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Biarritz, the sea and health resort on the French Atlantic coast

Saturday, 4 June 2011 - 03:09 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union
Category/Kategorie: General Reading Time:  3 minutes

🔊 Listen to this Post Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers. The town lies in Basque territory, and Basque flags and symbols are prevalent throughout Biarritz.

Biarritz became more renowned in 1854 when Empress Eugenie (the wife of Napoleon III) built a palace on the beach (now the Hôtel du Palais). The British royal family regularly took vacations in Biarritz: European royalty such as Queen Victoria, Edward VII, and Alfonso XIII of Spain were frequent visitors.

Biarritz’s casino (opened 10 August 1901) and beaches make the town a notable tourist centre for Europeans, and East Coast North Americans. The city has also become a prime destination for surfers from around the world, developing a nightlife and surf based culture.

Biarritz features:

• the Asiatica Museum, which houses a significant collection of Asian art primarily from India, Nepal, Tibet, and China.
• The Museum of the Sea, which has 24 aquariums containing sharks and seals.
• The annual Biarritz Surf Festival founded in 1993 at the Côte des Basques is one of the premier surf events in Europe and longboarding events in the world.
• St-Martin’s Church, constructed in the 12th century, and restored in the middle of the 16th century.
• The Russian Orthodox Church, which was constructed in the 19th century for visiting Russian aristocrats, with its famous blue dome.
• The Chapelle Imperiale built for Empress Eugenie, which has an intricately decorated roof interior, and elegant wall tiling. It is now a first class hotel, rated one of the finest in France.
• A Museum of Chocolate, which explains its history and manufacture.
• Two large Casinos, the Barriere and the Bellevue, on the waterfront by the Grande Plage.

Cliffs and lookouts lie to the west of the main beach.

Read more on City of Biarritz, Wikitravel Biarritz, Wikivoyage Biarritz and Wikipedia Biarritz. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organisations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.

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