See France's Basque coast through the eyes of a photographer

National Geographic

05-06-2025

The pearl of France's Basque coast, Biarritz has long been a playground for European high society. Today, the town and its neighbours retain a nostalgic charm, with visitors drawn to the region for fine dining, belle epoque architecture and surf breaks. The harbour at St-Jean-de-Luz offers a view to Ciboure, south of Biarritz, where the town and its neighbours retain a nostalgic charm. Photograph by Mark Parren Taylor Story and photographs by Mark Parren Taylor This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). The French city of Biarritz lies on the Bay of Biscay in the Basque region, just 22 miles from the border with Spain. Photograph by Mark Parren Taylor A one-time whaling village, in the mid-18th century it gained popularity as a spa, when 'sea-baths' were believed to ease all manner of ailments. A hundred years later, Emperor Napoleon III built a palatial villa (now the Hôtel du Palais) for his Spanish-born consort Eugenie. Photograph by Mark Parren Taylor The couple's summertime sojourns made the belle époque-era seaside town popular with European royalty. But crowns and tiaras could not outshine the land's unique Basque heritage, evident in its language, artistic expression and food culture. Photograph by Mark Parren Taylor Basque cuisine remains popular to this day, from the traditional bakeries that serve cheesecake-like etxeko bixkotxa or Gâteau Basque to contemporary restaurants like Marloe. Here, chef Eric Martins (above) serves fine pays Basque produce such as Ossau-Iraty cheese, best enjoyed with quince or local Espelette peppers. Photograph by Mark Parren Taylor Some of Biarritz's beaches — such as the Plage du Port des Pêcheurs — sit in rocky coves, sheltered from the Atlantic breakers that pummel other parts of the coast, including the town's central Grande Plage. Photograph by Mark Parren Taylor - - It makes them popular with novice surfers, who practise here during June and July, when the waves are at their smallest. The more experienced prefer the beaches near the village of Guéthary, known for their big breaks. Photograph by Mark Parren Taylor The coast has become a place of pilgrimage for French surfers, but Biarritz and other towns on the Côte Basque witnessed another type of pilgrim centuries before: the Way of St James passes through en route to Spain's Santiago de Compostela. Photograph by Mark Parren Taylor Near Biarritz's Halles (market hall), the cafe at Hotel Saint-James has welcomed guests since the 19th century, with devout Christians and seasoned surfers no doubt among them. The town of Bayonne marks the northern extent of the cross-border 'Basque Eurocity'. This urban region embraces France's Côte Basque and Spain's Euskadi coastline around San Sebastián, 30 miles end to end. Bayonne is just five miles inland from Biarritz and is famed for its medieval old town, which sits on a honeycomb of 130 medieval cellars, used by the town's merchants to store their goods. The railway reached Bayonne in 1855, a few years before the line extended to Biarritz. Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie rode the 'iron horse' all the way from Paris to the elegant station here before a real horse and carriage transported them the final leg to their new villa in the dunes. Nowadays, guests might enjoy a simple breakfast of coffee and croissants at the Hôtel du Palais, perhaps not dissimilar to one enjoyed by the imperial couple all those years ago. Published in the June 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).