Flights to Biarritz with Air France from CAD 1,159*

Biarritz, surfers' and spa-lovers' paradise

Why not purchase a ticket for Biarritz? Biarritz is a French seaside resort, located at the far southwest of the country, about fifty kilometers from Spain.

The city has a population of 26 000, and is quite famous for the strong surf that rolls in from the Atlantic ocean in the Golf of Gascony, making it a surfers' paradise.

Due to its location, Biarritz is wide open to ocean winds. Winters are mild and summers are particularly bearable. In short, the weather is pleasant and oceanic, and there are many tourists in the summer.

Biarritz was at its peak during the 19th century, when it became popular with Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon the 3rd, who was very fond of thermal spas. Biarritz became the “queen of beaches and the beach for kings”.

During that era, Biarritz inherited its famous thermal spas as well as typical buildings like the Orthodox church with the blue cupola, linked to the visits to Biarritz from Russian aristocracy before the Bolshevik revolution in 1917.

In short, Biarritz had its golden age during the 19th century, as did many other thermal spas such as Vichy, and it remains a favorite destination for both French and foreign tourists, thriving on sports, thermal cures and tourism which have not lost the splendor of the past.

Biarritz: tourist attractions

What to see in Biarritz? One of the city's emblems is no doubt the Hôtel du Palais, Empress Eugénie's summer residence on the coast. You can't miss the Virgin on the Rock, perched on top of the tunnel that was dug by order of Napoleon 3rd. There are many other villas and palaces to see, such as the Plaza Hôtel, or the Goëland Villa. Several churches, such as the imperial Chapel are worth the visit, as well as the town casino where you can try your luck!

There are also several interesting museums: The Museum of the Sea, the Chocolate Museum, and The Asiatica Museum for Oriental Art or the Historical Museum of Biarritz.

It is impossible to come to Biarritz without tasting seafood and fish that are on all menus in every restaurant. As for Basque cuisine, you can not leave Biarritz without having tasted some Bayonne ham or a good Irouléquy wine, produced in the neighboring vineyards in the Pyrenees mountains. Also, in France, wine is much less expensive than it is in Canada.

Flight to Biarritz: practical information

Air France offers daily cheap flights departing from large Canadian airports, such as flights from Calgary to Biarritz as well as flights departing from Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa, as well as Calgary and Vancouver thanks to West jet code share, with a stopover in Paris. To give you an idea, plan on about seven hours for a flight between Montreal and Paris and one hour and fifteen minutes for a flight Paris to Biarritz.

There is a six-hour time difference between Paris and Biarritz and therefore, a nine-hour difference between Vancouver and Biarritz.

To go to Biarritz, therefore to France, Canadian citizens need a passport that is valid at least three months beyond the expected date of departure from France. Your passport will also be useful if you cross the Spanish border.

Both France and Spain are part of the Schengen area, a unique area with 26 member countries where people are free to travel.

If you are a tourist and you are going to stay in France for less than 90 days, you do not need a visa.

The currency is the euro, like in most countries in the European Union. Major credit cards and traveler's checks are accepted almost everywhere.