Biarritz, France: Self-Guided Walking Tour

Biarritz is a refined seaside city on France’s southwest coast where the Atlantic Ocean meets the French Basque Country, a short distance from Spain and backed by the Pyrenees. It blends imperial heritage, Belle Époque architecture, celebrated surf spots and a lively food scene, making it worth visiting for both culture and ocean lovers. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Biarritz with 18 narrated places.

What to see in Biarritz

Russian orthodox church of Biarritz

The Russian Orthodox Church stands on Avenue de l’Impératrice, a quiet reminder of the city’s historic ties to the Russian imperial court. Built in the late nineteenth century for Russian nobility, it features onion domes, a richly coloured façade and an iconostasis inside. The scent of beeswax candles and incense often lingers in the air.

Château Boulart

Perched on avenue du Château, Château Boulart is a private mansion that has survived essentially unchanged since the late 1800s. Its façades, roof and decorative details are original, offering a genuine example of the eclectic architecture popular at the end of the century. The property was added to the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments in October 1975.

Biarritz Lighthouse

Located on Pointe Saint‑Martin, the Biarritz Lighthouse is a white cylindrical tower rising from a two‑tiered octagonal base. The tower itself is 47 m tall, but because it sits on a 75 m cliff its beam reaches far out to sea. First lit in 1834, it was electrified in 1953 and fully automated by 1980, yet the original Fresnel lens from 1904 still produces two white flashes every ten seconds, visible up to 26 nautical miles (about 48 km). Visitors can climb 248 steps to the lantern room, where twelve copper lions adorn the dome.

Église Saint-Martin

The Church of Saint‑Martin, a historic Catholic parish in the heart of Biarritz, has been protected as a monument since 1931. Inside, an eighteenth‑century altarpiece—classified as a protected historic object since 1973—shows notable craftsmanship.

Chapelle impériale de Biarritz

Tucked on avenue de la Marne, the Chapelle Impériale is the only surviving trace of the imperial court’s summer residence. Constructed between 1864 and 1866 for Empress Eugénie, it was designed by Émile Boeswillwald with a refined, understated elegance that suited its royal patron.

Ancienne église anglicane Saint‑Andrew de Biarritz

This former Anglican church now houses the Biarritz Historical Museum. It originally served the British community that flocked to the city in the nineteenth century and today tells how a small fishing village became a fashionable seaside resort.

Cité de l’Océan et du Surf

Opened in June 2011, this museum and theme park explores the ocean and surf culture. Designed by Steven Holl Architects with Solange Fabien, its dramatically curved roof resembles a wave about to break, and the public plaza tilts toward the horizon, blurring the line between built space and natural landscape. Inside the 3 800 m² building are exhibition galleries, an auditorium, a restaurant, a cafeteria and offices.

Le Musée de la mer (Biarritz Aquarium)

Set on the cliff edge at Atalaya, the Biarritz Aquarium has watched over the Bay of Biscay since 1933. The Art Deco building, designed by Joseph Hiriart, was renovated in 1992 to become a proper aquarium and extended between 2009 and 2011 to double its visitor space. It spans four levels, with ground‑floor tanks recreating the local ecosystem and upper floors devoted to fishing techniques, whaling history and temporary exhibitions.

Musée Asiatica

Opened in 1999, the Musée Asiatica is one of France’s few provincial museums devoted entirely to Asian arts. Its collection spans sculptures, paintings, delicate crafts and folk art from across the continent, with a strong focus on spiritual traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Tantric practices.

Casino municipal

Completed in 1929 by architect Alfred Laulhé, the Casino Municipal is an Art Deco palace on the main beach. Besides gaming rooms, it contains a theatre, a swimming pool and grand reception halls. A major renovation in the 1990s restored its original splendour, and in 1992 the French government listed it as a historical monument.

Explore Biarritz with Neywo

Neywo’s free audio guide includes two walking tours in Biarritz. The first, “Empress Eugénie’s Biarritz: from the Lighthouse to the Sea,” covers 3.78 km in about 113 minutes with ten stops, including the lighthouse, the Russian orthodox church, the Chapelle impériale and the Casino municipal. The second, “Hilltop Villas, Asian Art and the Wave Museum,” is 3.44 km long, takes roughly 75 minutes and stops at four sites: the Musée Asiatica, Château Boulart, Église Saint‑Martin and the Cité de l’Océan et du Surf. Each story plays automatically as you reach the location, allowing you to explore at your own pace with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages. To start discovering the city’s sights, download Neywo and let the guide lead you through Biarritz’s streets and coastline.