Belza Villa

The Villa Belza, in Biarritz

The Villa Belza is one of the emblems of Biarritz, a mysterious dwelling perched on the cliffside above the ocean. The Biarritz audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this villa with a fantastic profile, with its medieval keep and its pepperpot turret, wreathed in legends, that was a cinema set then a cabaret frequented by the European elite.

The mysterious dwelling of the cliff

Here is this famous Villa Belza, whose mysterious profile, perched on the cliffside, has become one of the emblems of the city. Its name Belza, that means black in Basque, its proximity to the Devil's hole and its fantastic appearance, with its medieval keep and its pepperpot turret, have always fed the legends of the region. A haunted house with slamming shutters, ghosts appearing at the windows, stories of witchcraft or of revenants: the Villa Belza has seen and heard everything. This did not prevent it from being noticed by the seventh art, quite the contrary: from 1908, it served as a set for numerous film scenes, its dramatic silhouette lending itself marvellously to mysterious atmospheres. In 1923, it is the brother-in-law of the great Russian composer Igor Stravinsky who bought the place and transformed the villa into a cabaret-restaurant, where sumptuous dinners were organised. Personalities such as the Prince of Wales and grand Russian dukes crossed there, in the time when Biarritz attracted the cosmopolitan aristocracy. Over the decades, the villa knew many diverse fortunes, before being restored and transformed into apartments. Even today, standing alone facing the swell, it fascinates the walkers and the photographers, especially on stormy days, when the waves come to break at its feet. An emblematic villa and a dwelling of legend, the Villa Belza is a fine stop of the discovery of Biarritz.

What to see

Here you admire one of the emblems of Biarritz, a mysterious villa perched on the cliffside, with its medieval keep and its pepperpot turret, whose name means black in Basque; wreathed in legends, a cinema set from 1908, it became in 1923 a cabaret-restaurant frequented by the Prince of Wales and grand Russian dukes. The Villa Belza is a dwelling of legend of Biarritz. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Villa Belza stands on the cliffside, between the Côte des Basques and the Port-Vieux, in Biarritz, reachable on foot. It is a private dwelling transformed into apartments, that you admire from the outside from the coastal path; it cannot be visited. You discover it during a walk by the sea, particularly beautiful on days of swell.

What does the name of the Villa Belza in Biarritz mean?

Belza means black in Basque, a name that, with its proximity to the Devil's hole and its appearance of a medieval castle with a turret, feeds the legends of a haunted house; perched on the cliffside, this emblematic villa of Biarritz was a cinema set from 1908 then, in 1923, a cabaret-restaurant frequented by the Prince of Wales and grand Russian dukes.

Where is the Villa Belza in Biarritz?

On the cliffside, between the Côte des Basques and the Port-Vieux, in Biarritz, in France.