Port Vieux

You're standing at the oldest documented heart of Biarritz. This sheltered little cove, protected by cliffs on both sides, is where it all began. The oldest written evidence of commercial activity here dates to May the twenty-sixth, thirteen forty-two. That document authorised Biarritz residents to sell fresh fish to the nearby city of Bayonne. A fish-selling licence. That's the founding document of Biarritz's economy, and it was all about this harbour.

Look up at the promontory above you. The Chateau de Ferragus, also called the castle of Belay, was first mentioned in that same thirteen forty-two document. It was constructed by the English on the foundations of a Roman structure. That's right. The English built a castle on Roman ruins overlooking this tiny Basque fishing harbour. In the Middle Ages, this whole region was part of the Duchy of Aquitaine and under English control after Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry the Second.

Before Biarritz became a resort town, this cove was the entire reason anyone lived here. Sheltered from the worst of the Atlantic swells by the rock formations on either side, it provided the only safe harbour for small fishing boats. Everything else on this coast is exposed. This pocket of calm water was the difference between life and death for fishermen in bad weather.

Today it's one of the most pleasant swimming spots in Biarritz. While surfers battle the waves at Cote des Basques and Grande Plage, families and swimmers come here for the calm, clear water. The cliffs still provide shelter from the wind.

Four hundred years of fishing village, then one hundred and seventy years of resort town. This little cove has seen the full arc of Biarritz's story, from medieval fish markets to sunscreen.