My family and I are traveling to France in the coming week and will be spending time in Paris, Aix en Provence, and Biarritz. My question(s) are about Biarritz and surfing there.
I’m wondering if I should bring a wetsuit (4/3 or 3/2) and booties.
Any suggestions on good shops for board rentals.
Suggested activities for non-surfing wife and 3-yr old daughter.
We’ll be in Biarritz 4/11-4/15, so not a big window, but I’m hoping to get a couple of days of surfing in.
I didn’t find very much when I did a search, so any and all help is appreciated.
I live near Aix en Provence, but I can bring you some informations about Biarritz…
the spring is still cold in France , you should take your 4/3
there is a lot of surfshops in biarritz and on the area (in Anglet and down the basque coast hendaye, guethary… you can find shops also in Hossegor area (les landes)) it will be easy to rent a board.
the Pays basque is wonderfull with nice villages, town like Saint Jean de Luz…you can visit the spanish side San Sebastian (it’s not too far).
And if there is a swell in the mediterrenean (it 'll be possible) I will be happy to bring you on my favorites spots near Marseille!!
Or if you have questions about provence ,you can contact me.
Enjoy your trip.
Bonnes vacances et à bientôt!
p.s.: Ask Balsa, I think he lives in Guethary, he 'll advice you…
I second the vote for a 4/3 and booties, our water temps dropped last week a bit and are mid-winter cold at the moment.
If you’re staying in Biarritz itself, there are a couple of shops in town. More & Less, next to the Grande Plage, is the shop for longboards but there are a couple of more shortboard-oriented shops as well.
If it’s any help, I spent hours and hours on the beach in Bidart (the next spot north from Guethary) looking for beach glass with my three and six year-olds. Depending on what your wife likes to do, there’s plenty of options in the area. Boutique shopping: St. Jean de Luz, lovely strolling through villages (Guethary, Bidart), historical sites all over the place.
Don’t hesitate if I can give more specific info. Of course, you can’t go wrong with Balsa’s advice.
Seanhala, look for Waimea surfshop at “Les Sables d’Or” beach in Anglet. This is just one mile or so north of Biarritz.
Biarritz itself has two main surfing beaches: the “Grande Plage” and the “Côte des Basques”. The first is rather a shortboard spot, the other one is a longboard paradise.
Anglet, just north of Biarritz, offers a succession of fine beachbreaks. The most well-known is “Les Cavaliers”, just before the mythic spot of the seventies: “La Barre”. (Ruined by sand dredging).
Down the coast, you will find also some good beachbreaks in Bidart, then the famous world class reef break: Guéthary, where I’m lucky enough to be living. Then a few more rocky spots: Cenitz, Lafitenia.
Even more south is St Jean de Luz, the only rideable spot when the whole coast is closed out as it’s sheltered by long jetties. And Hendaye, the last french city before Spain, which looks a lot like the “Côte des Basques”.
Too bad I don’t even have one board to lend you, it would have been a pleasure… Feel free to call if you need anything: drop me a PM and I’ll give you my phone number.
As keets, I live near Aix-en-Provence (in fact I work there, and also have my shaperoom there), so if you need any information about this area, just drop a PM…
There’s always a little chance of surfing around here, but surfing in the Mediterranean sea (the Med for us, lazy people ;)) is often tricky (forecasting isn’t easy if you don’t know the area), but can be quite nice…
And if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to one of the few ones who can say : “I did it ! I surfed there !”
Merci! Thank you Keets, Jeffrey, Balsa and MasterNag!
We’re staying with friends in Aix en Provence and I hadn’t planned on surfing while there, but if the opportunity arises, I’d give it a go.
We’re staying at Tonic in Biarritz. My wife is really looking forward to that stay, and I know there will be more than enough to keep everybody busy and having fun. Balsa, thanks for the board rental suggestion. I know we’ll be without a car, so I’m not sure how that will affect getting around. I’ll be looking for a longboard with some float, as I’m a bigger guy (~235lbs), but I know whatever I find should work. I’ll be the guy with the biggest smile out there.
Needless to say, I can’t wait to get to France. We’re really, really looking forward to this vacation.
Once again, merci! I really appreciate all of the great advice.
Always a pleasure to hear about friends especially when they’re (almost) on the other side of the globe ! As it’s sung in Disney theme parks : “it’s a small world after all !”
My family and I are traveling to France in the coming week and will be spending time in Paris, Aix en Provence, and Biarritz. My question(s) are about Biarritz and surfing there.
I’m wondering if I should bring a wetsuit (4/3 or 3/2) and booties.
Any suggestions on good shops for board rentals.
Suggested activities for non-surfing wife and 3-yr old daughter.
We’ll be in Biarritz 4/11-4/15, so not a big window, but I’m hoping to get a couple of days of surfing in.
I didn’t find very much when I did a search, so any and all help is appreciated.
Merci,
sean
Hi there
I lived there a few years.
My recommendations are:
4/3 at least, bring gloves and booties too, it might get real cold.
Buy a 2nd hand board in Spain [cheaper] if you succeed in selling it, you have paid so much less money. If you are specific about your boards that is.
If you are not specific about your boards, then rent at Rainbow ANGLET, just 10min drive from Btz up north, just along the beaches. They have a pretty good rental quiver.
Non surfing with wife and kid: www.atlanthal.com just next to La Barre… there is a McDonalds there too.
How about chocolate?? chocolate museum and lots of shops…
Wouter, thank you for the suggestions… I’ll have to remember that for our next trip. We were in France this past April and had a great trip. Unfortunately no waves in Biarritz, but that’s OK… we did go to the Chocolate museum and the aquarium… walked up to the top of the light house. All in all, a very nice stay. We didn’t have a car, so we were limited in how far we could go.
I do want to go back some time, and seeing Spain would be a big plus.
I usually go out to Waikiki (Queens or Canoes)… plenty of good waves and aloha, but plenty of crowds too. It’s 10 minutes away from where I live, so it’s usually where I go. When the swells are right, there is no shortage of waves. I guess it depends on the type of waves you’re looking for. I picked up Franko’s O’ahu Surfing Map and found it to be useful for locations and descriptions. And there’s no shortage of other activities when the surf isn’t cooperating, or if the jellyfish are doing their thing (spawning close to shore about 10 days after the full moon). Snorkeling, kayaking, museums, golf, or just sitting on the beach taking it all in. It’s a beautiful place with great people!
