Camping in the Biarritz area in the South West of France in the Pays Basque

Biarritz has always had the label of being an upmarket holiday area, but in truth it is no more expensive to take camping holidays there than anywhere else in the south of France. Bairritz is one of the last outposts before reaching the northern border with Spain, the true Basque country and is situated in between the city of Bayonne and the quaint old port of St Jean de Luz, a beautiful seaside resort and active fishing port very near to the Spanish border on the Cote Basque. All three of these places are conveniently just off the Autoroute - A63 as you can see from our link to the map of the area.

Getting to your chosen camping venue near Biarritz is easy enough but could entail a rather long drive. Certainly the ferry from Poole or Weymouth to St Malo is the best bet, either with Condor ferries which arrives circa 7.30pm or Brittany ferries which has more flexible schedules and which allows for sleeping on the boat overnight for a 9 am (ish) start.

Basically you just drive down the free dual carriageway to skirt Rennes and Nantes where you pick up the Autoroute and follow the signs for Bordeaux and then Biarritz. You have to pay to use the autoroute by the way, and just be careful with your speed because cars are often timed between payages and if you are found to exceeded the speed limit you could start your camping holiday with a stiff fine instead of a stiff drink! If in doubt just follow the signs for Rennes, Nantes, Bordeaux and then Biarritz. You don't need a map to get there as the signing is so good.

Weather in the Biarritz area? Well it's generally warm year round because like most western coastal areas the Atlantic influences the climate, making it mild and temperate. Winters record the highest temperatures in France and summers are warm with cool sea breezes. Rain usually occurs in short downpours and is distributed throughout the year.

The Atlantic influences the climate of the coastal areas like Biarritz, creating mild and temperate weather year round. Winters record the highest temperatures in France and summers are warm with cool sea breezes. Rain usually occurs in short downpours and is distributed throughout the year, but we have to say that June is generally one of the driest months having roughly 5 to 6 inches of rain with July and August having approximately double that. It doesn't take much imagination to guess that the Pyrenees have something to do with that.

The Atlantic coast in the Biarritz area is superb for watersports. Surfing is great here and there are some wonderful Atlantic rollers to bring you in. If you go to this region you will most certainly find that there are a great many younger people who have taken their camping holidays just for the surfing.