Biarritz, Francia – WALKING TOUR 4K | 💰 Aquí NO hay casas normales… ¡SOLO CASTILLOS! 🏰✨

👑 Bienvenidos a Biarritz, la joya de la costa vasco-francesa donde TODO parece sacado de un cuento. En este video te llevo a recorrer la ciudad donde las casas parecen castillos, descubrirás una ciudad con alma aristocrática, corazón marinero y arquitectura de ensueño. ¿Por qué hay tantas mansiones con torres y balcones dignos de realeza? ¿Quiénes vivieron aquí? ¿Y cómo es que el Hotel du Palais fue, literalmente, el palacio de una emperatriz?

Haremos un tour a pie desde el Faro de Biarritz, veremos las mejores casas señoriales y mansiones de estilo Belle Époque, conoceremos la historia del lujoso Hotel du Palais, antigua residencia imperial, pasearemos por el encantador Puerto de los Pescadores (Port des Pêcheurs) y descubriremos la famosa Roca de la Virgen y su pasarela de Gustave Eiffel.
✨Grabado en 4K para que disfrutes cada detalle como si caminaras por sus calles con nosotros.

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#WalkingTourFrancia #TourAPieBiarritz #Biarritz #QuéVerEnBiarritz #ViajarPorElPaísVascoFrancés #PueblosBonitosDeFrancia #Paseos4K #WalkingTourSinNarración #SlowTravelEuropa #WalkingTourSinMúsica #ViajesRelajantes4K #ArquitecturaFrancesa #HistoriaDeBiarritz #CuriosidadesDeFrancia

Hello all dear friends! 🤗 Welcome to Biarritz, a hidden gem between the deep blue sea and the green hills of the French Basque Country! We are at the northern tip of Biarritz. Built in 1834, this lighthouse has witnessed storms, conquests and golden summers. From its 73 meters above sea level, it still guides sailors who navigate the Bay of Biscay. Although there was a former Soviet factory ship that was not so lucky, called Frans Hals, which ran aground on Miramar beach, in Biarritz, on November 20, 1996. The Frans Hals, after more than 30 years of service, was sold for scrapping and towed from Russia to Bilbao. During the journey, a violent storm in the Bay of Biscay damaged the ship and without control and with four crew members on board, the ship drifted towards the French coast. And it ran aground on the beach, under the astonished gaze of the residents! As a tribute to this event, the Frans Hals propeller was recovered and is displayed right here. From here, you can see the Grand Beach, the center of Biarritz, the Virgin’s Rock, and on clear days, even the Pyrenees and the Spanish coast. From this cliff at the Pointe Saint-Martin, we savor a preview of what Biarritz is going to offer us!😚 By the way, if you are wondering what finally happened to the ship Frans Hals, it first remained stranded for several weeks on the beach. To remove it, its weight was lightened and, during high tides, it was towed by three boats towards the Capbreton Trench, where it was sunk in a controlled manner.🌊🚢 These trees are incredible, look at their shape! 🌳 Historically, this cape we are on was known as Cape Hainsart, a name that comes from the oaks that surrounded it. Over time, these oaks were replaced by tamarisks, trees resistant to coastal conditions and strong sea winds. This species is resistant to wind and salinity, making it perfect for the coast.🌊 If you came in spring, its pink and white flowers create a beautiful contrast with the coastal environment.🌸🌸🌸 During World War II, the Germans used this strategic position to guard the coast. Now that we are on our way to the center you will be able to see something that has caught my attention!😮 And in Biarritz almost all the houses look like castles! 🏰 It all started in the 19th century, when Empress Eugenia de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III, made Biarritz her favorite place to spend the summer. He ordered the construction of his palace by the sea, the current Hôtel du Palais… and where the empress goes, the aristocracy follows. Nobles, wealthy bourgeois and artists from all over Europe began to build their summer villas in Biarritz, but they didn’t want simple houses… They wanted residences that reflected their status, their taste… and their fantasy. This is how these eclectic and theatrical houses were born, inspired by: Medieval castles, romantic English and German architecture and neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance elements with Basque-French touches (such as half-timbering in red or green). Thus, during the Belle Époque and the golden age of aristocratic tourism, Biarritz was filled with these unique and extravagant villas, built between the cliffs and the ocean. Having a villa in Biarritz was a status symbol and rich families from Paris, London, Madrid or Saint Petersburg came to show off. There was total freedom, some were inspired by Scottish castles, others by Swiss chalets, others by Venetian mansions… This is called: architectural eclecticism. During the Second World War many villas were occupied by the Germans and there are houses that still have tunnels or underground shelters hidden among the gardens. Today many are converted into hotels, clinics or private residences. There is one, called Villa Belza, next to the sea, which is an icon. Black, mysterious, gothic… It is said that it was owned by a Russian family, then by an alchemist, and later a place for clandestine parties in the 1920s. There were even rumors of witchcraft and Nazi spies during the occupation! Today it is a private building, but it continues to feed the popular imagination. As you can see, there we already found the beach in the background… 👀🌊 Kings, queens, artists and millionaires from all over Europe came to spend the summer. Queen Victoria , Sissi of Austria, King Alfonso Empress Eugenia de Montijo started it all, she was Spanish, from Granada, very refined and a lover of the sea.🌊💖 Her palace was the first large imperial building in the area: they had it built in the shape of an E, by Eugenia. Friends, we come from that lighthouse at the back!💪👏😙😄 As I told you, that “E”-shaped house, today is the Hôtel du Palais, and Napoleon III came and went by train from Paris to see it.👸🤴 And it’s right here: It’s this immensity of red! The sea that bathes the coasts of Biarritz is the Cantabrian Sea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. 🌊 Among the illustrious visitors to the palace were: Coco Chanel, Frank Sinatra, Stravinsky, Hemingway, Ava Gardner and even Elizabeth II as a young woman. After the Second World War, the building was badly damaged and closed in ruins for years. Later, it was rescued, restored and officially converted into a luxury hotel. Today it is part of the exclusive group “The Unbound Collection by Hyatt”, and is the only palace hotel on the French Atlantic coast.🏰👑🌊 💖💖💖 If you are enjoying this walk through Biarritz… imagine everything that is coming. 😉 Like, subscribe and let’s continue discovering together places with history and a lot of magic. 💖 The Cantabrian Sea is not a calm sea, here the ocean breaks strongly against cliffs, raises waves that challenge surfers and transforms each beach into a changing spectacle. It can go from turquoise calm to gray storm in a matter of hours.🌊⚡ From Biarritz to San Sebastián and beyond, the Cantabrian Sea is a mecca for surf lovers. In fact, European surfing was born in these waters, and places like Biarritz have been considered the cradle of surfing in Europe since the 1950s.🏄‍♀️🏄‍♂️ By the way, we are surrounding the Hôtel du Palais! 👸💖 Now we will cross the promenade towards the center of Biarritz, and at the end of our walk today, something awaits us that will surprise you, don’t miss it!🤩😮 Long before the aristocratic villas and luxury hotels, Biarritz was a small fishing village.🎣 Since the Middle Ages, its inhabitants went out to the Cantabrian Sea to hunt whales. Yes, whales! 🐋 It was one of the most important activities in the area, and in fact, the Biarritz shield has a whale. The whale oil was so valuable that it allowed some wealth to the town.🐳🪔 On its cliffs there are still references to ancient hunting, and there are local legends about missing sailors and mermaids who sang in Basque…🧜‍♂️🧜‍♀️ The area is part of the French Basque Country, and its original language was Basque. In fact, its name may have roots in Old Basque (bi = two / aritz = oaks). In 1854, Empress Eugenie arrived and convinced her husband, Napoleon III, to build a palace for her, as I already told you. And from that moment everything changed around here! Luxury trains begin to arrive from Paris, casinos, promenades, mansions are built, therapeutic sea baths are also born…💎💍👑 Biarritz becomes a destination for the European aristocracy. 💄🩰🎩👒👗 In the 1920s, Biarritz entered its golden age of art and culture.🤓 It became a refuge for American writers, artists, aristocrats in exile and millionaires. And with them comes jazz, cinema and private parties. 🎵🎷💃👯‍♂️🕺 At that time, Coco Chanel opened a store and Ernest Hemingway and Scott Fitzgerald frequented the area. In 1957, the American screenwriter Peter Viertel, while shooting a film in Biarritz, brought a surfboard with him…🏄‍♂️ What started as a curiosity became a local passion and today, Biarritz is a European surfing capital, with schools, festivals, and a very present culture. The casino! 💲🎲🌟 Opened in 1929, it had a theater, a concert hall, and rooms for balls and receptions of high society… It was designed by the architect Alfred Laulhé and is one of the best examples of Art Deco in France. Today is cloudy and is part of the nature of Biarritz, but if you come in summer this place has another life!🌞 It is known as the city of 4 seasons in one day. Literal. You can have sun, clouds, wind and rain in less than an hour. ⛅⚡☔🌞 Here we go! 👀 Biarritz is part of the French Basque Country but it does not look like the typical Basque cities and towns with white, red and green houses. If you want to know the most typical Basque style, you will find it on this channel! 🤗But wait, you haven’t seen the best of Biarritz yet! 😉💖 Did you know that during the 30s and 40s, postboxes near the border had two slots: one for French mail, one for Spanish mail? 💌😮 And the Basque Country is divided into two parts: ✌ Iparralde (the northern Basque Country) → the three provinces that are in France: Labort, Baja Navarra and Sola. And Hegoalde (the southern Basque Country) → the four provinces that are in Spain: Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya, Álava and Navarra. The origin of the Basque Country is fascinating, mysterious and unique in Europe! They didn’t arrive… they were already here! They lived in the Basque territory before the Romans, before the Visigoths, before France or Spain even existed. Scientists believe that the Basques descend directly from the Paleolithic inhabitants who lived in the caves of the Western Pyrenees. In times of the Roman Empire, the Vascones already existed, a tribe that lived between Navarra and the current Basque Country. They were known for being fierce, resilient and… difficult to conquer. The Romans never managed to completely subdue them. Thanks to the Pyrenees, the Basque people remained more isolated from invasions and cultural mixtures.💪 This favored the conservation of their language, customs, their own laws (fueros), music and dances.💖 One of the greatest singularities of the Basque Country is its language, Basque (or Basque). It is not derived from Latin or Greek or Celtic or Germanic, it could have roots in prehistoric languages ​​and is one of the oldest living languages ​​in the world. This is the Church of Saint Eugenia of Biarritz ⛪ Its construction was driven by the growth of the city and the need for a new parish to serve the growing population. Can you guess why her name is Santa Eugenia? 👀 Correct! It is dedicated to Saint Eugenia, in honor of the Empress Eugenia de Montijo, the great promoter of the elegant Biarritz that we know today.👸 Now we will see a surfboard dedicated to Mathieu Cavallin, a person who died prematurely in an accident at the age of 39 and who ended up in this coastal surfing city. There are also small offerings, plaques or model boats that the fishermen left in gratitude for returning healthy from the sea. The Virgin is highly revered by local fishermen.🎣 Precisely, now we will go to the Fishermen’s Port, one of the most authentic and soulful corners of Biarritz. 🐟 The small port we are going to was built in the 19th century by order of Emperor Napoleon III, with the aim of protecting traditional fishing activity. It’s down here! 🚤🚢⛵ This port provided shelter for small boats, which were previously at the mercy of the rough waves of the Cantabrian Sea. It’s started to rain a little, but nothing will stop us! ☔💪😙 We’ll go down to see the boats up close! 😍 These fishermen’s houses are “crampottes”, where in the past they kept nets, tackle… and what was caught was cooked!🐟🔥 Nowadays many of them have been converted into small bars and restaurants with rustic charm.🍺🍤🦐 Although the port is no longer the fishing center it once was, some fishermen still go out to fish, and these are their boats, gear and networks.🚢🎣🦐 The Fisherman’s Port is the old soul of Biarritz… and it still breathes.🥰😍 Now, dear friends, we are going to see the Rock of the Virgin, one of the most emblematic symbols of Biarritz! I confess that it has been the place that I liked the most because of its great beauty! 😍💘 Virgin Rock is a natural rock formation, located off the coast, linked to the mainland by a walkway. In the 19th century, this place was used by fishermen to watch whales, which were very common off the coast of Biarritz.🐋 🛶 The legend that gives its name to the rock dates back to the 19th century: A group of fishermen were fishing when a sudden storm swept them towards the rocks. They were about to be shipwrecked, when miraculously a light guided them to the coast, and they all survived. A light like this!🤣🙏 As a token of gratitude, they placed a statue of the Virgin Mary on the rock. And thus the Rocher de la Vierge was born.!✨🙏✨ In 1864, Emperor Napoleon III ordered the rock to be drilled and a walkway built to connect it to the coast. The current catwalk was designed by the workshop of Gustave Eiffel, the same creator of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This is a place of pilgrimage for some, and a corner of peace for others. Friends, that house in the background is the one I told you about at the beginning, the mysterious Villa Belza! 😍 And now we will cross the Eiffel walkway! 😚 If the sky is clear, you can see the coast of Spain.💃🥘 The white statue of the Virgin and Child looks towards the sea, as if it still protected the sailors.🙏✨ The rock of the Virgin! 🌞 Many locals still light candles or make offerings in honor of the Virgin, asking for protection for their loved ones at sea. It is because of these views that I tell you that for me it is the best place in Biarritz! 😍💖🐟 This is the place we deserve to say goodbye to this walk in style, friends! ✨🥰✨ I hope you enjoyed this walk through Biarritz! 😚🚢✨🐳 See you soon! 🧜‍♂️👑💎🎷🎵🏄‍♂️💌👸🐳👗🎩⛪🐳🙏✨