A prime destination forever branded by the passage of Napoleon III and the Famous, Biarritz has always been one of France’s most welcoming towns. A century ago, thanks to the Empress Eugenie, the little whaling town became a fashionable summer resort that, through the years, has stayed open to the outside world without ever losing its identity.
Today, Biarritz is undoubtedly the only town where you can see neoprene-clad surfers with their boards under their arms crossing paths with business men in suits and ties carrying towels. A funny image, yet so common... Open and cosmopolitan, Biarritz, the pearl of the Basque coast, carries this mix of styles close to its heart and loves bringing opposites together.
A fan of leisure tourism?
6 km of beaches are waiting for you!
A fan of business tourism?
3 conference centres (fr) and the new Iraty exhibit hall (December 2009) are waiting for you! Contact us for more information commercial@biarritz.fr

An active city all year long
In Biarritz, music, dance, cinema and the plastic arts have a privileged spot in local life. From the International Festival of Audiovisual Programmes (FIPA) in January to the Biarritz Festival of Latin American Cultures and Cinemas, which highlights the long-standing links between the Basque Country and Latin America,

Biarritz pays attention to images of the world. Dance has long been at the forefront in Biarritz with the creation of Ballet Biarritz, a national choreographic centre directed by Thierry Malandain, and the annual 'Le Temps D'Aimer' dance event that, by combining classic and contemporary with innovation and tradition, provides an opening to large international companies and young training programmes. To find out more about Biarritz's year-round cultural events, click here. (fr)