| Biarritz | ||
.jpg/250px-Biarritz_Grandplage_(2).jpg) | ||
Coat of arms and flag   | ||
| State | France | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Aquitaine | |
| Altitude | From 0 to 85 m a.s.l. | |
| Inhabitants | 213.969 (2006) | |
| Prefix tel | 33 559 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 64200 | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Biarritz is a seaside resort in the region Aquitaine.
To know
Biarritz owes its fortunes in tourism to the wife of Napoleon III, theempress Eugenia, who passed through this small fishing village during his summer travels from Paris to Spain, his hometown. The empress liked the place so much that in 1854 she decided to have a villa built for herself and her entourage. In 1893 his residence was transformed into a hotel which about ten years later was destroyed following a fire. Rebuilt and enlarged following the original style, the hotel is still in operation today and bears the name of Hôtel du Palais.
After the stars of Napoleon III and Eugenia went down, a series of crowned heads passed through Biarritz. These include Queen Victoria, her son and successor Edward VII and, in the years preceding World War II, the couple Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.
Today Biarritz is no longer frequented by representatives of blue blood but the palaces and villas where they used to stay and the names of the streets named after them remain. Their place has been taken, since the 50s of the twentieth century, by surfers who appreciate the rush of the ocean and its high waves.
Nowadays the seaside resort appears linked to the name and fortunes of Serge Blanco, a former rugby player born in Caracas but a native of Biarritz. Once his sporting career was over, Serge Blanco, nicknamed the "Pele of rugby" in his day, decided to undertake an entrepreneurial activity in the field of tourism and precisely in thalassotherapy. Today he appears to be the owner of hotels scattered throughout the Basque coast. He also created a sportswear line whose garments are displayed in the windows of the many boutiques in Biarritz. His name also appears on the municipal board of directors.
How to orient yourself
Biarritz: full screen map.- Grand Plage - The beach overlooked by the casino building.
- Plage Miramar - Extension to the north of Grand Plage.
- Plage du Port Vieux - Surrounded by the "Prince de Galles" boulevard, it is dominated by the Villa Belza, a building from the 1920s that stands on a rocky spur.
How to get
By plane
The airport "Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne"is 5 km south-east from the center. Air France, Blue1, EasyJet, Ryanair operate there but no direct flights fromItaly.
By car
Biarritz is 1050 km from Genoa passing through Montpellier is Toulouse.
How to get around
What see
- Musée de la Mer, Plateau de l'Atalaye, Entrée face au Rocher de la Vierge.
- Asian Oriental Art Museum, 1 Rue Guy Petit, ☎ 33 0559 22 78 78.
- Historique Museum, Rue Broquedis.
- Hotel du Palais (Villa Eugénie).
- Le rocher de la Vierge.
Events and parties
What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Night clubs
- Carre Coast, 21 Avenue Edouard VII, 64200 Biarritz, France, ☎ 33 0559 24 64 64. Carre Coast is the most elegant boite de nuit in Biarritz, frequented by the "beautiful world" that gives Paris comes to spend his holidays in Biarritz. To admire its elegance of manners and nonchalence, get ready to extract a couple of hundred bills from your wallet. This is the amount consumed. You will also have the right to admire the panoramic windows overlooking the ocean, the videos projected on the walls and the skilful lighting that uses the last word of technology.
Where to eat
Where stay
Moderate prices
- [link previously not working]Hotel Atalaye, 6, rue des Goelands, ☎ 33 0559 24 06 76, fax: 33 0559 22 33 51.
High prices
- Château de Brindos, 1, allée du Château 64600 Anglet-Biarritz.
