Head to head
Hossegor vs Biarritz: which French surf trip?
Pick Biarritz to learn, to longboard, or to pair the surf with a city break. Pick Hossegor when you want barrels and can handle a heavy beach break.
What the data says
Hossegor is best Oct–Mar, and Biarritz is best Oct–Apr.
Hossegor runs bigger on a typical day in season: 5–8 ft against 3–5 ft. Hossegor is surfable more often: about 90% of days in season, against 77% at Biarritz.
Both fly into BIQ. The two breaks are about 25 km apart in a straight line. From the airport: Hossegor, straight there, 39 min from BIQ; Biarritz, straight there, 12 min from BIQ. Fares move every day, so this page prints none. The app shows the live fare from your airport for the weeks the swell is on.
Which one for your dates
- Apr: Biarritz. It is at its best, and Hossegor is only OK.
- May–Aug: both are off, smaller and less reliable, often fine for a lesson.
- Sep: both are worth the trip, neither at its best.
- Oct–Mar: both are at their best, so the town and the wave decide.
The two waves
Hossegor (La Graviere)
La Graviere is one of Europe's heaviest beach breaks: thick, fast barrels on a shifting sandbar. The town is a pine-backed resort with a long row of surf shops.
Côte des Basques (Biarritz)
Where European surfing began: gentle longboard rollers below Villa Belza, in the middle of an elegant seaside city. The beach goes under at high tide, so sessions follow the tide chart.
Side by side
| Measure | Hossegor | Biarritz |
|---|---|---|
| Best months | Oct–Mar | Oct–Apr |
| Typical face in season | 5–8 ft | 3–5 ft |
| Surfable days in season | About 90% | About 77% |
| Suits | Advanced on its day | First-timers to intermediates |
| Water in season | 15 C / 59 F, 4/3 + boots | 15 C / 59 F, 4/3 + boots |
| Nearest airport | BIQ | BIQ |
| Getting there | Straight there, 39 min from BIQ | Straight there, 12 min from BIQ |
Month by month
| Month | Hossegor | Biarritz |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | Best | Best |
| Feb | Best | Best |
| Mar | Best | Best |
| Apr | OK | Best |
| May | Off | Off |
| Jun | Off | Off |
| Jul | Off | Off |
| Aug | Off | Off |
| Sep | OK | OK |
| Oct | Best | Best |
| Nov | Best | Best |
| Dec | Best | Best |
Best its strongest stretch OK still worth the trip Off smaller and less reliable, often fine for a lesson
Full tables with wave size, surfable days and the wetsuit for every month: Hossegor and Biarritz. Taking a board? See what each airline charges and whether your bag fits.
Or let the week decide
The right trip is whichever one is firing when the fare is cheap. BarrelFare watches both and tells you when they line up.
Cheap flights to firing waves, in your inbox every week.
Cheap Waves: cheap flights to firing waves. Unsubscribe anytime.
Seasons rank how often great days come; wave size and surfable days are medians. All of it is from years of wave hindcast (how we score a month). Getting there is the ground leg from the nearest airport, the same figure each spot page shows.