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Live conditions

Biarritz

France · Atlantic Europe

Updated 45 min ago
🌧️
Type:beach
Shelter:semi_exposed
Difficulty:beginner
Tide:all tides
Facing:NW

Forecast accuracy at Biarritz

Not enough data yet. Log a session to help build the accuracy score.

Best time to go

Tomorrow 6am-10am

Clean offshore winds, quiet before the morning rush, conditions building through the session

78
Chest to head highOffshoreEmpty
Today 7am-11am

Clean cross-offshore winds, quiet before the morning rush, conditions building through the session

Chest to head highCross-offshoreQuiet
75
Tomorrow 8pm-11pm

quiet evening session, conditions building through the session

Chest to head highOnshoreEmpty
74

Nearby spots right now

BiarritzYou are here
1.68mCross-onshore
Great
Anglet
2 miles1.68mCross-onshore
Great
Capbreton
12.1 miles1.78mCross-onshore
Great
Guéthary
5.1 miles1.5mCross-onshore
Fair
La Gravière
13.3 miles1.78mCross-onshore
Fair
Hossegor
13.9 miles1.78mCross-onshore
Fair

Crowd report

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Session journal

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Recent form

Last 20 days of logged conditions.

30-day average
3.0/10
Days firing
3
Score 6 or higher
Best day recently
8.8/10
30 Apr
Days logged
20

Historical averages

Best month to visit: February

50%+ offshore20-49% offshoreBelow 20%
Planning tool

Best time to visit Biarritz

Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.

Key insights

  • The best week for surf at Biarritz is the week of 9 November (score 3/5) with low crowds.
  • Avoid the week of 13 July if you can due to Vacances d'ete and Vacaciones de verano.

Best time to visit

2026
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
5: Sweet spot
4: Great time
3: Average
2: Below average
1: Avoid

Crowd calendar

How busy each week is based on school holiday overlap from feeder markets.

18 May
Quiet
25 May
Quiet
1 Jun
Quiet
8 Jun
Quiet
15 Jun
Quiet
22 Jun
Quiet
29 Jun
Very busy
6 Jul
Very busy
13 Jul
Very busy
20 Jul
Very busy
27 Jul
Very busy
3 Aug
Very busy
10 Aug
Very busy
17 Aug
Very busy
24 Aug
Very busy
31 Aug
Very busy
7 Sept
Quiet
14 Sept
Quiet
21 Sept
Quiet
28 Sept
Quiet
5 Oct
Quiet
12 Oct
Busy
19 Oct
Very busy
26 Oct
Busy
2 Nov
Busy
9 Nov
Very quiet
16 Nov
Very quiet
23 Nov
Quiet
30 Nov
Very quiet
7 Dec
Quiet
14 Dec
Quiet
21 Dec
Quiet
28 Dec
Quiet
Very quiet
Quiet
Moderate
Busy
Very busy

School holidays affecting this destination

Summer holidays(Australia)
13 Dec - 26 Jan
Summer holidays(Australia)
18 Dec - 27 Jan
Summer holidays(Australia)
19 Dec - 28 Jan
Vacances de Noel(France)
20 Dec - 5 Jan
Vacaciones de Navidad(Spain)
20 Dec - 7 Jan
Weihnachtsferien(Germany)
22 Dec - 5 Jan
Vacanze di Natale(Italy)
22 Dec - 6 Jan
Vacances d'hiver(France)
7-22 February
Sportferien(Switzerland)
7-22 February
Vacances d'hiver(France)
14 Feb - 1 Mar
February half-term(United Kingdom)
14-22 February
Winterferien(Germany)
14-22 February
Faschingsferien(Germany)
14-21 February
Presidents' Day weekend(United States)
14-16 February
Voorjaarsvakantie(Netherlands)
14-22 February
Vacances de Carnaval(Belgium)
14-22 February
Vacanze di Carnevale(Italy)
14-18 February
Vacances d'hiver(France)
21 Feb - 8 Mar
Voorjaarsvakantie(Netherlands)
21 Feb - 1 Mar
Voorjaarsvakantie(Netherlands)
28 Feb - 8 Mar
Spring break(United States)
14-22 March
Semana Santa(Spain)
28 Mar - 5 Apr
Easter holidays(United Kingdom)
28 Mar - 12 Apr
Osterferien(Germany)
28 Mar - 11 Apr
Autumn break(Australia)
28 Mar - 12 Apr
Vacanze di Pasqua(Italy)
2-7 April
Vacances de printemps(France)
4-19 April
Autumn break(Australia)
4-19 April
Vacances de Paques(Belgium)
4-19 April
Fruehlingsferien(Switzerland)
4-19 April
Vacances de printemps(France)
11-26 April
Autumn break(Australia)
11-26 April
Vacances de printemps(France)
18 Apr - 3 May
Meivakantie(Netherlands)
25 Apr - 3 May
May half-term(United Kingdom)
23-31 May
Pfingstferien(Germany)
23 May - 6 Jun
Summer break(United States)
10 Jun - 25 Aug
Vacanze estive(Italy)
10 Jun - 14 Sept
Vacaciones de verano(Spain)
20 Jun - 7 Sept
Winter break(Australia)
27 Jun - 12 Jul
Sommerferien(Germany)
29 Jun - 11 Aug
Vacances d'ete(Belgium)
1 Jul - 31 Aug
Vacances d'ete(France)
4 Jul - 1 Sept
Zomervakantie(Netherlands)
4 Jul - 16 Aug
Winter break(Australia)
4-19 July
Sommerferien(Switzerland)
4 Jul - 16 Aug
Zomervakantie(Netherlands)
11 Jul - 23 Aug
Summer holidays(United Kingdom)
18 Jul - 1 Sept
Zomervakantie(Netherlands)
18 Jul - 30 Aug
Sommerferien(Germany)
30 Jul - 14 Sept
Spring break(Australia)
19 Sept - 4 Oct
Spring break(Australia)
26 Sept - 11 Oct
Spring break(Australia)
3-18 October
Herbstferien(Switzerland)
3-18 October
Herbstferien(Germany)
12-24 October
Vacances de la Toussaint(France)
17 Oct - 2 Nov
Herfstvakantie(Netherlands)
17-25 October
October half-term(United Kingdom)
24 Oct - 1 Nov
Vacances de Toussaint(Belgium)
24 Oct - 1 Nov
Herbstferien(Germany)
26-30 October
Herbstferien(Germany)
31 Oct - 6 Nov
Thanksgiving break(United States)
25-29 November
Summer holidays(Australia)
12 Dec - 25 Jan
Summer holidays(Australia)
18 Dec - 27 Jan
Christmas holidays(United Kingdom)
19 Dec - 3 Jan
Christmas break(United States)
19 Dec - 3 Jan
Summer holidays(Australia)
19 Dec - 28 Jan
How are these scores calculated?

The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).

Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.

Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.

Spot guide

This guide was generated from conditions data. Know this spot? Submit your own tips below.

## The spot Biarritz is the historic birthplace of European surfing, a glamorous seaside town on the French Basque coast. The main surf beaches (Grande Plage, Cote des Basques, Marbella) face west into the Atlantic. Grande Plage is sheltered and gentle; Cote des Basques is the classic longboard wave; Marbella is more powerful. The Art Deco architecture, casino, and clifftop hotels give it an atmosphere unlike any other surf town in Europe. ## When it works Picks up westerly Atlantic swell. An easterly offshore wind creates clean conditions. The sheltered beaches (Grande Plage, Cote des Basques) work on smaller swells. Marbella needs more size. Works on all tides. Consistent year-round. The 2-5ft range suits the town beaches; larger swells push surfers to Anglet or Hossegor. ## Where to sit Cote des Basques is the classic spot: a long, mellow wall ideal for longboarding. Grande Plage has multiple peaks for shortboarders. Marbella (south) is more powerful and less crowded. Choose based on your ability and board choice. ## Hazards Cote des Basques disappears at high tide (backed by cliffs). Rocks between the beaches. Crowds are intense. The cliffs at Cote des Basques can cut off beach access on rising tides. Generally safe, sandy bottom spots. ## Parking and access Pay parking throughout the town. Limited and expensive in summer. Beach access via paths from various points. Full resort city facilities. ## The crowd Extremely crowded from May through October. Biarritz attracts surfers, tourists, and longboarders from across Europe. Cote des Basques can see 50+ people in the water. Winter is significantly quieter. Dawn patrol is essential in summer. ## Local tips Biarritz is about the experience as much as the waves. The surf history, the architecture, the food, and the atmosphere make it special even if the waves are not world-class. Les Halles market has extraordinary Basque produce. If the town beaches are crowded, Anglet (10 minutes north) offers similar waves with fewer people. The sunset from the lighthouse is unmissable.
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Frequently asked questions

How often is this page updated?

Current conditions refresh every 3 hours when the cron runs. Hourly data updates every 30 minutes. The 7-day forecast, luck factor, and packing notes are all pre-computed at the same time.

What is the luck factor?

We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Biarritz. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical late May.

How is 'best session' picked?

We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.

Where does the data come from?

Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).

Does the score capture local knowledge?

Honestly, no. Every break has tide windows, swell directions and reef contours that a global model cannot see. Treat the score as a starting point, then check a local cam.

When is the best time to surf Biarritz?

The best week for surf at Biarritz is the week of 9 November (score 3/5) with low crowds.