48h in Biarritz

Two days in Biarritz, a whaling village turned imperial resort after Empress Eugenie had her villa built there in 1855. The trip opens on the Grande Plage, with its Art Deco casino and the Hotel du Palais behind, then the Rocher de la Vierge, linked to the shore by a footbridge attributed to Eiffel, from which the whole Basque coast is visible. The Cote des Basques, birthplace of European surfing in 1957, Bayonne ten minutes away for chocolate and cured ham, and the fishermen's harbour with its crampotte huts close the stay. The waves at the Cote des Basques are ideal for learning at low tide. The Bayonne festival in late July draws a million people: book far ahead or avoid it.