Biarritz

Biarritz, in Basque country, is a traditional summer holiday resort. A village made prosperous by whaling, ang the place to go in the 1850's. After wife of Napolean III had a villa built there for her leisure.The rich crowd followed and built large villas of their own, The warm winters becoming a magnet for the elderly, then and now Visit the Rocher de la Vierge, and feel the breeze biting against the glorious view.

For centuries Biarritz (Miarritze in Basque, meaning tongue of rocks) was but a small village where in ancient times the Basques used to catch whales. Its fortunes started to change in the 18th century when doctors declared that the sea there had therapeutic properties. This led to people rushing into the waves hoping that the shock would cure them. All it did was drown a few.

Then in the 19th century it was discovered by European royalty and it became the resort for high society - the queen of beaches, beaches for kings. Napoleon III and his Spanish princess, Eugenie, built a palace there; Queen Victoria and other members of the British royal family enjoyed their holidays there; and Biarritz went through a huge and expensive expansion to accommodate and amuse the rich and famous.

Today the town is battling hard to combat the air of faded elegance that some would say is its charm. Every summer it welcomes its many visitors, but the rich and famous have given way to the simple sun-seeker and the surfer.

It has an exceptional sea life centre where most of the species that inhabit the waters around the Cantabrian coast can be seen.