Living in Biarritz: choosing a neighbourhood

You have just moved to Biarritz, or you are seriously thinking about it. You work for yourself, remotely or as part of a small team, and one question comes up quickly: which neighbourhood should you live in? The town is small enough to cross by bike, but each neighbourhood has its own rhythm, and that rhythm is what you will live with every day. This guide goes through the neighbourhoods of Biarritz one by one, with what each is like day to day when you work from here.

It is written by someone from Biarritz who lives here and has built companies from here.

Biarritz at a glance

Before the neighbourhoods, three things to know about the town itself.

You get around on foot and by bike. Journeys are short, there are shops everywhere, and the town's free shuttle buses link the inland neighbourhoods with the centre, the Côte des Basques and the Port Vieux. A car is mostly for leaving Biarritz.

It is well connected. Biarritz Pays Basque airport is nine minutes from the town centre, and the TGV runs direct to Bordeaux and Paris. If your clients or your team are elsewhere, that is what makes living here work.

It is lived in all year. In summer the town fills up; the rest of the year it goes back to its residents, its markets and the pace of a small town. That is the Biarritz you will be living in, in November as much as in August.

The neighbourhoods of Biarritz, one by one

Bibi-Beaurivage and the Côte des Basques

South of the centre, Bibi-Beaurivage is one of the town's first working-class neighbourhoods, which grew up around rue d'Espagne and rue Harispe. It has kept a village feel, with place Pradier and its shops, bars and neighbourhood festivals.

Below it lies the Côte des Basques, the beach at the foot of the cliff, looking across to the Spanish coast. At high tide the sand disappears; at low tide the whole neighbourhood heads down to the water. Here, you check the tide before your emails.

Suits you if: you want the ocean at the end of the street and a neighbourhood life on foot. Worth knowing: parking in the area is easy, but getting around on foot, by bike or on the free shuttle is simpler still.

The town centre and Les Halles

This has been the heart of Biarritz for over a century. Les Halles, the covered market, opens every morning, the farmers' market sets up on Saturdays, and all around it spreads a pedestrian area of restaurants, cafés and shops. A little away from the bustle, the Jardin public is lined with villas.

Suits you if: you want to do everything on foot, go out in the evening without getting back on your bike, and meet people two streets from home. Worth knowing: it is the liveliest part of town, especially in summer and in the evening.

The Port Vieux

Between the centre and the Côte des Basques, the Port Vieux, the old fishing harbour, is the town's maritime heart: the crampottes, the fishermen's huts along the harbour, fish grilled next to the boats, steep paths running down to the water, and the Villa Belza on its rock. More intimate than the centre, and more of a family place than you might think.

Suits you if: you want to live by the water while staying a short walk from the centre. Worth knowing: in summer, the harbour turns festive.

Saint-Charles

Behind the Hôtel du Palais, between the lighthouse and the Grande Plage, the main town beach, Saint-Charles feels like a village within the town. The neighbourhood grew up around its church on avenue de la Reine-Victoria and around rue de la Bergerie, lined with food shops. There is a market on Friday mornings.

Suits you if: you want the calm of a residential area without giving up shops within walking distance. Worth knowing: it is one of the most sought-after neighbourhoods in town.

The Quartier Impérial and the Phare

North of the Grande Plage, the former estate of Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie has kept its grand villas, the Hôtel du Palais, the Russian church and Miramar beach. Higher up, the lighthouse and golf course area looks out over the town and the ocean, with rocky coves at low tide.

Suits you if: you are after an address with character, among villas and large green spaces.

Saint-Martin

This is where Biarritz began: the church of Saint-Martin, the oldest in town, stands on its highest point. Around it you will find a real village life, parks, and the Marion and Mouriscot lakes close by for walking or running. The town's history museum describes it as the favourite neighbourhood of young families who live in Biarritz all year. There is a market on Wednesday mornings.

Suits you if: you are settling in for good, perhaps with a family, and you want green space and quiet. Worth knowing: the ocean is not at the end of the street; for the beach, you take the bike.

Milady

At the southern tip of the town, on the border with Bidart, Milady is a quiet residential neighbourhood of houses, looking out onto its big beach, much loved by locals, with its playground, seafront promenade and surf schools. The Cité de l'Océan and Lake Mouriscot are close by.

Suits you if: you want a house, the beach on your doorstep and a family atmosphere. Worth knowing: the centre is further away, so shopping and evenings out mean a trip.

Kléber and Lahouze

East of the centre, Kléber is the newest neighbourhood in Biarritz: the old fire station and former council land turned into a contemporary district with homes, shops, offices and a nursery. Halfway between the centre, the station and the airport, it is served by buses and the free shuttles. Right next door, Lahouze mixes schools, villas and lofts in former workshops, with a residential, family feel.

Suits you if: you want a newer home with good transport links and quick access to the station or the airport.

The Parc d'Hiver and Aguilera

The Parc d'Hiver is an estate of villas from the 1920s, designed as a garden city sheltered from the ocean wind: shady avenues, villas and manor houses. Right next to it, Aguilera takes its name from the stadium of Biarritz Olympique, the town's rugby club. It has houses with gardens and small blocks of flats, traffic that flows more easily than in the centre, and a neighbourhood feel.

Suits you if: you want a garden and some quiet, away from the summer crowds.

Petricot, Braou and Larochefoucauld

Further inland, between the lakes and the BAB, the boulevard that runs towards Anglet and Bayonne, these neighbourhoods move to the rhythm of the people who live there: schools, local shops, a very active community life in Petricot, the André-Malraux secondary school in Larochefoucauld. Petricot is also where the free shuttles start, heading down to the centre and the coast.

Suits you if: you are looking for a neighbourhood that is lively all year, whose pace is set by its residents rather than by the seasons.

Les Docks

In the south-east of the town, near the railway station, Les Docks has grown up in restored industrial buildings: a fishmonger, a cheese shop, a wine merchant, restaurants, and a night market on Tuesday evenings that is very popular with local residents. It is also a neighbourhood of craftspeople.

Suits you if: you often travel to Bordeaux or Paris and back. Worth knowing: the area is busy at rush hour.

Depending on what you are looking for

Rather than looking for the "best" neighbourhood, start from your typical week.

• The ocean above all: Bibi-Beaurivage, the Côte des Basques, the Port Vieux, Milady.
• Everything on foot, no car: the centre, Saint-Charles, Bibi-Beaurivage.
• Quiet and family life: Saint-Martin, the Parc d'Hiver, Aguilera, Lahouze.
• Frequent trains and flights: Kléber, Les Docks.
• A neighbourhood that is lively all year: Saint-Martin, Petricot, Bibi-Beaurivage.

No neighbourhood is one to avoid: each suits a way of living. The right one is the one that fits yours.

And the rest of the Basque Country?

Living in the Basque Country does not have to mean living in Biarritz. Anglet, the next town along, often has more space and beaches of its own; its northern side, however, is further from the station and the airport. Bidart, to the south, keeps a village spirit facing the ocean. Bayonne, right next door, offers proper city life, its riverside quays and the Petit Bayonne, its old quarter across the river. Many people live a little further out and come to work in Biarritz during the day.

Where to work once you have settled in

You have found your neighbourhood. That leaves the question of where to work. There are three options, often combined.

At home. Free and convenient, until the kitchen table becomes your full-time desk and you go a whole week without seeing anyone.

In a café. Biarritz has some good ones, and they are fine for a few hours of work. For a whole day, between the noise and the video calls, it is harder going.

In a coworking space. A quiet desk, fibre broadband, coffee, and people at the next desk to have lunch with. When you have just moved here, it is also the easiest way to meet people. The overview of coworking spaces in Biarritz covers what is on offer, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.

Bibi House, a coworking space at the Côte des Basques

If you are settling around Bibi-Beaurivage or the Côte des Basques, or if a few minutes on a bike do not put you off, Bibi House is waiting for you at 11 rue Lamartine: a small, friendly space for coworking in Biarritz, with quiet offices, a gym, a surf room and changing rooms with showers at the same address, and people who work there all year round. You can read what a day here looks like or browse the frequently asked questions.

Two plans, no minimum term: Flex at €299 a month excl. VAT, Fixe at €399 a month excl. VAT, with the gym and the surf room included. Bibi House opens on 1 November 2026; you can book your place now, or drop by for a coffee and a look round.

In short

Biarritz is small enough for every neighbourhood to be a short bike ride from the others, and varied enough for the choice to matter. Start from your typical week: the ocean, shopping on foot, quiet, the train. The neighbourhood follows. For the work side, our articles on renting an office in Biarritz and coworking at the Côte des Basques will help you get organised.