Sometimes you just want to go for a nice walk, nothing too taxing, plenty of variety, seaside chic, trois plages, lifeguard-assisted, Belle Époque architecture, multiple refreshment opportunities, rocky promontories, Atlantic rollers, walking in the steps of Napoleon, occasional lizards, stripy parasols, warmer than home, a bit of a stroll, won't take long. So here's une belle promenade along the coast of southwest France from Biarritz's old lighthouse to the Virgin's rock, nowhere near enough to make a day of it but a nice walk all the same. [30 photos]
Biarritz is an iconic seasideresort 20 miles round the Bay of Biscay from the Spanish border, still technically in the Basque country if less conspicuously. It grew in popularity during the 19th century, first as somewhere to bathe in the waters and then as somewhere to be seen, attracting notable summer residents including kings and emperors. Officially it's a city but in reality a coastal suburb of more-sprawling Bayonne, part of the departement of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. For today's perambulation we'll be hugging the shore from one headland to the next, technically doable in half an hour but far better to take your time. If you want to follow along here's a map, or else you can let my Flickr album lead you through by choosing the 'slideshow' icon and imagining you were there.
The walk starts by the lighthouse atop Pointe Saint-Martin, a sandstone headland at the northern end of the bay. This is the dividing line between the rocky Basque coast and the much flatter sandy beaches of the Landes region which can be seen stretching off into the far distance, but only if you think to walk round the back of the toilets. The more obvious view is southacross the town and the various rocks which dot the bay, sone of which are actually arches, just not from this angle.
The screw propeller in pride of place in the upper gardens belongs to the Franz Hals, a trawler bound for scrap in 1996 which slipped its moorings and ran aground on the beach below. Local hoteliers feared they were in for a direct hit. The lower gardens cling to the rockface and look extensively scenic but alas are all fenced off, either temporarily for maintenance or more likely permanently for safety. You could spend €5 and climb the lighthouse before departing but the views are probably good enough from the clifftop, also a Nice Walk shouldn't kick off with 248 unnecessary steps.
A short walk at street level is required before the first beach access, this via a steep set of steps called Descente de l'Océan. A big plus in strolling north to south is that this is downhill but be warned, a reverse price will need to be paid at the end of the walk. The first beach is Plage de Miramar, a quieter strand than the town's main drag but still with a narrow stretch watched over by red and yellow coastguards. There's that arch I promised you, an offshore sandstone hump called Roche Ronde which from the right angle resembles a heeled shoe. You are however a century too late to spot Edward VII, who used come to Biarritz every year so he could spend a month with his mistress rather than his wife.
Edward stayed just up top in the enormous Hôtel du Palais, a 5* luxury pile in extensive private grounds. It was originally built by Napoleon III in 1855 as a summer villa for his new wife, the Empress Eugénie, so she didn't too feel homesick for her native Spain. Beyond the protruding hotel is the Grande Plage, the most prestigious of the beaches, probably because it's the easiest to reach. It has perfect sand, a broader patch overseen by lifeguards and a very chic row of striped beach parasols in primary colours. Towel density increases the further south you go, or at least it did in mid-August, as did the number of beachgoers taking a paddle or dip.
If you fancy heading up into the main town this is best place to do it. Firstly it's immediately above and secondly the slope here is the gentlest, which you may appreciate later. The prime interstitial spot is taken by the town's casino, a fin de siècle gambling fortress which these days allows anyone inside to play its slots. Keep climbing to reach the Hôtel de Ville, the tourist information palace and all the smart shops you'd expect to find where sophisticated tourists gather. It's also the best place to spot the tram-buses and teensy navettes operated by Txik Txak, the local transport operator (whose very-Basque name represents the noise made by a double bounce in the game of pelota).
We stopped for an hour at a cafe beneath the casino because sometimes it helps to immerse yourself in the landscape, not just walk through it. I had croque monsieur and a bottle of Orangina to reflect the fact we were briefly in a different country, and watched every example of smart beachwear pass by on the promenade.
The southern end of the bay is rockier, the first of a dozen offshore lumps being the Roche des Enfants (the one children shouldn't swim past). The boulevard now climbs to duck below more hotels and a Gothic church, the occasional footbridge providing access to a separate rocky viewpoint. The small cove here was once used by the town's fishermen to unload sardines, the jetties more recently appropriated by small white motorboats. To explore properly would require negotiating a lot of stone steps and minor scenic deviations, but if you're keeping it short head through the tunnel beneath the Aquarium and give the headland benches a miss.
The Musée de la Mer started out as an oceanography museum, thus a bit dry, before diversifying into sea creatures in the 1960s. More recently they've introduced sharks and then a full-on aquarium extension, so the Art Deco frontage now hides a touristattraction more worthy of €17 admission. Instead our headland-to-headland walk concludes at an iron walkway which crosses potentially stormy waters to another offshore islet. This is the Rocher de la Vierge, or Virgin's Rock, so called because a bronze statue of Mary was plonked on top in 1865. The seagull on her head I believe was temporary.
What everyone in Biarritz likes to do is walk out to the rock and back, especially atsunset, passing through a tiny tunnel to gather in the larger space at the far end. Use of the coin-op telescopes is optional. The whole thing has a feel of fairyland about it, the chunky sandstone seemingly artificial as if Bournemouth's municipal engineers had a hand in it. The very tip of the rock might be too crowded to allow you to sit down, but do take the opportunity to look back onto the shore from mid-sea. The chateau-like house across the bay is called Villa Belza and is almost as photographed as the Virgin, but although it looks like you should be able to go inside it's actually a private residence.
The next beach round is a U-shaped cove formerly used by the town's whaling fleet, now a pristine tongue of sand. It's Plage du Port Vieux and its tiny strand is crammed with sunbathers packed into rows facing the water, exactly as you'd imagine a beach in Biarritz should be. A lido-like terrace curves round to provide important facilities, almost forming a recreational amphitheatre, and all accessed via the slipway they once used to pull the boats up. Meanwhile adolescent exhibitionists queue to dive acrobatically off the long jetty below the Eden Cafe, before clambering out and going round again. And we're done.
To return to the main town best take the Rue du Port-Vieux direct. We continued round the headland past Villa Belza to the next bay in the hope of seeing it thronged with boarders, this being where the sport of surfing first came to France in 1956. Unfortunately it was high tide when access is banned due to lack of sand, so we had to continue unsatisfied and find a way back up the cliff. The zigzag path proved knackering and although we saw lots of charming lizards during the ascent my companions were barely talking to me by the time we reached the top. Never push a Nice Walk too far, even if you're in Biarritz and it's not just nice, it's très très beau.
