Sports activities in Biarritz, France

"Biarritz offers a incredible variety of sports activities
- something to suit everyone !"

Surfing

Biarritz is Europe’s unofficial surfing capital – a mecca where surfing enthusiasts have boldly faced the unforgiving waves of the Atlantic Ocean since 1957. In that year, American film producer (and husband of Deborah Kerr), Peter Viertel, was in Biarritz making a movie. As legend has it, Viertel was so enraptured by the perfect swell lines along the Basque coastline, he immediately had his surfboard shipped out from California… and European surfing was born!

Biarritz is the perfect destination for both hardcore surfers and beginners. A great place to learn surfing, Biarritz has a large selection of surf schools available. All the schools offer private or group lessons with qualified instructors and many are approved by the French Surf Federation (FFS), guaranteeing high quality services.

The most popular surfing spot in Biarritz is at Grand Plage whilst longboarders should head to Plage de la Côte des Basques, the great location for the BLS French + Surf programme

French + Surf
BLS French language school in Biarritz offers a wonderful French language course that allows you to learn or improve your surfing at the spectacular Biarritz beaches whilst learning French!
For the ultimate French language and surfing holiday experience
see Biarritz + Surf.

Surf in Biarritz at Côte des Basques beach

Located close to the city Biarritz, the beach break at Côte des Basques offers beginner surfers a great experience. Throughout the summer months, with or without the BLS surf teachers, you will find consistently thin-lipped waves perfect for the inexperienced surfer, and the rocky headland protects the afternoon north-west wind, ensuring that you have perfect surfing conditions throughout the day. Peak time is May through to September, when you will see many surf vans parked along the stone-wall along the point, and you will be surfing with a diverse group of people, from people standing up on their boards for the very first time, to veteran surfers carving up the waves.

Surf in Biarritz at La Grande Plage

The Grande Plage break is just around the corner from Côte des Basques, in a slight more surreal setting, as there is a gothic casino on the land directly behind the break! The optimal condition for the beach is little wind and an under head swell, and when these conditions prevail, Biarritz locals flock to this beach to take advantage of the great surf.

Should you grow tired of hanging ten in the ocean, the Biarritz Casino beckons where you can sample contemporary and traditional French cuisine or try your luck at the games and see how much you can win.

Surfing in Anglet

If the Grande Plage in Biarritz is firing, the break near Anglet, a small seaside resort situated between the cities of Biarritz and Bayonne will be heaven for the more experienced surfer. Anglet is a commercial town situated on the Basque coast. With almost 3 miles of beaches, Anglet’s 11 surfing spots offers many and varied surfing conditions from the Sabels d’Or and the Ocean beach breaks, where daredevil riders attempt to ride tubes, to the Marinella, the best place for complete beginners to learn to surf.

Each year, Anglet sees the best surfers from around the world come together to compete in professional surfing championships.

Students who study French in Biarritz, France, have access to some of the most diverse surfing beaches in the world. The Basque coastline extends from the city of Bayonne to the Spanish border, and its 160 miles of coastline is dotted with prime surfing breaks perfect for both beginners and more experienced surfers, with breaks close to the city of Biarritz being the best known and loved.

And so much more…

When it comes to sports and activities, Biarritz has a lot more to offer than golf, surfing and rugby! Fill your days with a vast array of activities such as:

Water Sports: Scuba diving, swimming, sea kayaking, sailboarding, hydro-speed, whitewater rafting, sailing…

Land Sports: Horse riding, cycling, hiking, pelote basque, skateboarding, squash, tennis, mountain-bike riding, go-karting, petanque…

Winter sports: Skiing and snowboarding in the dramatic peaks of the Pyrénées.