Chances are you’re in Biarritz to surf.
Biarritz (and the surrounding area) is one of the best beginner surfing destinations in the world.
It features miles upon miles of long, wide beaches that offer tremendous variability in terms of wave size and strength.
Many of the beaches you’ll find in Biarritz are more suited for advanced surfers- or at least not for a first-timer. So it’s important that you choose the right one.
There are excellent beginner surfing beaches located both in and near Biarritz. In this post, I’ll be covering one in the city itself, and an even better one that is accessible within 30 minutes by train or bus.
What Makes a Good Beginner Surf Beach?
The first time I surfed, I rented a board in a Tel Aviv shop and headed to the closest beach I could find, confident that I could figure it out on my own.
Turns out I was wrong. I spent an hour getting pummeled and struggled back to shore, depressed, to realize that I had not only failed in my surfing endeavors but that my Apple Watch had disappeared from my wrist, claimed by the Mediterranean forever.
I tell this tale of failure and sorrow to get a message across- surfing is not something you can learn in a day. And in order to make any sort of progress as a beginner, you need a beach that possesses certain characteristics.
The best beginner surfing beaches are shallow with a sandy floor, have minimal crowds, and small, consistent waves with extensive white water (beginners always surf waves after they have broken to learn).
The beach I chose in Tel Aviv had large, choppy waves that pummeled me relentlessly and a rocky floor that cut me up. But at least the crowds were minimal.
Côte des Basques — The Best Beginner Beach in Biarritz
Biarritz has five main beaches: Miramar, Grande Plage, Côte des Basques, Marbella, and Milady. Of these, Côte des Basques is undoubtedly best for beginner surfers.
Côte des Basques features smaller, wide swells with plenty of white water to learn on.
While its main flaw is its popularity (leading to crowds), the beach is large enough where this isn’t usually too much of a problem.
Most beginner lessons in Biarritz take place on Côte des Basques. I would recommend this one– it’s the best deal you’ll find, around €50 and great quality for the money.
Lessons will be at the proper times, but do note that Côte des Basques is only surf-able at or near low tide. At high tide, the beach disappears completely! Check out tide times here.
The beach is also actually where surfing first started in Europe in the 1950s- try and find the plaque commemorating it on the beach!
Hendaye — The Best Beginner Beach Near Biarritz
The second beach on our list is Hendaye Beach.
I personally prefer Hendaye as a beginner beach over Côte des Basques- as long as you’re fine with the small transit time.
Hendaye is a long, wide beach with perfect beginner conditions- it has small, wide swells with plenty of white water like Côte des Basques, but is also far less crowded.
Hendaye is the beach where I learned to surf- all it took one lesson and I was able to get up on my board consistently.
To get to Hendaye Beach, take a 25 minute train from Biarritz to Les Deux-Jumeaux Station (not Hendaye Station!!!). If you’re staying in Bayonne (like me), you can go from there as well. Check Omio for ticket options.
Once getting to the station, you’ll have to walk 10-20 minutes, with the time depending on how far down the beach you’re going to go.
You can book lessons online (look on Google Maps for good reviews and then book on individual shop websites), or simply head to Hendaye early in the morning and walk down the boardwalk, looking for availability. Just make sure to double check reviews online before!
There are several places with good deals- there’s a cluster of shops near the middle and left-hand side of the beach. Try and get there well before 8:00 AM if you don’t book in advance, as that’s when most lessons begin. Early wakeup!
Note: Hendaye Beach is pinned on Offpath, my curated map of spots less well-known to tourists around the globe. Give it a look!
Which Beach Should You Choose?
Let’s start off by saying that both are great options.
Choose Côte des Basques for convenience. It’s a famous surf spot for a reason, and the conditions are as good as you’ll find. If you can get a lesson early in the morning to avoid the crowds, all the better.
Choose Hendaye if you don’t mind a bit of transit. In my view, Hendaye is the cream of the crop, with perfect conditions and smaller crowds. I still recommend you try to get there in the morning though.
Tips for Beginner Surfing in Biarritz
Time for a few tips.
I’ve already mentioned this various times throughout the post, but try your best to go in the morning. This is often when you get the best conditions and smallest crowds.
It also allows you to get a morning lesson, and spend the remainder of the day practicing what you learned.
Which leads into our second tip. Take a lesson. Just one can be enough. But it’s very important to have the basics down in order to progress, and it’s crucial to have an expert watching you. Online tutorials can be good for progressing later, but not to get started.
You can book lessons at Côte des Basques online with the links I had above. For Hendaye, book through individual shops with good reviews or simply show up in the morning- there’s almost always something good.
Finally, one last tip that’s unrelated to surfing. If you surf at Hendaye, hop on a bus after surfing to San Sebastian. It’s only 30 minutes away, so why not? Here’s a post on the best things to do- for a short trip, I’d focus on #1.
