I have been posting different questions as I get closer to narrowing down my itinerary and realizing I should stay on the Atlantic side for 2 weeks rather than hit Provence and Eze, etc. So now my question is, if I am starting in Dordogne and plan to spend a couple of nights in Bordeaux either as 2nd stop or back on way to Paris departure, is it worth the extra distance to Biarritz? I made a quick stop in Arcachon when I was 23 (I'm 49 now) so it's likely changed, but I remember the boardwalk was lovely. However, i will be traveling alone and wonder if the activity level in Biarritz will be more my speed. (I like hustle and bustle but also like to relax at the beach....). Thanks!
Jill

Both are nice - but Biarritz/Bayonne has more stuff to do & see.

Stu Dudley

we were underwhelmed by Archachon when we spent a couple of nights there a few years ago. Perhaps we weren't in the right bit of it, but there didn't seem to be that much of the town to see [lots of shops] and there was no "front" to speak of. We did an excursion to the bird sanctuary that was nice but the driving was hard work - we're used to traffic islands but whoever designed the traffic flow there went mad with them.

If you like bustle, I'd go to Biarritz.

Very helpful- thanks!

For me, Biarritz is more for older people -- dowagers wearing pearls with freeze dried blue hair. Arcachon is for a slightly younger crowd.

However, on the south Atlantic coast, I prefer both Hossegor or Mimizan. (But discard this suggestion if you are allergic to surf shops and Australians.)

I liked Biarritz a lot more than I expected. I was based in Bayonne, but I'm not a beach person, and it was more convenient for day trips.

https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...iful-biarritz/

Biarritz , , ,so close to so many places like Saint-Jean-de- Luz. There's a certain elegance.

Arcachon does have a certain boredom factor that Biarritz doesn't but Biarritz has too much glitz for my liking. St-Jean-de-Luz is just perfect for me, but Bayonne comes close. Last time I was in Mimizan it really hit my tacky beach town nerve, but if I recall there are a few beaches there so maybe I chose the wrong one.

I can't speak for Archacon but we were in Biarritz 2 years ago and loved it. We didn't find it old at all, in fact quite the contrary. We are the same age and found it just right!

SOunds like I might be too casual of a person to stay in Biarritz! Thanks for the tips- I'll check out St-Jean-de-Luz!