The Museums of Biarritz, France

Asiatica Musée d’Art Oriental

Europeans have long held a fascination for Asian art and the Asiatica Museum situated in Biarritz houses a significant collection of Asian art from China, India, Nepal and Tibet. One of the five leading European museums of oriental art, the Asiatica houses a splendid collection of over 1,000 works from India, Nepal, Tibet and China, ranging from prehistoric to modern times. The Asiatica Museum collections are organized in such a way that a person unfamiliar with the art is gently and easily educated with informative information cards available in both French and English.

The Asiatica Museum is situated at 1, Rue Guy Petit, 64200 Biarritz, France, opposite the Hotel Louisiane and Hotel des Impots. It is open every day from 2pm, including holidays.

Planète Musée du Chocolat

Biarritz's culinary reputation sweetens further with the discovery that the region is one of Europe's premier chocolate producers. Bayonne is said to have once contained more artisan chocolatiers than all of Switzerland! This unique museum, located above Côte des Basques beach, celebrates the 400-year-old local industry by retracing the history and origins of everybody's favourite delicacy!

Musée de la Mer

Located in a superb art déco building opposite the Rocher de la Vierge, the Sea Museum houses 24 aquariums with more than 150 different species of fish and marine invertebrates found in the Bay of Biscay. Highlights include the feeding of the seals every day, the shark grotto and information on the history of whaling in the region. Facing the Atlantic Ocean, the Musee de la Mer is a vast building, striking in its distinctly French architecture. Built in 1935 the museum is situated approximately 400 m from Biarritz city centre and it showcases the wide collection of fish, rays and sharks that live in the Bay of Biscay. However the most popular attraction in the museum is the seal’s pool where tourists can enjoy the amusing antics of the sea mammals.

The Musee de la Mer is an extremely popular French tourist destination. It is available to visit every day of the year apart from the second week in January. Between October and March the museum is open between 10.30am – 1.15pm, and again at 2.15pm – 4.45pm. Between April and September opening hours for Musee de la Mer are extended until 5.45pm.

Musée Historique de Biarritz

Located in an old Anglican church, the historical museum tells the story of Biarritz from the original fishing port to a cosmopolitan seaside resort. The museum displays paintings, costumes, artifacts and videos.