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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.
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.
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.
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.
Pay parking throughout the town. Limited and expensive in summer. Beach access via paths from various points. Full resort city facilities.
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.
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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Based on historical weekly averages
Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.
How busy each week is based on school holiday overlap from feeder markets.
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.
Last 29 days of logged conditions.
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Create Profile →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.
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 mid-June.
We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.
Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).
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.
The best week for surf at Biarritz is the week of 16 November (score 3/5) with low crowds.
Rideable waves with moderate energy. Strong offshore, clean but tough to paddle into.
Heads up: jellyfish: high.
Indicators derived from forecast data, not official warnings. Always check local lifeguard or official advice.
Moderate water clarity: ~6m visibility
Daily scores over the last 12 months at Biarritz
See timing scores, school holiday busyness, and lift pass pricing to find the best time to book.
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