Biarritz: The Eternal Shore

From Whalers to Surfers, the Untold History of the Queen of the Atlantic

Where the wild Atlantic crashes against the Basque cliffs, a village of fishermen became an empire’s dream, a poet’s refuge, and a surfer’s paradise.

In Biarritz: The Eternal Shore, historian Julien Peltier traces nine centuries of transformation — from medieval whalers and royal lovers to jazz-age stars and modern surfers. Through wars, empires, and waves, Biarritz has reinvented itself endlessly, yet always remained true to its soul: proud, untamed, and irresistibly alive.

With cinematic storytelling and meticulous research, Peltier reveals how a remote Basque port became the Queen of the Atlantic — the stage of Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie, the playground of Hemingway and Coco Chanel, and today, the beating heart of European surf culture.

Part history, part travelogue, and part love letter to the sea, Biarritz: The Eternal Shore captures the essence of a city that has never ceased to move with the tide — elegant, rebellious, and eternal.

Perfect for readers of Robert Hughes, Simon Schama, or Pico Iyer, this is the untold story of how one small corner of the world became a legend that never stops returning.

Great descriptive language

Makes the city come to life like a person
Loved the language: the difference between courage and tragedy was the thin line of horizon