Hossegor, Biarritz and Anglet: Our 2-Week Trip Guide (Where to Stay, Eat and Surf)

Biarritz, Anglet and Hossegor sit on France’s Atlantic coast, right up near the Spanish border, and they are a brilliant alternative to another trip to Paris. We spent 16 days here in October 2015 and it was very hard to leave.

This guide covers what we did, where we stayed and ate, and the practical stuff we wish we had known before we went: how to get there, when to go, where to base yourself and how to fill two weeks.

Why we went: the surf contest in Hossegor

We came because of the World Surf League contest in Hossegor (Steve is crazy about surfing!) and honestly didn’t do much research on the area before we arrived.

The waves were pumping pretty much the whole waiting period, and we got to watch Gabriel Medina win the 2015 Quiksilver Pro France.

A heads-up if you want to plan a trip around the contest: the Championship Tour last visited Hossegor in 2019, and the French event has changed format and status several times since. Check the World Surf League calendar before you book anything around it.

Getting there

By plane

Biarritz Pays Basque airport (BIQ) is the closest. It sits in Anglet, between Biarritz and Bayonne, so you are only minutes from the coast when you land. Flights are seasonal from many cities, so check what runs in the month you are travelling.

If you can’t find a good fare, Bordeaux (around two hours north by car or train) and Bilbao in Spain are the bigger alternatives.

By train

Direct TGV trains run from Paris Montparnasse to Biarritz in roughly 4 to 4.5 hours, and some continue to Bayonne and Hendaye. Book early on SNCF Connect for the cheapest fares.

One tip: Biarritz station (La Négresse) is not in the town centre, so you will need a bus or taxi from there. Bayonne station is more central to Bayonne itself.

Getting around

Biarritz, Anglet and Bayonne are well connected by the Txik Txak bus network, and you can walk or cycle the seafront between Anglet’s beaches and Biarritz.

For Hossegor, the Landes beaches and the villages inland, a car makes life much easier.

We hired a car because the contest was about 30 minutes away in Hossegor. Hertz was by far the cheapest for us: sixteen days cost €280, and the €150 deposit was refunded the day after we returned the car. The process couldn’t have been easier.

These days we’d compare prices on Discover Cars first, as it searches the big rental companies at once.

The A63 to Hossegor has tolls. In 2015 we paid €1.70 each way.

When to go

• July and August: hot, lively and busy. Beaches are packed, accommodation is at its most expensive and you’ll need to book well ahead.
• June and September: our pick for most people. Warm enough for the beach, with fewer crowds.
• September to November: the best surf of the year, as Atlantic swells start to arrive. We went in October and loved it.
• Winter: quiet, cheaper and moody. Hossegor in particular gets very sleepy outside the season, and we were told it is a bit of a ghost town after the surf contest.

Where to stay: Anglet, Biarritz or Hossegor?

Anglet (where we stayed)

We booked a one-bedroom apartment in Anglet on Airbnb a week before we arrived, for €40 a night (2015 prices). It was ten minutes from the Chambre d’Amour beach.

Anglet is small and charming, with plenty of great places to eat and drink, and it felt a bit more local and relaxed than Biarritz. Its coastline runs for about 4.5 km with 11 beaches, joined by a seafront promenade you can walk or cycle.

Biarritz is only a few minutes away, and you can take a coastal walk there and enjoy the views and the town’s unique architecture on the way.

Biarritz

Stay in Biarritz if you want to walk everywhere: to the Grande Plage, the restaurants and bars, and the evening buzz. It is the most expensive of the three, especially in summer.

Hossegor and Capbreton

If your trip is all about surfing, base yourself in Hossegor or neighbouring Capbreton, right on the long sandy beaches of the Landes. Just remember it’s quiet outside the season.

Bayonne

Bayonne is a good budget option and handy if you arrive by train, with easy buses to the beaches.

Compare hotels, apartments and hostels across all four on Booking.com.

Things to do in Biarritz

Walk the coast path and the old streets

The must-do in Biarritz is simply to walk its streets and the coastal path, where you get both the architecture and the ocean views.

Rocher de la Vierge

The Virgin on the Rock sits on a rock reached by a small footbridge, and it’s a great viewpoint back over the town and the coast.

Hotel du Palais and the Grande Plage

Hotel du Palais stands between the Grande Plage and Miramar beach. It’s one of the most iconic places in Biarritz and can’t be missed, even if you only walk past.

Climb the Biarritz lighthouse

The lighthouse, built in 1834, sits on the headland above Anglet’s Chambre d’Amour. Climb the 248 steps for a view over Biarritz and, on a clear day, the Pyrenees.

Côte des Basques at sunset

Côte des Basques beach is where many surfers paddle out in Biarritz, and the cliff-top bars above it are a classic spot for a sunset drink.

Things to do in Anglet

Our favourite routine was Chambre d’Amour. We’d walk to the beach bar Lagunak in the morning for coffee (an espresso was only €1 in 2015) and come back between 6 and 7 pm for a cold sunset beer (€2.50 then).

When we were there it closed in the afternoon, so go before noon for coffee.

The seafront promenade is perfect for a long walk or bike ride along the beaches, and Anglet has plenty of surf schools if you want to try it yourself.

Things to do in Hossegor

Hossegor has a great surf, chill and relax vibe. In season the village centre is full of packed restaurants, and the beachfront (about a three-minute drive from the centre) is a great spot for a glass of wine.

Hossegor also has surf shop warehouses with big sales, so if you’re planning some shopping, check them out.

The lake in the middle of town, Lac d’Hossegor, is a calmer spot for a walk away from the waves.

Hossegor vs Biarritz: Which Is Better for You?

We spent time in both, and they suit different trips:

• Choose Hossegor if surfing is the point. It’s a laid-back surf town on the long, straight beaches of the Landes, with pine forest, the lake and surf shops everywhere. It’s lively in summer and during the surf contest, and very quiet out of season.
• Choose Biarritz for a bit of everything. It’s an elegant seaside town with more restaurants, bars and shops, the old streets, the lighthouse and the Côte des Basques at sunset, plus surf beaches right in town. It’s busier and usually dearer.
• Anglet, in between, is where we stayed: long beaches and quick access to both Biarritz and Bayonne.

Hossegor to Biarritz: distance and how to get there

Hossegor is about 30 km north of Biarritz, roughly half an hour by car. Driving is by far the easiest way to move between them. Hossegor has no train station of its own: the nearest is Labenne, about 15 km away, where regional TER trains reach Biarritz in around 25 minutes, but the buses from Hossegor to Labenne aren’t frequent. If you’re splitting your trip between the two without a car, check the SNCF and local bus timetables before you book.

Day trips for a two-week stay

With two weeks you have time to get out of the beach towns. These are all easy from Biarritz or Anglet:

• Bayonne: the capital of the French Basque Country, with a riverside old town, Bayonne ham and a long tradition of chocolate making.
• Saint-Jean-de-Luz: a pretty fishing port with a sheltered bay, south towards the border.
• Espelette: the inland village famous for its red peppers.
• La Rhune: a 905 m mountain on the French and Spanish border. A rack railway, the Petit Train de la Rhune, runs up from the Col de Saint-Ignace near Sare. It runs seasonally, so check dates before you go.
• San Sebastián: just over the border in Spain and under an hour’s drive away. See our reasons to visit San Sebastián.

Where we ate (2015)

These were our favourites in 2015. Places change, so check they’re still open before you go.

• Diavoli, Anglet: near Chambre d’Amour, and great for a Saturday lunch.
• The Cinq Cantons food market, Anglet: the market by the Tabac Journaux des 5 Cantons was our Sunday lunch spot. It was packed with people enjoying oysters, cheese, ham, wine and beer. Eat at the counter or take away, it’s up to you.
• The local boulangerie pâtisserie: massive queues at weekends, but worth the wait. The baguettes and croissants were to die for.
• Tony Vespa, Anglet: pizza. The mushroom and truffle was a must-try.
• Hotel de l’Océan restaurant, Biarritz: the best mussels we’ve ever had.
• Etxola Bibi, Biarritz: the bar on the cliff overlooking the beach, near the Rocher de la Vierge. We loved it for a drink with a view.

Mind the meal times

There are countless restaurants, but watch the serving times. Lunch is usually around 12.30 to 2 pm, and if you miss it you may be stuck with the pastry shop until dinner starts around 6 or 7 pm.

A sample two weeks

This is roughly how we’d split a fortnight now, based on our own trip:

• Days 1 to 3: settle into Anglet, walk the beaches to Chambre d’Amour and the lighthouse.
• Days 4 to 5: Biarritz: the coast walk, Rocher de la Vierge, Grande Plage and Côte des Basques at sunset.
• Days 6 to 8: Hossegor and Capbreton for surf, the beaches and the surf shops.
• Day 9: Bayonne.
• Day 10: Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Espelette.
• Day 11: La Rhune (in season).
• Days 12 to 13: San Sebastián.
• Day 14: a slow last day back on your favourite beach.

Costs: what we paid in 2015

• One-bedroom apartment in Anglet: €40 a night
• Car hire for 16 days: €280 (plus a €150 refundable deposit)
• A63 toll to Hossegor: €1.70 each way
• Espresso at the beach bar: €1
• Beer at the beach bar: €2.50

Prices have gone up since then, especially for summer accommodation, so treat these as a rough guide only.

We hope you enjoy the place as much as we did and find these tips useful.

Steve and Sabina

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