Biarritz

Biarritz {{ #if: |""|}} Country: France Region: Aquitaine {{ #if: Blason Biarritz.png|Blason of the City|}} More Information: CS Group Wikipedia {{ #if: |[[:wikivoyage:{{{wikitravel}}}|Wikivoyage]]}} {{ #if: Biarritz|Wikivoyage}} {{#if:CS Ambassadors in the Area|style="background:#eeeeF7;text-align:center;font-size:110%;border:1px solid #a3bfb1" colspan="3"| City-Ambassadors: CS Ambassadors in the Area|}}

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Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in southwestern France, in the Region Aquitaine. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers. The town lies in Basque territory, and Basque flags and symbols are prevalent throughout Biarritz. Biarritz is located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Aquitaine region. It is adjacent to Bayonne and Anglet and 11 miles (18 kilometres) from the border with Spain. It is in the traditional province of Labourd in the French Basque Country.

HISTORY OF BIARRITZ

Vikings who invaded Gascony in 840 settled in Biarritz, which later participated in the whaling trade. Biarritz is a Basque name with locative suffix -itz (cp. Isturitz) attested Bearriz in 1170, Bearids in 1186, Bearritz in 1249. The Scandinavians settled in the area above the Gardague Beach. It has been suggested (disputedly) that the remaining Vikings became "Agots," a social group in Gascony not allowed to mix with the population at large. Segregation among these communities—there were many in Gascony and Navarra— disappeared only in the early 20th century.

Biarritz has long made its fortune from the sea: as a whaling settlement from the 12th century onwards, in the 18th century doctors recommended that the ocean at Biarritz had therapeutic properties, inspiring patients to make pilgrimages to the beach for alleged cures for their ailments.

Biarritz became more renowned in 1854 when Empress Eugenie (the wife of Napoleon III) built a palace on the beach (now the Hôtel du Palais). The British royal family regularly took vacations in Biarritz: European royalty such as Queen Victoria, Edward VII, and Alfonso XIII of Spain were frequent visitors.

Biarritz's casino (opened August 10, 1901) and beaches make the town a notable tourist centre for Europeans.

More informations about the History of Biarritz on the wikipedia:Biarritz !

WHAT TO VISIT ?

More informations about the places to visit in Biarritz on the wikivoyage:Biarritz or even the Official Website of the City !

TIPS

Free Internet/Wifi Access

Here is some places where you could get some Internet/Wifi Access:

• BIJ de la Mairie de Biarritz - Adress: Hôtel de Ville - Avenue Edouard VII - Tel: 05 59 41 54 34

What to do

This website if full of original ideas of what to do during your stay in Biarritz ! Surf, kayaking, rafting, basque pelota ... Activities in Biarritz

COUCHSURFERS

There are about 50 Couchsurfers in Biarritz and its area. You can check the CS Group of Pays Basque or simply a couchsearch to find and contact them.

Meetings

There are sometimes some meetings organised in Biarritz, just check the CS Group of Pays Basque to see what happen in the city and/or the Regional CS Group of Aquitaine to see if there is any event in the area.

Coffee or a Drink

Here is a list of persons who are ready to have a drink with you and/or show you the city:

TRANSPORTATIONS

How to get to Biarritz

By plane :

Airfrance : Paris, Lyon, New York via Lyon, Clermont Ferrand, Nice, Genève

Easyjet : Paris CDG, Bristol, Lyon, Londres Gatwick

Ryanair : Birmingham, Gatwin, Londres, Marseille

By train : SNCF

By the road :

Paris A10, N10 , A63 (E 05) : 870 km Lyon A7, A9, A61, N117, A64 (E15-E80) : 788 km Marseille A54, A9, A61, N117, A64(E15-E80) : 700 km Bilbao A1 (E70) : 148 km Madrid N1, A1 (E70) : 200 km Saint Sebastien (Donostia) : 51 km

Bicycles

You can rent a bicycle or MBB at the shop Takamaka, located in the center of Biarritz, close to the tourism information. They have roadbooks of different trips to do around Biarritz. [[1]]

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

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• Police Station:
• Health Urgency:
• Hospital:
• Fireman Station:
• Embassy:
• Emergency Doctor:

INTERESTED LINKS

• Regional CS Group: Aquitaine
• City CS Group: Pays Basque

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• Biarritz on Wikivoyage
• Biarritz on Hitchwiki
• Biarritz on Wikipedia

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