← Marathon de Bordeaux AG2R LA MONDIALE·3 nights

Bayonne and Biarritz: Three Nights on the Basque Coast

Three nights split between Bayonne's ham-and-chocolate old town and Biarritz's Belle Époque seafront, in the Basque coast's quiet season rather than its crowded summer one.

Duration3 nights
TransitDirect train, just under 2 hours from Bordeaux Saint-Jean
DepartsBordeaux Saint-Jean

After the Marathon de Bordeaux AG2R LA MONDIALE: Bayonne and Biarritz

The Route: Bordeaux Saint-Jean → Bayonne (1 night) → Biarritz (2 nights) → Bordeaux Saint-Jean or Biarritz Airport Logistics: Direct train from Bordeaux Saint-Jean to Bayonne, just under two hours. Biarritz sits a short local hop further on the same line, around 10 minutes beyond Bayonne. Marathon Month: November Duration: 3 nights

Bordeaux Saint-Jean ──(≈1h50 direct train)──> Bayonne (1 night)
                                                    │
                                     ──(≈10 mins local train)──> Biarritz (2 nights)
                                                                        │
                                                    Biarritz Airport (BIQ) ◄──(≈15 mins taxi/bus)──┘

The Marathon de Bordeaux AG2R LA MONDIALE finishes on Quai Richelieu, a short walk from Bordeaux Saint-Jean, which makes the Basque coast a realistic three-night extension rather than a separate trip: direct trains cover the roughly 200 km to Bayonne in just under two hours, with around eleven services a day and no change required. Book through SNCF Connect once travel dates are fixed; this is a long-distance French route rather than a UK one, so the advance-versus-walk-up fare gap is smaller than it would be on an equivalent British line, though prices still rise as departure approaches.

November on the Basque coast is quieter and wetter than the summer surf season, and Biarritz in particular loses much of the beach-club energy that defines it from June to September. What replaces it is a genuine, lived-in version of both towns: Bayonne's food culture and Biarritz's coastal walking routes work in any season, and neither city empties out the way a purely beach-dependent resort would.

Night One: Bayonne

Bayonne sits at the confluence of the Adour and Nive rivers, and its old town, Grand Bayonne and Petit Bayonne either side of the Nive, is compact enough to see on foot without a long walking day. The riverside quays along the Nive give a flat, paved route through the heart of the old town, colonnaded arcades on one side and half-timbered houses on the other, an easy way to get a first sense of the city without committing to a longer walk.

Bayonne's food identity rests on two specific products worth treating as sights in their own right: Jambon de Bayonne, the city's cured ham, and its chocolate-making tradition, brought by Sephardic Jewish confectioners in the 16th and 17th centuries and still visible in working chocolatiers around the old town, including Cazenave, known for its thick hot chocolate served with toast. Bayonne Cathedral, a Gothic building with cloisters open to visitors, sits a short walk from the river and needs no booking.

Where to stay: Villa Koegui, a boutique hotel inside a converted 18th-century townhouse in the centre, puts a runner within easy walking distance of both riverbanks. Hôtel Le Bayonne, more straightforward and centrally located near the station, works well for a single-night stop before continuing to Biarritz.

Where to eat: Brasserie Basa, in the old town, runs a menu built around Basque and south-west French produce with a genuine focus on local sourcing, a solid choice for a first dinner after a day of travel.

Nights Two and Three: Biarritz

Biarritz is a ten-minute local train ride from Bayonne, and its identity is built on the Atlantic itself: a former whaling village turned 19th-century imperial resort after Napoleon III's wife, the Basque-born Empress Eugénie, made it fashionable, and the Belle Époque villas along the clifftop still carry that history. The Grande Plage, the town's main beach, is flanked by a paved promenade running the length of the bay, flat and easy on tired legs even when the beach itself is out of season for swimming.

The Rocher de la Vierge, a rock outcrop reached by a short metal footbridge at the northern end of the bay, gives the best single view back along the whole Biarritz coastline and needs no booking or entry fee, just a short, level walk from the town centre. Les Halles, Biarritz's covered market, is worth a slower visit for regional cheese, charcuterie and produce rather than a full sit-down meal, and works well as a light lunch stop between longer walks.

Where to stay: Hôtel Le Windsor, directly on the Grande Plage, gives sea-facing rooms and the shortest possible walk to the promenade. A quieter alternative sits back from the seafront in the town's residential streets, trading the view for a calmer night after two nights already spent close to the beachfront bars.

Where to eat: El Callejon Biarritz, in the town centre, runs a Basque-leaning menu built around pintxos-style small plates, a good fit for a lighter final evening before travelling on.

Getting Home

Biarritz Airport (BIQ) sits around 15 minutes from the town centre by taxi or local bus, and carries a more limited route network than Bordeaux Airport, so check current airline schedules before assuming a direct flight home exists from here. For destinations without a direct Biarritz connection, returning to Bordeaux Saint-Jean by the same direct train, just under two hours, and continuing to Bordeaux Airport (BOD) via tram line F remains the more flexible option.