Surfing Biarritz & Anglet

La Grande Plage

• Beach Break
• Beginner / Intermediate
• 1-5 ft
• Year-round
• Crowd 4/5

The beach where French surfing was born. In front of Biarritz's grand belle-époque seafront, La Grande Plage breaks over sand in punchy, workable peaks, framed by the town's lighthouse, casino and rocky headlands rather than any wild coastline.

It's a genuine city wave in the old European sense: a short walk from cafés, hotels and the historic centre, which gives it a uniquely civilised, tourist-friendly character alongside serious surf history. Napoleon III's wife made this beach fashionable in the 1850s, and Californian filmmakers brought the first surfboards here a century later.

Come on almost any swell for a satisfying beach-break session, then walk straight into town for lunch. It's rarely the best wave on the Côte Basque on any given day, but as a symbol of where all this began, it's essential.

43.4832, -1.5586 · Any swell

Côte des Basques

• Beach Break
• Beginner / Intermediate
• 1-4 ft
• Year-round
• Crowd 4/5

Biarritz's original longboard wave, tucked below the cliffs just south of the Grande Plage. Côte des Basques breaks over sand into long, rolling, forgiving walls that have made it the spawning ground for French longboarding since the sport first arrived here in the 1950s and 60s.

The bay's shape gives it a mellower, more classic feel than the punchier peaks further along the coast, well suited to noseriding and stylish, flowing surfing rather than aerials or barrels. It stays busy nearly year-round with a mix of longboarders, beginners and Biarritz's surf schools.

Come on a small-to-moderate swell for the easiest, most rewarding longboard conditions, and expect a friendly, if crowded, lineup with real surf heritage behind every wave ridden here. A must-surf for anyone tracing the roots of European surfing.

43.4795, -1.567 · Small-mod swell

Anglet Jetties

• Beach Break
• Intermediate / Advanced
• 2-7 ft
• Sep-Apr
• Crowd 4/5

A string of jetty-defined beach-break peaks running along Anglet's long stretch of coast between Biarritz and the Adour river mouth. Since the 19th century these T-shaped groynes have been built to stabilise the sand, and they've inadvertently created some of the most reliable, well-defined peaks on the whole Côte Basque.

Each jetty holds its own bank, giving a series of distinct, rideable peaks rather than the shifting uncertainty of an open beach, from mellower options for building confidence to punchier, more powerful sections favoured by locals. It's a genuinely local, everyday wave rather than a tourist showcase.

Come on most swells for a satisfying, dependable session, and expect a strong, committed Anglet crew who surf these jetties year-round. A great base for exploring the rest of the Côte Basque once you've got your bearings here.

43.51, -1.53 · Clean groundswell

Alcyons

• Reef
• Advanced / Pro
• 3-10 ft
• Oct-Mar
• Crowd 3/5

A quality reef break at the southern end of Biarritz, considered by many locals the best left in the area when a big N or NW swell wraps in. Alcyons handles size well and produces long, well-shaped walls over its reef bottom.

It's a step up in commitment from the Grande Plage or Côte des Basques, favoured by more experienced surfers wanting real quality rather than a crowded beginner beach. Come on a solid N-NW swell, and expect a skilled, protective local crew.

43.475, -1.565 · Solid N-NW swell