Biarritz

We stayed in Saint-Jean-de-Luz last summer for three nights and loved it so much that we didn't leave the town for any side trips! We'd talked about Biarritz...but were utterly content to stay where we were. So, I'd recommend checking it out. I think it would be a short bus ride between the two towns. The beach is beautiful, the ocean was warm in June, it has a nice family vibe, and we ate well there. The market was a delight! We chose all sorts of great foods for a family picnic that was fun and memorable. My daughter and I each bought folding Opinel knives at a hardware store there and enjoyed using them for our picnics for the rest of the trip.

Our next destination from there was San Sebastian, another relatively short Ouibus ride. I don't know if you want to go that far, or maybe consider bus to Hondarribia, which I've read is a neat place to visit just over the border in Spain. All of these areas are Basque, and would be very different than your Paris experience. Google Maps says it is about 36 minutes between Biarritz and Hondarribia, with Saint-Jean-de-Luz between the two. So, it's not far. San Sebastian would be about 45 minutes away from Biarritz.

In fact, for that trip, we didn't even fly into Paris at all. We flew into Toulouse, visited friends in that region, then went west to the coast and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. It was such a breath of fresh air compared to a busy city vibe. We all loved it there.

Have a great trip!
Laurie

We were just in Biarritz last week. It is a grand old beach town no longer in its glory days. A RS Guidebook comment sums it up well: “There’s little of sightseeing value in Biarritz”. However, if you speak French, or make friends quickly, or are a surfer, or just love lying on a beach for hours, Biarritz may be great for you. We spent 1/2 day walking around. First we did the RS suggested walk which closely mimics the city walking tour map available from the TI (which is now in the Casino building BTW). The city map provides a few more suggested sights than RS does, e.g. the sadly decaying Russian Orthodox church which might be of interest for those who like religious icons. Next, since my bride loves looking at stately old houses we walked through many of the close-in older neighborhoods and she was in Belle Epoque heaven for the hours we had there. We didn't notice much Basque-ness in Biarritz, although we weren't really looking for it since we had already toured the Basque museum in Bayonne.

The next days we spent in St Jean de Luz. It is a bit smaller than Biarritz, but with much flatter terrain. It too has only a few significant sights, e.g. the church Louis XIV was married in, supposedly the largest Basque-style church in France. Other than that, its just a nice beach town with a small working harbor and a tiny bit of pirate history. But we agreed that it met our personal expectation of a laid back beach town better than Biarritz. YMMV.