flags. July and August are the high season and the beaches fill up. In spring and autumn the sand is quieter and belongs mostly to surfers and walkers.

Biarritz eats in a Basque way, and that is a real cuisine. Les Halles, the covered market, is the centre of it: fish from the Bay of Biscay, sheep's cheese from the mountains, Bayonne ham and Espelette pepper, with small bars around the market serving pintxos and local wine from mid-morning. Typical dishes include piperade, axoa, chipirons and grilled fish, and gâteau basque and the long chocolate tradition of the coast cover dessert.

The range is that of a small chic resort. You will find seafood terraces, a good set of modern bistros and a few ambitious tables, plus cider and Irouléguy and Txakoli wines. Beyond Basque and French cooking there is not much variety, and the seafront has its share of ordinary tourist places.

Biarritz's heritage is the resort itself. Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie made it fashionable in the 1850s, and the town keeps the look of that era: the former imperial villa above the Grande Plage, the Art Deco casino, Belle Époque and neo-Basque villas on the headlands, and a Russian Orthodox church left by the aristocrats who wintered here. The Rocher de la Vierge, a rock reached by an iron footbridge over the surf, and the lighthouse are the landmarks everyone visits.

On the museum side there is the aquarium in the Art Deco Musée de la Mer, the ocean science centre Cité de l'Océan, and a small Asian art collection. Two or three days covers it, so anyone who wants serious museums and old towns has to take a day trip.

Nights out in Biarritz follow the season. In summer the streets around Les Halles fill with people drinking wine and eating pintxos at the bar until late, surfers gather for sundowners on terraces above the Côte des Basques, and a few clubs and the casino keep going into the small hours. Out of season it is a quiet seaside town where most evenings end after dinner. If you want a bigger night, Bayonne's old quarter is close, and San Sebastián's bar streets are a short drive across the border.

Biarritz is one of Europe's original surf towns, and the ocean shapes life outdoors here. There are beginner breaks on the Côte des Basques and Anglet's beach breaks, with famous reef waves further down the coast. Surf schools line the seafront, and bodyboarding, stand-up paddle and coastal kayaking all fit in when the swell drops.

On land, a coastal path follows the cliffs and coves of the Basque Corniche south towards Spain. Inland, the green foothills of the Pyrenees begin within half an hour. La Rhune, reached on foot or by a rack railway, looks over the whole coast, and the hills around Sare and Ainhoa are good walking and cycling country. The climate is mild and green because it rains a fair amount.

Biarritz sits on the Basque coast close to the Spanish border, which gives it an unusually rich choice of days out in two countries. San Sebastián is under an hour away, with its old town of pintxo bars and the La Concha bay. Bayonne is next door, with its cathedral, half-timbered riverside houses and Basque museum. Saint-Jean-de-Luz, where Louis XIV married, is a short train ride down the coast.

Inland are Espelette, Ainhoa and Sare, some of the classic villages of the French Basque Country, and the walled pilgrim town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, about an hour away. Over the border, walled Hondarribia is close, and Bilbao and the Guggenheim make a full day by car. Some of these places are easier to reach with a car.

Biarritz is a small, safe and relaxed town, and it works well with children in summer. The aquarium, with its seals and sharks, and the ocean science centre are good for a rainy day, and kids can learn to surf at the many beach schools. The sheltered Port Vieux cove is the spot for the youngest, because the main beaches often have big waves and strong currents, and families stay close to the lifeguard zones. Beyond that there is little designed specifically for children, and the steep streets between the seafront and the town centre are hard work with a pushchair.

The town centre, the main beaches, the market and the lighthouse are all within walking distance. The walking is hilly, though, with steep streets and steps between the cliffs and the seafront. Local buses link Biarritz with Anglet and Bayonne, and the airport sits right on the edge of town. Regional trains run along the coast to Bayonne, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and the Spanish border, where you can change for San Sebastián. For the Basque villages and the mountains, most visitors hire a car.

Shopping in Biarritz is the shopping of a smart seaside town. Fashion boutiques and surf shops line the streets between the Place Clemenceau and the market, Basque linen with its striped weave and handmade espadrilles are the local crafts, and the chocolatiers and gâteau basque bakeries make good things to take home. Les Halles is good for ham, cheese and Espelette pepper. It is pleasant to browse, but there are no big department stores and little luxury depth. Bayonne next door adds a few more streets of shops.

Biarritz is a fashionable resort and charges like one. Hotel rooms and vacation rentals are expensive in July and August and book up early, and seafront restaurants have resort prices. It costs less to eat at the market bars or have pintxos at the counter, and outside summer prices drop noticeably. Staying in Anglet or Bayonne and travelling in costs less again. Even so, it is not a cheap place for a beach vacation.

Dance is Biarritz's surprising strength. The town is home to a national choreographic centre with its own ballet company, which performs at the Gare du Midi, a former railway station turned theatre, and an autumn dance festival fills the town's stages. Beyond that the programme is a small town's: touring concerts and shows, summer events on the seafront, and Basque choirs and pelota-day music in the surrounding villages. There is no opera house and only a modest live music scene.

Biarritz has been a sea-bathing cure town since the nineteenth century and is one of the homes of French thalassotherapy. Several large seawater spas on the seafront offer heated seawater pools, hydrotherapy, algae wraps and multi-day cure programmes, and visitors book them as the core of a vacation, not as an extra.

The rest of the town helps. In spring, autumn and winter, Biarritz drops to a slow resort pace: walks along the headlands, long lunches and watching the surf from the promenade. High summer is more crowded and less calm, so anyone coming to unwind does better outside July and August.