It’s come a long way, Biarritz. In the 15th century it was a grubby little whaling port in the heart of the Basque country, where local fishermen gutted whales on the beach.

By the 1600s it was already known for its sea-bathing – although locals remained suspicious: in 1609 a councillor complained that local women were swimming ‘naked under their bathing costumes’.

By the 1830s, Victor Hugo could still describe this French-Spanish-Basque-Gascon backwater as a rural place ‘with red roofs and green shutters’ –although he reckoned the town’s glorious setting, with its silvery beaches and backdrop of green mountains, would also be its ruin, as the place became fashionable.

He was right about the ‘fashionable’ bit. In the Victorian era, Biarritz took off, attracting potentates from across the Continent.

The Sunday Times Travel Magazine - January

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Emperor Napoleon III and his wife Eugenie were the most famous, building a villa in salmon-pink Second Empire style – an architectural genre still echoed through the town. Various kings, premiers and White Russian princelings quickly followed.

But the 20th century was not so kind to Biarritz. The jet set decamped to the Côte d’Azur; the Russians spent their roubles and died. Concrete buildings sprang up along the foreshore, giving it an air of East Berlin-on-sea (an air that still lingers in places).

So why go to Biarritz now? Because it’s great fun. With that gorgeous seafront and intriguing hinterland – as well as some of the finest surfing and seafood in Europe, Biarritz is rightly regaining its confidence, without reassuming its more pretentious airs. Whether you want sport or siestas, if you’re after French seaside chic without St Tropez silliness, this is the place to be.

BUSY WEEKENDER

Surfing began in Biarritz in 1957, when Hollywood starlet Deborah Kerr was filming here with her husband – a dude from sunny California who brought his surfboard along. Mister Deborah Kerr took one look at those Biscay waves, and an industry was born. Try the Grande Plage for great rip curls; boards can be hired and lessons booked at the Quiksilver Boardriders Club (Casino Municipal Grande Plage; 00 33 55 922 0312, www.biarritz-boardriders.com; from £22 for a day’s surfboard and wetsuit hire, and £28 for a 90-minute lesson including board and wetsuit).

If you like to spoil a good walk, you have 10 superb golf courses to choose from. The city also has Europe’s only golf training centre, which would explain why Biarritz is twinned with Augusta, Georgia, the world-famous host of the US Masters. The best course is the sandy and undulating Le Phare (Avenue Edith Cavell; 00 33 55 903 7180, www.golf-biarritz.com; from £80 for a round, or £200 for a ‘golf pass’, entitling you to play five rounds at local courses).

It’s not the cutest building in France – in fact, it’s an unhappy mixture of Art Deco and Soviet Constructivism. But the Municipal Casino Barrière de Biarritz (Avenue Edouard VII; 00 33 55 922 7777, www.lucienbarriere.com; minimum bet approximately £2) has an illustrious history: Kings Farouk, Michael and Peter (of Egypt, Romania and Yugoslavia respectively) have all sat at the baccarat tables. Today the casino is more populist, but well worth a punt, nonetheless. Open all hours.

You can’t stroll very far in Biarritz without realising that rugby, the game of barbarians played by gentlemen, is a grande passion among Gascons and Basques. As well as players, there are shops and pubs honouring the game everywhere. Olympique Biarritz are regular national champions – quite a feat for a town of 30,000 inhabitants – and they play at the Parc des Sports Aguilera (Avenue Henri Haget; 00 33 55 901 6460, www.bo-pb.com; check local papers for match dates).

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