Fashionable Biarritz & The Basque Coast
Fashionable Biarritz & The Basque Coast
Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a small fishing village on the Basque coast is known for its architecture, sandy bay, the quality of the light and the cuisine.This beautiful south-west corner of France became renowned in the mid-1800's when Empress Eugenie, the wife of the emperor Napoleon III, built a palace on the beach at Biarritz. (now the HU´tel du Palais). European royalty such as Queen Victoria, Edward VII, and Alfonso XIII of Spain were frequent visitors.
Our tour starts with a guided walking tour of Saint-Jean-de-Luz through the historic town and visiting the St Jean Baptiste church. Our coach will then take us the 10 miles up the coast to Biarritz, the "Queen of resorts and the resort of Kings" including the lighthouse, located on the northern tip of the town with its panoramic view followed by the "Grande Plage", the main beach in town, where surfers from all over the world come to ride the waves. The Hotel du Palais with its facade overhanging the beach, revives the idle and frivolous period of the 20's.
Built in 1855, as a summer house for the Imperial couple, the building owes its E shape to the name of the Empress Eugenie.
Our next stop is the cozy fishing port nested in the rocks. After the fishing port, it's off to the Rock of the Virgin, which is reached by an imposing bridge which was constructed by Gustave Eiffel, the same architect who, of course, designed the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. We conclude our oceanfront tour of Biarritz with the ancient whaling port, whaling having been an integral part of the history of the town, where we will have some free time to browse. We return to St.-Jean-de-Luz through Bidart and Guethary, typical villages with their "fronton" where the basques play the "pelota", their traditional sport.
Notes: A minimum participation is required to operate all Yachting Land Adventures and some have limited capacity.
Port: Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Duration: 3.5 hours
Current Price: 85 USD
Voyages where this land adventure may be found: