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Overview:
Biarritz, France, Biarritz is a large town
with several quartiers and is one of the principal resorts on
the Côte Basque, and probably the most famous part of the Pays
Basque. Biarritz came to fame in the mid 19th Century, when
Empress Eugenie (the wife of Napoleon III) fell in love with
this part of the Basque country and built a Palace on the beach
at Biarritz (which is now the world class Hotel du Palais) and a
centre with natural springs at Eugenie les Bains in the Landes.
Biarritz has a lot
more than beautiful buildings to offer today. It's a vibrant
cosmopolitan town with magnificent beaches, golf courses and
numerous sporting facilities, not forgetting the surf. Surfing
started in France here in Biarritz and surfers come from all
over the world to ride the waves. The Biarritz Surf Festival
brings together surfers from Hawaii, California and Australia
every year to celebrate the birth of surfing in Biarritz.
Until World War II,
Biarritz was the Monte Carlo of the Atlantic Coast, transformed
by Napoleon III in the mid-19th century into a playground for
monarchs and the glitterati, including Frank Sinatra, Bette
Davis, Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth and Ernest Hemingway. Today,
the town has an air of faded glamour, and is a charming blend of
both the chic and the shabby. Its shore remains truly beautiful,
with white breakers crashing on sandy strands.
Visiting
one country? Individual Country Passes offer convenience and
affordable travel options.
Use the Rail
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